Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, so why wouldn’t you want your child to know it? It can be veryy useful not only here in America (remind me to tell you about that time our washing machine flooded our bathroom and the repair man only spoke Spanish), but also traveling to other countries.
One of the great things about teaching children is that they are sponges of information and don’t typically need a bulky textbook to understand something – especially a language. And the earlier you start exposing them to Spanish, the earlier they will catch on and actually speak it!
All the resources and products I am going to share with you are ones that I use with our son Parker. We use a couple more items at home when I’m teaching him, but this article is focused on the ones that are easier to travel with.
Next time you find yourself on a road trip or flight, these 6 resources are sure to help!
1. Leap Frog’s Learning Friends 100 Words Book
Parker received this book for his second birthday several months back and immediately fell in love with it. And so did I!
There are 6 pages of English and Spanish words, with pictures to show what they are. When you touch one of the pictures, the book says the word aloud for you to hear how it is pronounced. In addition, there are 3 settings: Words, Facts, and Sounds. You can also push the star button on the bottom to listen to one of two songs. That is Parker’s favorite part – he loves to dance to the music!
My favorite part of this product is that you can switch the audio to English or Spanish. Obviously, I keep ours on Spanish so that’s all Parker hears (star songs included).
Since it has a handle on top of the book, it’s very convenient to slide in and out of a bag. It’s so light in fact that Parker sometimes prefers to carry it himself, making him feel more independent and helpful. The only downside to this product is that it doesn’t have a headphone jack. Hence, it’s great for road trips and hotel rooms, but maybe not for crowded airplane rides.
2. Alain Gree’s First Words in Spanish
This book includes over 300 English/Spanish words with pictures. The words are then grouped into categories such as At the Beach, In the Airport, and Travel (plus colors, shapes, and numbers, etc).
Parker likes to point out words he already knows based on the pictures. When he gets a little older, we will start to use the activity pages throughout the book. I like that the activities don’t require us to write on the book. For example, one page shows several different objects and asks you to say which color each of them are.
Another selling point to this picture book is that it comes with sticker labels (more on that in the next section). However, since it’s not electronic like the Leap Frog book, your child may lose interest in it if you aren’t there reading it aloud with them. Thus, I would consider this book for flights and not road trips.
3. Sticker Labels
As I mentioned in the last section, we got our Spanish sticker labels with the Alain Gree book. Parker doesn’t know how to read yet so we haven’t really used them a ton, but they are very handy for older kids that can read.
I personally cut stickers out so the paper backing is still on and then I tape them wherever they go. That way I can reuse them and move them around when I want.
If you are at home, you can place the stickers anywhere that matches the word (oven, blue, dog, etc). If you are traveling, you can place them around your hotel room, luggage, clothes, or anywhere that makes sense to you. Just remember to take them down when you check out of your hotel!
4. Alphabet Crafts
Alphabet crafts are an excellent way to keep your kids interested in learning. Plus, they don’t even know they’re learning when they’re having fun!
The Spanish Alphabet Crafts I offer here include different learning activities related to the craft word that you can do no matter where you are traveling to. Maybe you just reviewed the Spanish letter C and learned the word “Calle” (street). You and your child can take a walk down the street of wherever you’re at and count how many cars you see driving. Or you can shout out all the colors of the cars.
As long as you cut out the pieces ahead of time (scissors aren’t allowed through airport security), your child can color and glue the crafts while waiting in the airport or airplane. You can even make a car game out of the letter and shout every time one of you sees the letter on a sign outside.
5. Disney +
You may be wondering why I am including Disney + in this list of resources (especially if you read my article on screen-free ways to entertain a toddler on a road trip). Although I would normally try to find screen-free ways to teach or entertain Parker, there are times when I do use electronics and am not ashamed.
For instance, Nate and I might put on a family show to watch together at the end of a long day of traveling. Or we will put one on for Parker so we can clean up or pack without worrying about what he’s doing.
Want to know the best thing about having a Disney + subscription?
They have Spanish audio!
So yes, I don’t mind letting Parker watch a show when I can change the audio he hears to Español. I love that he can learn the language without even realizing it!
