I started homeschooling Parker this year and guess what? I’m doing it all in Spanish!
No, I was not born with Spanish as my second language. In fact, I was raised with a mom who spoke a little German and Korean (and any other word she knew in another language). Needless to say, languages were a big part of my life, even though I don’t really speak German or Korean now.
When I was 20 years old, I served a service mission in Madrid, Spain for 18 months, which is where I learned to speak Spanish. My husband, Nate, served a service mission in Mexico City, Mexico for 2 years and learned to speak Spanish there. With our combined Spanish background, we both agreed full-heartedly that we wanted our children to grow up with a basic knowledge of Spanish. I mean, it is the second most spoken language in the world.
If you’re wondering, I don’t consider myself to be fluent in Spanish (it’s been several years since I lived in Spain), but more of a conversationalist. I remember how difficult it was to memorize all the words and conjugations, but I believe it was totally worth it.
So. If you want to teach your child Spanish or have already started, but you don’t speak it yourself, here are five tips to help you.
1. Prepare the Vocabulary Beforehand
I like to plan out Parker’s lessons at least one week in advance. The curriculum I made for him allows me to teach one Spanish letter a week. Each day during that week, we focus on one Spanish word that starts with that letter.
For example, we just finished our first week of the letter A. He learned Araña (spider), Amarillo (yellow), Azul (blue), Agua (water), and Arroz (rice).
Especially if you don’t already know certain Spanish words, it is super helpful to look them up beforehand and make sure you know how to pronounce them when it comes time to teach. That includes any special activities you are planning along with the lesson. If you are preparing an arts and crafts activity, the following words might be useful:
- Cortar = To Cut
- Tijeras = Scissors
- Pegamento = Glue
- Papel = Paper
- Dibujar = To Draw
2. Practice the Vocabulary With Your Child
Not only should you know the vocabulary beforehand, but you should also practice saying them with your child. Since Parker is only two years old, I will have him repeat each syllable after me. You can also write them on a piece of paper for your toddler to see.
Once you teach that word to your kid, practice using it throughout the week (and year) with them. Did you just review the Spanish word for water (agua)? Now every time you give your child water or if they ask for it, say it in Spanish. That will help it stick in their memory as well as yours.
It’s so much easier to learn a language with someone else, even if that someone else is your high energy and low attention spanned toddler 🙂
3. Keep it Fun!
Teaching doesn’t have to be strict. Let’s be real, toddlers can get bored and distracted really easily. And I don’t know about you, but I would rather not have to keep calling my kid back to our table so he can finish his tracing.
One way to keep the learning fun is by doing crafts! Parker absolutely loves them. He loves the responsibility he feels by being allowed to draw, cut paper, put glue on them, and stick them down.
To help you out with this, I have created Spanish Alphabet Crafts that are made specifically with you and your toddler in mind! There is one for each letter of the Spanish alphabet, with bonus learning activities for each word.
They really do make learning a lot more fun for both the teacher and student. It’s a great way to review each letter learned thus far in your curriculum, and your kids will love showing them off!
[Click the photo below to shop the Spanish Alphabet Crafts]
4. Use Your Local Library
There are a ton of resources at your local library that you may not know about. Let me tell you, they are awesome. For starters, libraries have a bunch of Spanish or bilingual books for kids. You can choose to check one out a week or every once in a while, but reading books in Spanish will not only help your toddler identify letters they are learning, it will also help your pronunciation improve.
Did you know that most local libraries also have a special Spanish Storytime?
Due to Covid-19, the inside of our library is still closed to the general public. However, the librarians have put their Spanish Storytime readings online!
If I’m not feeling up to reading myself one day, I can quickly put on one of our librarian’s videos and let Parker watch/listen to a story. It’s also helpful to ask your toddler questions throughout the story or make comments like “Ese lobo es muy grande” (That wolf is very big) to help their understanding of it.
5. Be Patient
This tip may not seem as helpful, but it is a reminder to all you parents who are doing their best to teach their toddlers Spanish. Be patient!
