Quit expecting you need to speak the language perfectly.
When you wonder: how can I help my child learn Spanish? Maybe you think: “Pero (But), I don’t know how to speak properly and I make so many grammatical mistakes I’ll just confuse the pobre muchachito (poor kid)“. This would be a common expression from a second generation hispanic parent. Fill in the parentheses with your home language and we’ll discover the same pain.
Yes, You can teach Spanish to your children!
So, how can I start to help my child learn Spanish?
I know I’m prejudiced because I studied languages, but your children (or learners of any age) don’t care about your teaching qualifications; they want YOU! You’re also the most accessible vehicle for transferring the language and culture. Everything you know at the outset is the total of what they’ll need to learn to get started. There are several choices to examine, but these are the most popular.
- OPOL is for One Person, One Language.
- ML@H stands for Minority Language at Home.
- T&L stands for Time and Space Language Strategy.
- MLP stands for Mixed Language Policy.
There are many other creative choices that parents come up with. Congratulations on doing new things and attempting to make them work.
Ready! Set! Teach? What should I do first?
In fact, language acquisition entails more practice than instruction. You are the secret sauce to your language adventure! The more you use the language you want your child (or adult) to acquire, the more you create a real demand for it. There is only ONE magic recipe for success, regardless of the method you use.
Some ways how can I help my child learn Spanish
Is consistency necessary to teach Spanish at home?
Whichever option you adopt, you must follow through on your promises. Your determination to make this work for you and your family reflects how appealing learning this language is to them. Because your children see how important it is to you, they will value it as well.
Are Spanish workbooks helpful to teach Spanish to my kids?
Yes, but don’t be too fussy about the material you choose based on your personal preferences; rather, identify what works best for your learner. They collaborate with you to figure out what works best for you and your family. Remember, they’re with you on your adventure.
If you are interested in a list of books for learning Spanish, click here.
Can members of the family help to teach Spanish to my sons?
Yes, but they require your guidance on how much time, substance, and vision to invest. And most importantly, YOU are the captain of this ship, so I wouldn’t put too much faith in them. You are more aware of what you are giving them in terms of their language diet than they are. You should truly determine whatever ability you wish to master first or most. Is it speaking, listening, reading, or writing that you’re after? I’ll go into more detail about this in a later post.
Should I enroll my child in a Spanish program/school?
I’ll probably write something more in-depth on the many categories out there, and how they may help you make better and more educated decisions, but for now, they are excellent possibilities if you don’t rely on them completely. They have a plan, and you should as well. Language programs should collaborate with you.
We offer some programs in person and online to help you, if you want to know more about it click here.
Take the first step to raise bilingual kids
You must be much more perplexed now than you were at the start of this post! Yes, the linguistic adventure is just for the intrepid. You must summon the courage inside yourself to admit that you don’t have all the answers, but you do know where you’re going, and there are many people who don’t even think to ask themselves this question. Yes, you and what you’ve offered the family are truly all they require. Your desire to integrate your native tongue is the driving force behind it all. So, let’s ask the questions that will help you get closer to learning a new language.
Where do you want to go with your language studies? What is it that you want your family to learn? Do you intend to travel? Have you just returned from a vacation with relatives and realized how much work still needs to be done? Or perhaps you just want your family to benefit from the current and steady trend of globalization. Stop waiting for the day when you’ll be able to speak the language well enough and begin today.
