How can I have my Child not loose the Spanish they already know??
Sometimes I get this question from families that have a Spanish Speaker at home or just someone that speaks to their kids in Spanish and I am always thinking how I Can help..... Well, I found a great list for you to help enrich your child's Spanish Skills.
- Designate a time for daily family reading and/or silent reading. Encourage your child to read something in Spanish as well as English.
- Invest in books that are written in Spanish (many are available with audio tapes or CD’s).
- Check out books and tapes at your local public library.
- For first grade, invest in a Spanish picture dictionary for your child. For second grade and up, invest in a good Spanish/English dictionary. Spanish/Spanish dictionaries are helpful at the intermediate grades and beyond.
- Read and discuss news articles that relate to Spanish-Speaking countries.
- Ask an older immersion student to read to your child in Spanish after school, or help your child with homework, mentor or baby sit younger children in Spanish.
- Ask your child to use Spanish writing skills to write to the Embassies or Offices of Tourism of Spanish speaking countries to plan an actual or pretend family vacation.
- Have your child correspond with a pen-pal throughout the summer or school year.
- Review the songs and poems that your child sings or recites at school. Your child can sing or recite the song or poem by memory or you can ask your child to teach you the song or poem.
- Routinely ask your child questions about what they learned in Spanish at school.
- If you travel to a Spanish-speaking country, let your child be the official translator.
- Check the local newspaper and other publications such as WITF Magazine, the Lancaster County Magazine, and La Voz Hispana for Latin American concerts, performances, and other cultural events.
- Have a classmate over for a “Spanish Evening” or “Spanish Night Over”. Visit a local Hispanic restaurant or market.
- Purchase children’s dvds and music in Spanish.
- Acquire Spanish programs for your computer.
- Watch the children’s programs on the Spanish Cable Channel.
- Change the language option on your television to watch Aurthur and other PBS shows in Spanish.
- If your child has an older sibling who speaks Spanish, allow them to choose a time of day that they will only use Spanish to communicate.
- Have a Spanish cooking night. Pick a Spanish-speaking country, find a traditional recipe, and cook with your child. Ask him/her to name the ingredients in Spanish.
- Praise any efforts your child makes to speak Spanish.
- Discuss with your child the benefits of learning another language. (See Immersion FAQ page.)
- Ask your child why s/he thinks it is important to know additional languages.
- Discuss how a person becomes a proficient speaker of any language. (i.e. practice, making mistakes, listening to others use the language, talking, talking, talking!).
