Learning a language should always be fun. Language is to be spoken, to be sung, to be listened to and enjoyed. Learning a language is also a life path that requires practice, immersion and patience but when the habit of this three has been created, the learning comes without noticing.
Summer needs to be about having FUN, going outdoors, playing with friends, spending time with the family, exploring new places and building new memories.
A small twist in the way children perceive the activity makes the experience different. Even just 10 fun minutes a day can help reinforce what they studied at school and get their interest high for wanting to learn more.
Spanish summer FUN activities.
The Calendar is a clickable PDF where you will find a series of activities that children can do during the summer. Some of the links provide fun printable games, activities, links to videos and more.
Tips for Non-Spanish Speaking parents
Focus on listening activities: Videos, music and audio books are the best options.
Games as the Loteria are great to visualize the word and match it with the concept. Do not focus on pronunciation but on connecting the concepts.
If traveling aboard to a Hispanic country, encourage the children to talk. Let them order their own food, buy something in a shop or say greet others.
Label your house. It may look weird but do not worry, it is just for a short time. Labeling is a great way to unconsciously visualize the word and learn what it means by association. The whole family gets involved in the learning and the kids will enjoy it even more. Want to make it fun? After a couple of weeks having the labels on, mix them up and ask your child to place them again in the correct place.
Tips for Spanish Speaking families
You are the best resource for your kids. Please use the language at home even if they complain at the beginning. They will thank you when they grow up and see all the benefits they will get by being fluently bilinguals.
Talk with them about your heritage. Where are you from? What makes your country unique?
Read Aloud and ask them about the story. It is Ok if they answer in English, if they do, just repeat their answer in Spanish.
Ask other family members to talk with the kids in Spanish.
“Second language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules and does not require tedious drill.” –Stephen Krashen.