6. Spanish/English Dictionary
Yes, dictionaries still exist. And yes, they are still relevant. Whether you use an app on your phone or carry a physical copy, having a Spanish/English dictionary on your travels will be a tremendous assistant.
This can help you as you teach your child Spanish to look up a word they want to know. Or, if they are older and can read for themselves, you can teach them how to use a dictionary so they can become more independent in their learning.
One of the other benefits of having a dictionary is that it can be faster than Googling a word. In my experience, traveling often means not having accessible WiFi, so looking up the word “diaper” in a dictionary could be a lot more beneficial than waiting for your internet to load and being stuck holding a wet baby.
Comment below and let me know which resources you use to teach your children on the go!
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What great resources! I don’t have any kids but I’ll pass this along to my sister! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
We just got the same 100 words Vtech book and my toddler is loving it!
That’s awesome! Those books are so helpful!
I love these ideas, especially for the younger ones. I’m starting with my little baby because I want him to be able to communicate with his grandmother.
Family is so important! It’s great that you are starting so young with your baby.
Such great resources available to do this. Could probably even help some adults! Thanks for sharing the information. Tip for Teaching Your Toddler Spanish could be so helpful to many.
Thank you!
Great ideas! I am always on the lookout for simple ways to teach them Spanish!
Thanks! I really do think these are so easy to use and implement!
Great learning resources ! I find that younger children can pick up a second language very quickly!
I agree! They love to learn!
Awesome resources! I honestly never thought about teaching my son another language at a young age, but it’s definitely not a bad idea!
They pick up on it so much quicker when they’re younger!
Very information for parents. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks!
Very nice. I just published coloring books for young kids and their parents. They are abt dental. And I published then in English and Spanish. That way the parents and kids can read color and learn abt dentistry.
That is awesome! I will definitely check them out!
That is funny you mentioned Disney +. We watch Soy Luna in Spanish all the time!
Haha videos can be very educational!
These are great resources for kids but I might have to check them out for myself. I have always wanted to learn Spanish and this may help me get started. Thanks for sharing.
Definitely! Everyone can learn it!
I love how you’re so committed to being a bilingual family. It’s a very worthy undertaking that your kids will benefit from greatly.
Thank you! We do what we can 🙂
Great resources! It’s always great knowing another language.
I agree!
This is so great! I do speak Spanish, as it was my neighborhood language and my college major, and am sharing this with my daughter-in-law, who speaks some and is making it a part of how she raises my grandson. So great to have resources like yours!!
Thank you! We love speaking Spanish in our home 🙂
Good resources. Little ones do soak things up like a sponge. So much easier to learn at that age than now.
It’s so true!
We used cheap sticky notes and wrote the Spanish names for everyday objects on them. Then my son would race around the house to label everything with the correct Spanish term. He had a blast!
I love that! It’s always more fun to make it a game 🙂
Wish I had done this when mine were little! Love it!
Thanks!
Great ideas! We’ve been teaching my son Spanish and Farsi and it is always great to find good resources.
Wow! I think it’s awesome that you’re teaching him to be trilingual!
We have used similar methods to teach my kids both German and Italian (actually , my blog post will be up next week!). Its a really great skill for kids to have a second language. My daughter picks things up easier, and is actually taking French in school for half the day.
That’s fantastic! I’ll be looking for your article next week 🙂
Great tips! Super to expose your children to this!
Thank you!
A second language is invaluable, good for you!
Thanks!
We love Spanish! We celebrate Dia de Los Muertos and Cinco DeMayo every year! I took Spanish in school but can’t remember a lot. We are learning together! Thank you for the resources! I will pin them
Thank you! It’s so fun to celebrate the holidays!
That’s cool about Disney +! And I’ve heard of Leap Frog . Great list of resources!
Great idea for children to learn a second language while they’re young. Great resources here.
Thanks!
Kids who are given opportunities to learn at an early age do better in school and as adults.
I fully agree with that!
Awesome resources. More languages is always a smart choice!
Thanks! I think so too 🙂
Great resources! My boys would love these…I’d love for them to learn Spanish (beyond the numbers and basic words).
Gracias!
De nada! There are so many resources to help you teach them!
These are all fun ideas! I love when learning feels more like playing.
Me too! I find it’s better for the kids and parents 🙂