As many of you know, I am homeschooling my two year old son, Parker. In addition to teaching him the alphabet, I am doing it all in Spanish. Does that sound hard? Maybe, but we have a lot of great resources to help.
My husband and I both learned Spanish while living abroad (Nate in Mexico and I in Spain). Hence, it was very important for us that our children learn it as well.
Although there are many kinds of resources to help with learning a new language, I believe the best way is through books. Reading books aloud is an especially great way to practice letter recognition and pronunciation. That’s why I am always on the lookout for good children’s books in Spanish!
I recently learned about Booklandia and knew I had to try it out. Booklandia is a subscription book service that sends you books based on age, fluency, and frequency. You can also buy books individually if you prefer that!
In my order of Booklandia, I said I wanted a Spanish board book and picture book combo. We were thrilled when our box came to our doorstep! The books Maceo (the owner) chose were perfect and we have loved being able to read them.
If you’re looking for a great gift to give your little one or even yourself this year, I highly recommend Booklandia! Now let me explain a little further why bilingual books are so amazing.
[Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Booklandia, but all opinions are my own.]
#1: Increase Vocabulary
This may be obvious, but reading books in general increases your vocabulary and comprehension levels. Remember going to English class and having to define terms taken from your reading assignment? Now imagine doing that in a different language. I am even learning new words just by reading Parker’s kid books. Thanks to our new book “A La Luna,” we learned that “Astronave” means “Spaceship.”
Since Parker is only two years old, he is only learning the Spanish alphabet this year. His Spanish vocabulary increases as he learns new words by hearing them. However, by showing him words he is already familiar with, he is also learning how to spell them and recognize them in writing.
#2: Expand Your Home Library
Am I the only one who considers my home library to be gold? In our house, we keep all of the kid books in a couple drawers in the corner of our living room. Keeping the books in a common area with easy access allows Parker to want to read more. Instead of having to walk all the way to his bedroom for a toy, he many times will opt for a nice book right next to the couch.
Additionally, with our family growing (we just had a baby girl last month), I am excited to have Spanish books not only for Parker, but for our other kids as well. Parker already has favorite books that he likes to “read” more than the others and I look forward to the day when he can actually read them to his little siblings!
Because Booklandia is a subscription company, you could receive several Spanish books a month to add to your home library. Easy peasy!
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#3: Add to Your Curriculum
No, this is not the same as adding to your home library. As a homeschooler, I am always looking for ways to teach Parker in fun ways that he will enjoy. Reading books is one of them! For November’s box, one of the books inside was about being Dominican. We were able to review the letter D, talk about the beautiful illustrations, and eat some delicious Dominican food.
If you get a box from Booklandia, Maceo puts in an activity sheet as well. Last month came with a coloring page and lines to write down what you’re thankful for. Again, everything inside a Booklandia box is very thoughtful and timely. And with the addition to our home library, I feel that we’ll have a book for every occasion.
There are even different activities on their website you can do at-home with your kids. Making a Cuban flag out of pom-poms or Guatemalan-inspired weaved bookmark are a few examples.
#4: Support Latinx Authors
This one is huge for me! Booklandia doesn’t just use books that were translated into Spanish, although they are offered to show kids a similar way of life. Maceo, the owner, specifically chooses books written in Spanish by Latinx authors. To quote their website, “Booklandia is committed to assisting families, schools and organizations in building anti-racist and representative libraries of Spanish and Bilingual books.”
Perhaps it’s because I lived in Spain for 18 months, supporting those native Spanish speakers means a lot to me. I have grown to love the Spanish language and its people. Thus, reading books to my kids by them has been a wonderful experience.
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#5: Enjoy Quality Time
Lastly, I think a great benefit to reading bilingual books with your kids and why you should consider gifting them is for the quality time you get to spend with them! Snuggling up on the couch, sharing a blanket, and reading a good book to my children is something I cherish. Make it a Spanish or bilingual book and I’m in heaven!
I promise you that your kids will love it as well. Parker has a blast pointing at pictures with me and saying what the item/animal/person/color (you get the idea) is. I think there is something really special about learning with your children and reading together does just that.
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The time to learn a second language is definitely while we are young. They grasp it so much easier at that age.
I totally agree!
This is so cool! My husband and I continue to register for Spanish books on my twins’ gift registries, but no one seems to buy them for us. We end up getting them for them, because it is important to us. My husband is Colombian-American, and his culture is just as important as mine. 🙂
That is awesome! I definitely recommend considering a subscription to Booklandia. I know how hard it is to find good Spanish books on your own (especially when nobody else in your immediate circle speaks Spanish!)
