Monday, August 6, 2007

¿Cómo se dice?

The curious minds of children are a wonderful thing! If you have experienced the stages of " why, or what's that", you understand the questions can be relentless, but so important for the development and understanding of children. It is similar process as a child is learning a new language. As they begin to understand that words have other meanings, their curiosity grows.... and grows... and grows. In our language classes we introduce a wide variety of thematic lessons, exposing children to many new words and phrases. Parents frequently tell me that at home or at the store, their children ask " how do you say this in Spanish"?

Traditional Spanish/English dictionaries are valuable resources, but in today's society of technology and immediate information, I have 2 great sites that I recommend for parents of curious minded children. www.wordreference.com is a quick Spanish/English dictionary that can help you when kids try to stump you with vocabulary questions. An interactive site called www.spanicity.com is a great site for hearing and practicing the pronunciation. Simply find the vocabulary theme you are looking for, click on the word, and hear the pronunciation. Encourage kids to repeat along with the audio.

So next time your little one attacks you with a round of "¿Cómo se dice en español?" you will be armed with some great resources to satisfy curious minds!

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