Starting Spanish with my kids, ages 10 and 7
Nov 18, 2014 9:51:15 GMT 9
Post by Adam Beck on Nov 18, 2014 9:51:15 GMT 9
The other day we went to a big international festival in town and met a friendly woman from Spain who now lives in Hiroshima. She hasn't taught Spanish to children before, but she gladly agreed to teach my kids! So Spanish will become their third language, after Japanese and English, which have both been learned from birth and are now used at a native level.
My children are 10 and 7, and because we regularly have homestay guests from various countries--and because of my network of friends through Bilingual Monkeys and The Bilingual Zoo--they have grown up with a keen interest in other cultures and languages. I suppose I could have tried nurturing a third language earlier, but, to this point, I've had my hands full supporting their English side.
But this meeting with the woman from Spain seems fated because a couple of months ago I received sample Spanish materials from Dino Lingo which sparked their interest in learning Spanish. (I'm not sure I could recommend these materials--they're rather pricey for very basic resources--but I do give them credit for fueling my children's desire to learn Spanish.)
Starting in December, my kids will receive two lessons a month, for an hour each time (studying together). This isn't much exposure, I know, but I'd like to add a little Spanish to our daily homework routine, too, so they can make steady progress over time. And, hopefully, as their ability grows and they get older, we'll find further opportunities for them to use their Spanish.
A key question...
I'll explore the web for kids' resources, but would anyone have suggestions for a good beginner's book for children to learn Spanish? A textbook or workbook which uses English to guide the learning? (Because our teacher hasn't taught Spanish to kids before, I'm not sure she'll be familiar with such materials.)
Also, any other recommendations for promoting their development in Spanish, given the fact that I don't speak Spanish myself?
Gracias! (That's about the extent of my Spanish!
)
My children are 10 and 7, and because we regularly have homestay guests from various countries--and because of my network of friends through Bilingual Monkeys and The Bilingual Zoo--they have grown up with a keen interest in other cultures and languages. I suppose I could have tried nurturing a third language earlier, but, to this point, I've had my hands full supporting their English side.
But this meeting with the woman from Spain seems fated because a couple of months ago I received sample Spanish materials from Dino Lingo which sparked their interest in learning Spanish. (I'm not sure I could recommend these materials--they're rather pricey for very basic resources--but I do give them credit for fueling my children's desire to learn Spanish.)
Starting in December, my kids will receive two lessons a month, for an hour each time (studying together). This isn't much exposure, I know, but I'd like to add a little Spanish to our daily homework routine, too, so they can make steady progress over time. And, hopefully, as their ability grows and they get older, we'll find further opportunities for them to use their Spanish.
A key question...
I'll explore the web for kids' resources, but would anyone have suggestions for a good beginner's book for children to learn Spanish? A textbook or workbook which uses English to guide the learning? (Because our teacher hasn't taught Spanish to kids before, I'm not sure she'll be familiar with such materials.)
Also, any other recommendations for promoting their development in Spanish, given the fact that I don't speak Spanish myself?
Gracias! (That's about the extent of my Spanish!
)
Although my kid is too young and the Spanish materials I use with him may not be the Spanish input your kids need, I can tell you that overall music has helped us tremendously. Music for the silly dances, in the background while playing, eating. We also got many of the "Jorge el curioso" (Curious George) Spanish books. Another thing is helping us with vocabulary are flashcards. Thankfully, there is a lot of Spanish materials available.