Sounds like a lot of fun for your family and in a great educational way. That’s really awesome to know! Thank you for sharing Mariah 👍🏼
We love it!
Thank you for opening my eyes to the importance of teaching our children when they are younger! My grandchildren are at a perfect age!
This would be a great gift for them!
What a great idea. I wish my kids had this when they were small. Both excel in Spanish in high school, but I can imagine it would have been a lot easier if we started them when we were young.
Booklandia offers bilingual books for all ages and levels! Your kids might love it!
I do agree with you in this matter! I’m glad to read this as I have a couple of books that I bought for my daughter. Some of my local dialects are in Spanish term but the way we link it with other words is different. Thanks for sharing and what a lovely post!
Thank you! You guys would love the books with Booklandia!
Great resource for parents who want their kids to learn another language 🙂
Definitely!
This is such a great way to teach kids a second language! I wish they had this when I was younger 🙂
Don’t we all! 🙂
What a great option for those wanting to start their kids on a language young!
Thanks! I’m so glad I found it!
This is Awesome! My husband and I talked about doing this if we have kids.
Totally! My husband and I have really enjoyed teaching our kids Spanish and using the extra help with books from Booklandia 🙂
So important. They’re little sponges ready to absorb everything!
I definitely agree!
This is great for littles now. I would have loved something like this when mine were younger.
There are so many more resources nowadays!
Very interesting article – I’d never heard of Booklandia and it’s such a clever idea. Teaching children a language at an early age is so important as they learn it so much easier that way. I was the U.S. had taught languages when I was Elementary school, rather than in the ninth grade ( my first opportunity) or in High School.
It’s definitely harder to learn when the school system doesn’t think it’s important. That’s partly why we are homeschooling our kids 🙂
I believe being bi-lingual or multi-lingual is very important! Great job!
Thank you!
So much easier to learn when you’re younger and hey I bet I would even learn a few things!
You probably would just as I am!
That is so cool! We are going to put our little guy in duel immersion program Chinese is closer to our house but Spanish would be a lot easier to help him with since my husband speaks Spanish.
Maybe you could have a trilingual son! He could learn Chinese at school, but Spanish at home!
I agree with you on this one. Thanks for sharing it reminds me that I wanted to teach my kids some basic Spanish terms too so when we travel we can communicate with others sometimes. My husband Nate and I learned Spanish during our college days and we wanted our kids to do the same. Great tips!
Yes! It is soo nice traveling to a Spanish-speaking country and having no problems with communication or transportation. I’m sure your kids will appreciate learning it too!
I had never heard of Booklandia before now. I will look into this for my 5 year old grandson. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks! I hope your grandson enjoys it!
What a wonderful resource for those with young children! Wish they had been around when my daughter was young.
It’s never too late to start! Whether that’s for your daughter or you 🙂
YES! I agree!
Thanks!
I don’t have kids yet but I can definitely see why it’s important to start teaching new languages while they are young. I was taught Spanish I was in high school and honestly don’t remember any of it, I feel like if you are taught at a younger age maybe it will stick better!
Yeah, I think learning it in school is different than having it as a part of your life like books would.
Booklandia sounds great! I am also bilingual and really want to raise our kiddos to be as well!
I totally recommend it!
I wish my parents had introduced me to a second language when I was young. And now that I’m older, I really wish I knew Spanish. And so do my kids! Bilingual books is a great idea for gifts!
Excellent idea, and a great resource. I’ve struggled with language. My grandkids are growing up in Germany, and the 4 yo goes to a German kindergarten – the teachers don’t speak English, so he’s immersed. Sometimes, his mom doesn’t know what he’s saying!
I love that! My parents live in Germany right now and my mom had a hard time understanding my son in Spanish, but I consider that a good thing! 🙂
We are looking for programs for our daughter so that she can begin to learn a second language. These books would be a great resource to support that learning.
Yes they would! Especially because each box comes with an activity sheet to further education.
What a wonderful way to expand our little ones’ minds! Great recommendations here!
Thank you!
I love bilingual books! My daughter was in an extended French school before the Pandemic started. She did half her school day in English and half in French. So when we visited to Quebec, I was thrilled to find bilingual (as well as completely French) books. In fact, in our house, we have the first three Harry Potter books in 4 different languages!
That is amazing! I love knowing even just a little of the language before we travel to a new place. I’m sure your daughter appreciated it too!
Bilingual books and activities are such a great way to teach a second language. Great post!
Thanks! I think it makes it a lot more fun 🙂
Great ideas! Learning a second language can unlock so many opportunities!
I totally agree!
My family is bilingual ( French and English) but I would love to learn Spanish. Thanks for the book recommendation.
Of course! I tried to take French in college, but failed.. Whoops!