Spanish Story Time

By Bilingual Dad ( husband of Maestra Jen)

"Make sure you take him to the restroom”, my wife reminded me as she walked out the door to enjoy a few, very much needed hours free of her mom/teacher job. I was confident I had it under control and I was sure he would let me know when he needs to go. It is a never ending process of chaos and drama, as we are both diligent and frustrated with the potty training process of our precocious, stubborn, 3 year old son! We were busy playing and having a great time ( of course, I had forgotton to take him to the restroom). Well, my wife was right as usual. Here I was running to the bathroom with toddler in tow scrambling to reach the toilet in time! All the while, my son is squirming, whining and just being a generally uncooperative.

Suddenly I found myself in one of those teachable moments, as I think to myself, “Would this be a good time to practice Spanish story time”? Well fortunately, we had a copy of Como aprenden los colores los dinosaurios, which is a pretty cool story about dinosaurs. I immediately got my son’s attention and he actually listened intently to the entire book. He even asked me to read it again. Of course the second reading included a few questions en español to reinforce the vocabulary and story line. We even had enough time to read another favorite libro en español, Tortillitas para Mamá.

We are making huge strides in potty training my son to the delight of my wife who spends most of her day with him, while simultaneously running a business. However, this is not the purpose of this blog. So, aside from providing a couple of potty training tricks, the real moral of the story is capitalizing on the many opportunities we have throughout the day to reinforce and practice Spanish. It is easy to forget but extremely important as repetition and frequent (almost constant) exposure is extremely important in raising bilingual children. We have many other times that we have Spanish story time with our children (besides during potty training); such as bedtime, on road trips, plane trips, afternoon quiet time and when my daughter pretends she is the Spanish teacher. We like to make learning fun and relevant to their lives. As parents raising our kids in a bilingual household, we try to take advantage of every teachable moment regardless of the setting!

Bilingual Fun: Idea Exchange

Bilingual Fun: Idea Exchange

Idea Exchange

Learning languages is more exciting and effective for children when games and interactive activities are incorporated. As a teacher, I have always been of the mindset that sharing and exhanging teaching tips makes things fresh and exciting. When I come up with a new lesson or game that is effective, I can't wait to tell others about it!

In the language program that I run, I create and implement all of the lessons and activities for the students ranging in age from 18 months to adults. They cover a multitude of topics and themes, and I am always creating and searching for other fun ways to teach the language. Here are some of my favorite activities that work well in class and at home with my own children:

1. Colored Mats/Dancing: I use the mats from the CandyLand DVD game and play upbeat music. When the music stops, we all run to a colored mat. I ask " Qué color?". The kids all shout the color in Spanish. We do variations of dancing, marching, jumping, spinning, running, crawling,etc.

2. Duck, Duck, Goose: I choose 2 vocabulary words pertaining to our current theme. ( ex: perro/gato). The kids play the game using the Spanish vocabulary rather than the original. This is a great way to get the kids active and actually say the words aloud.

3. Latin Pop Music: this works best with tweens-adults. I choose a popular song from a popular artist ( some of my faves are Juanes, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Elvis Crespo, etc). I make copies of the song and we listen and sing it each day. We talk about relevent grammar and vocabulary. At the end of the week, I white out specific words in the song and test the students by having them fill in the blanks. Not only is this an excellent reinforcement of pronunciation, fluency, and listening comprehension, it is a great way to infuse some culture into the lesson.

4. The Cup Game: take 5 or 6 plain white plastic cups. Depending on the vocabulary you want to reinforce, attach either a picture or word to each cup ( animals, numbers, colors, etc). Turn all cups face down and hide a small object under one. Kids then have to guess where the object is. I always make a big deal of having all of the students ask the question " Dónde está el carro?". Then each child takes turns and has to guess by using the correct Spanish word on each cup. I use variations of this game for all ages and levels.

These are just a few fun ideas that have been popular with the children and teens that I work with. We would love to hear your input and experiences! Do you have any games or ideas that work well with your children at home?

Bilingual Fun Parent Quiz

Whether you are a bilingual parent already, or you are learning alongside your child, take our quiz to test your knowledge.

Expressions:

1. How would you respond to ¿Cómo estas?
a. gracias b. estoy bien c. estas bien

2.If you were hungry, what expression would you use?
a. tengo frio b. tengo sed c. tengo hambre

3. Another way of expressing 'adios' is:
a. nos vemos b. de nada c. buenos dias

Grammar:

4. Mis amigos __________ altos.
a. es b. somos c. son

5. Te gusta el chocolate? Si,____________
a. me gusta b. me gustas c. me gustan

6. Ayer, nosotros _________ a la escuela.
a. vamos b. fui c. fuimos

Culture

7. What is the capital of Spain?
a. Barcelona b. Madrid c. Valencia

8. Vicente Fox is the former president of which country?
a. Mexico b. Peru c. Argentina

9. What does 5 de Mayo commemorate?
a. Mexican Independence b. Spanish Independence c. Victory at the battle of Puebla.

10. In Spanish grammar, is it correct to capitalize the names of the week?
a. si b. no

Answers/ Las Respuestas
1.b 2. c 3. a 4. c 5.a 6.c 7.a 8.a 9.c 10.b

How did you do? If you are an advanced speaker, was that too easy for you? Let us know if you have questions about anything regarding learning Spanish. Would you like additional practices or do you have comments about how you and your child are learning? We would love to hear from you!