Remember, bilingual children typically speak slower so don’t be upset that your child isn’t speaking as much as your friend’s kid is. Parker speaks in Spanglish so sometimes Nate and I are the only ones who understand what he’s trying to communicate.
Also, teaching toddlers in general can hard. Teaching them a language you aren’t comfortable with yourself is even harder. Be patient with not only your child, but yourself. You can do this!
Please comment below and let me know if you have any questions about teaching children Spanish!
Did you like this article? Then you will love Pros & Cons of Homeschooling a Toddler!
This is such an awesome idea. Good for you!
Thanks!
We have just recently started adding Spanish into our homeschool for our 6th, 5th, 4th, and Pre-K kiddos. I am really enjoying it so far.
That’s great!
Great tips! I did a year of graduate school in Spain, where I also learned my Spanish. Although fluency does drop after so many years, I also consider myself a conversationalist and teach it in homeschooling classes.
Oh wow, that is so cool! I’m sure it comes in handy a lot for you.
These are great tips! I think every kid should learn different languages to expand their horizons.
I completely agree!
Great tips! My husband has been to Spain as well and when we were first married, we were so adamant that we would speak Spanish to each other often! It didn’t happen, but now I am wanting to teach the kids. So glad you have resources!
You should totally start teaching your kids Spanish now! You won’t regret it!
Amazing way to incorporate a new language! Every child should learn a second language!
I think so too 🙂
Great tips! It’s always good to know another language!
Thanks!
This is very cool! I can’t imagine the patience it must take to teach a second language. I love the alphabet crafts, that is such a great idea!
Thanks! They make it so much more fun!
This is awesome. I tried to do a little when my kids were younger but failed. I wish I could have done dual immersion programs with them.
I’ve heard only good things about dual immersion programs!
I’ve actually been thinking about this the past few weeks! How important it can be for kids to learn another language young. I didn’t think it was really possible when I don’t know the language!
It is possible!! Let me know if you have any specific questions about getting started 🙂
Definitely a great idea! Kids soak up information like crazy so even if I’m not fluent in Spanish, I can totally still see the benefit. Love this idea!
Thanks! I think it’s super beneficial.
I love that you are starting early and teaching with visuals!
Thanks! I think it’s easier to start young 🙂
I would think learning a foreign language would be so much easier at that age. Good for you!
I think so too! Thanks!
Wow this is great. My two older kids have asked me if they can learn Spanish. I wish they taught it in their elementary school. Since I don’t know it, I’d have to do something like this to teach them. I do have a toddler though, so I could start with him! 😉
Yes! It’s a lot easier than people think to teach a child a language even if you aren’t fluent in it yourself. Let me know if you have questions about getting started!
This is so cool! Having at least a basic understanding of Spanish is super helpful
It’s definitely super helpful, but anyone can do it!
Neat ideas! Exposing our children to other cultures and languages is imperative!
Thanks! I couldn’t agree more!
I don’t have a child to teach. But I would like to teach myself! Thanks
Yes! Teach yourself Spanish!
I like this idea. I don’t know Spanish but I think I should learn some as more Spanish speaking people move north (I’m in northern Wisconsin).
It is becoming a lot more popular 🙂
These are great ideas! And the younger they learn another language, the easier it is.
I totally agree!
I’ve thought about trying this with my 4 year old. Do you think it’s confusing at all to be learning both languages (alphabet and words) at the same time? This is something I keep thinking about but would still like to give it a try.
Speaking for my family, I know my son gets enough English from everyone else in his life so we try to focus on Spanish at home, especially during our school time. I don’t think it will be confusing because the letters are almost all the same.
Such a great idea to teach this when they are young instead of waiting until high school. They are such sponges in their toddler years!
Definitely! I want to fill their minds up to full capacity haha
I used these same ideas to teach my older kids, 8 and 10, German! I had the advantage of being fluent in the language, but still… great post!
That’s awesome! My mom speaks German and being exposed to it definitely helped me learn Spanish easier.