There are many different activities parents can engage in to help their children learn Spanish at home. These methods can prove successful as a supplement to school classes, even if the parents do not have any knowledge, or a limited knowledge of, Spanish. The key is to make mental preparation and to be consistent with the activities. Here are some suggested activities and methodologies.
Parents’ Guide to Teach Spanish at Home
1. Age-appropriate Textbooks
Textbooks to assist in learning Spanish are available at all prices and at all levels. Parents can invest in these textbooks, not only for their children, but to give parents the edge in helping their children to advance in mastering the language. These books are designed to teach concepts like word usage, spelling, verb conjugation and other mechanics of learning a foreign language. It is a given that as children gain mastery over certain skills, the book levels should be increased. By spending just a few minutes daily on learning different concepts, parents and children can gain fluency in conversational Spanish. Here is one recommendation:
52 Weeks of Family Spanish: Bite Sized Weekly Lessons to Get You and Children Speaking Spanish Together!
2. Use of Visual Aids
Visual aids are effective teaching tools because a picture is worth a thousand words. Parents can include just about any objects in the home, making this an affordable exercise by following these steps:
1. Using Spanish words, make labels with magic markers and paper.
2. Attach the labels to the objects.
3. Begin with about ten objects, then add more weekly.
4. Encourage the child to use the Spanish words when speaking about the objects.
5. Parents should practice using the words as well.
6. Invite other family members to participate.
This labeling exercise should be done with the help of the child and should take no more than thirty minutes.
3. Auditory Discrimination Exercises
It is very helpful for parents to listen carefully to the pronunciation of Spanish words. This will assist them in grasping concepts like:
• Rolling the tongue when pronouncing words like amarillo, which means yellow in English
• How to fix the tongue to pronounce words like niña, which means girl in English
Listening to podcasts and CDs will assist greatly because parents will hear the proper pronunciation each time. One suggestion is to group words according to pronunciation and practice them together, for instance, words containing ‘ll’,’ñ’ and ‘r’. This activity can be done as regularly as possible for about fifteen minutes at a time.
4. Technology and the Media Involvement
This is a good time for parents to demonstrate the positive side of technology and the media. They can make use of all the gadgets that capture children’s attention, for instance:
• Tablets – Let children find and play games in Spanish.
• Television – Encourage children to watch Spanish channels and see how many words they can recognize or identify. Write down the words for future studies. A spin-off activity from this is to use the words in sentences later.
• CDs – Allow children to listen to songs in Spanish and sing along.
• DVDs – Invest in Spanish DVDs that teach language translations.
The idea here is to encourage the reinforcement of previously learned words, as well as trying to identify new words. Children can engage in these efforts at various times during the week for about thirty minutes at a time. Take into consideration their attention span and never push them to the point of boredom.
5. Use of Graphic Arts
Most children enjoy drawing pictures. Even if they are not great at drawing, on their developmental level they can draw pictures of various objects around them and label them. Depending on their ages, adding color may add more inspiration and interest. Many of their favorite technical devices will allow them to construct graphics. The goal here is to encourage their involvement as much as possible. Also, studies show that the more they see the more they will retain the information.
6. Invest in Study Time
In order for learning devices and materials to work, finding study time is crucial. This includes:
• Creating the right environment; for example, locating a space in the home where a child can sit and study without unnecessary interruptions
• Making sure the lighting in the room is adequate
• Having study materials in reach so children can access them when needed
• Avoiding any type of distractions that will lure children away from the task at hand
7. Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice makes permanent, so this aspect of learning is paramount. In addition to setting aside study time and creating the right learning environment, children must find time to practice the skills until they master them. To retain the information, they have to continue using them for additional reinforcement. Some practice skills may include:
• Quizzing children using previously engaged-in activities
• Writing down the Spanish words and the English translations multiple times, and vice versa
• Writing sentences in Spanish and reading them aloud
• Using Spanish words as much as possible during regular family conversations
• Investing in a Spanish dictionary
The recommended activities should take no more than thirty minutes to prepare and another thirty minutes to administer. The times can be adjusted up or down based on age and/or grade levels.
When parents are assisting their children at home with learning Spanish, it should be fun and interesting. It is vital to children’s learning success and to keep them from becoming bored and disinterested. It is also suggested that parents take some time to prepare activities beforehand to avoid frustration for them and the learners. Activities may be inexpensive, but engaging.
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