Bilingual Babies

I have been in awe and wonderment as my own children have developed so naturally with both English and Spanish. When they were very little, my husband and I spoke almost exclusively Spanish with them. As they have gotten older we have instituted certain routines and rituals into our daily lives. We have meals in Spanish, bath time in Spanish, and bedtime stories in Spanish. That is not to say that throughout the day we don't communicate in Spanish, which we do often. We have just decided to make particular times of the day Spanish only, and we encourage our children to communicate and develop their vocabulary. When we travel to Mexico or visit our relatives, my children are able to communicate effectively and effortlessly. It is amazing to watch their development, as they just absorb and retain the language. As parents however, we need to make an conscientious effort to keep the language alive, so that the children do not fall into the rut of answering in English. As a teacher, I have seen so many children that fully understand a second language, but are not able to communicate because it was never enforced that they answer in the target language. Being bilingual is such an incredible gift, and although it may take some family effort and participation, encouraging your children to speak and practice will pay off in the long run!

Raising bilingual children often comes with some triumphs and blunders. My children's personalities are very different and their learning styles were very different. My daughter merely absorbed the Spanish language and was speaking and understanding both languages well before she was 2. She also had the unique insight to know who spoke English and who spoke Spanish. She was very precise in who she addressed and in what language. My daughter also could easily switch from one language to another with an understanding of the difference between English and Spanish. My son, whom we affectionately refer to as ' el tremendo' was and is a different story. Most of his first words were in Spanish and he understood commands and discipline very well in Spanish. I was not surprised at 16 months, his babysitter asked for 'cheat sheet" of Spanish phrases that she could post on her fridge. I was so excited that she wanted to communicate with him and thought perhaps she wanted the basic ( colors, numbers, greetings, food). But no, she was interested in how to say " get down, no climbing, no throwing, be careful, etc". Apparently since we had not been disciplining him in English and he just didn't respond to her! My son also spoke to whomever he wished in Spanish, seemingly having no clue if they were Spanish speakers or not. I often had confused looks from the nursery workers in the church as I dropped him off and heard him shouting ' pelota!". Just as the language develops, everything begins to fall into place. Now at age three, he clearly understands the difference between Spanish and English and will respond appropriately when asked in each language. He still does respond better to discipline when spoken to in Spanish, but maybe that is because he is 'el tremendo'.

Why did you decide to expose your child to a second language? Are you having success? Are you having problems? Do you have any funny stories to share? Do you have any questions about bilingual development? I would love to hear stories, suggestions, feedback about your experiences.

Bilingual Storytime

One of my favorite things I do with my company Bilingual Fun, is to host free bilingual story times. We host these events in various places throughout the community; coffee shops, libraries, play centers, and bookstores. Like most parents, I love to find fun, educational activities to do with my children. Therefore, we offer an opportunity to expose your children to the Spanish language, with interactive and communicative activities. We really enjoy having new families join our story times, so that we may share our passion for teaching Spanish to children. Music, stories, puppets, dancing, and more always accompany our story time events, so that the language comes alive for the children. We offer a free bilingual story time at least once a month, and many communities offer similar programs. Check your local newspapers, libraries and community education for opportunities and events. Likewise, if you want to continue your child's exposure to the Spanish language, I have found a great interactive story time online, called StoryPlace: The Children's Digital Library. Literacy in all forms is an effective and essential part of a child's bilingual development. Allowing children to actively participate is also a beneficial way to keep their language development growing. Our most recent story time was hosted during the Grand Opening Festivities of a brand new Borders Store in Canton, MI. Kids and parents alike had a fabulous time, as we read numerous books, sang songs, and danced together!

Fiesta!

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage month, Bilingual Fun hosted a Family Fiesta where guests enjoyed an afternoon of culture and fun. Families enjoyed group Spanish lessons, sampling of authenitic Mexican food, live cooking demos, and professional Latin dance presentations. We ended the afternoon with a dance party, with everyone dancing merengue and salsa! A lively atmosphere, with upbeat music, delicious burritos, quesadillas, and salsa and families learning Spanish together allowed community members to learn more about our country's Spanish speaking population. As a bilingual educator, teaching Spanish to children, I was proud that our event was able to showcase our unique program and to raise an awareness of early language instruction. With close to 200 hundred people attending our Fiesta, we were happy to benefit the Vistas Nuevas Head Start program, which serves the primarily Spanish speaking populuation of SW Detroit. Check out our fabulous participants! Mariachi Mexico Restaurant http://www.mariachimexican.com/, Dancers Amy and Ray http://www.themotorcitymilongueros.com/, Chef Brian Ramirez http://www.dininginpcs.com/, Matrix Human Services http://www.matrixhumanservices.com/.