You’ve no doubt considered the benefits of learning Spanish for kids. Spanish is among the
most widely spoken language on Earth; if your child is to learn one language other than
English, Spanish is a no-brainer!
Embarking on this journey with your little ones is a great activity to do together, but in all
likelihood, you’re not a teacher (not professionally, at least). So, here’s a little primer to get
you started.
Start Early
Quite frankly, your children are in luck. After all, the fact that you are considering helping them learn learn Spanish at a young age shows they have an involved and proactive parent. This is perfect considering that researchers have found that people are most effectively able to learn and retain a brand new language before they hit 18 years of age.
In a survey that included over half a million respondents, researchers found that participants over the age of 18 were less effective at learning a new language. But most importantly, they found that it is best to start learning a new language by age 10.
This appears to be the sweet spot — so if your kids are rapidly approaching that age, it may be good time to consider starting them on their way to learning Spanish.
Use All The Resources You Can Get Your Hands On
There’s really no reason why you should be plagued with going about this all on your own. In this day and age, useful resources that you can take advantage of are readily and easily available.
From apps to books and YouTube videos, there are thousands upon thousands of pieces of valuable learning material, all of which should be utilized for learning Spanish for kids.
On top of all that, it would also be worth your time to look into enlisting the services of a tutor. Although it’s recommended that you also take an interest in teaching your children to the best of your abilities, there’s no reason not to consider the help of a professional. Fortunately, there is a wealth of Spanish instruction right here in Richmond.
A tutor can really help elevate the learning experience afforded to your kids. It can be hard to find a Spanish tutor for your kids, especially a good qualified one. However, Preply’s Spanish tutors in Richmond have been individually verified by professionals to meet exceptional standards.
Tutoring also serves as a very productive after school activity. Parents are always on the look-out for after school activities, and tutoring is among the best Richmond has to offer.
Create a Safe and Comfortable Learning Environment
If you plan on teaching your kids at home or teaching them at home in addition to any one of the Spanish lessons in Richmond that are currently being afforded, you should bear in mind a few things first.
Many educational experts stress the educational benefits of establishing a safe and comfortable learning environment within the classroom. Understandably, you yourself do not have a classroom, per se. But nonetheless, it is important that you keep a consistent and orderly environment in which to teach your kids Spanish.
You’ll want to craft an environment that not only invokes comfort and security, but also consistency and order, i.e., something that will allow the kids to feel happy and free, but also structured.
This is something that’s done both physically (as in the physical layout of the learning space) and mentally. You’ll need to establish your chosen learning environment as a safe place for learning – one that your children will look forward to revisiting on a regular basis.
Be sure to keep the learning space clean, orderly, and stocked full of all the resources you’ll need. Obviously we’re not here to suggest that you become a bonafide teacher, but do try and incorporate some of the effective aspects imbedded within a real-life classroom.
Additionally, many experts find that in order to establish a healthy and rewarding learning environment, you should readily administer positive reinforcement. This will provide an incentive to learning Spanish for your kids and encourage them to continue as opposed to scaring them away from it.
Positive reinforcement means creating an environment whereby performing certain behaviors yields a desirable consequence. In other words, by establishing the idea to your children that if they apply themselves and succeed it will result in something positive like a compliment or reward, they will be far more likely to not only succeed, but also aim to succeed.
Mix It Up!
As mentioned earlier: this isn’t a real-life classroom. Sure, you should emulate certain things in order to get the most out of your child’s learning experience, but you also have free reign to conduct these teachings however you’d like.
So have fun with it — and most importantly, let your kids have fun with it.
There are plenty of great ways for kids to learn Spanish that don’t include textbooks and notepads. Incorporate games into your lessons. Play music for them. Let them watch TV, even. (Yes, TV!) Have them watch their favorite show or cartoon in Spanish. It’s a great way to keep them entertained and also learning at the same time.
These are all great, fun ways to keep your kids engaged and excited to continue their progress. For instance, imagine the fulfillment they’ll feel when they’re able to sit back and watch an episode of their favorite show in Spanish – and actually understand it.
Variety is the spice of life. Mixing up the way your kids learn Spanish helps to alleviate the monotony associated with learning. They’re already in school most of the day, so try to show them that this is different from regular school.
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Hopefully, we’ve given you some food for thought with respect to how one should approach this process. There are a lot of important steps to take in ensuring your kids get the best tools when it comes to learning a new language.
Whether it’s the environment in which they learn or the resources that they have to learn with, it’s important that you take steps to familiarize yourself with all of methods that can be utilized. Your children are in the prime of their capacity to learn a new language, and so be sure to use it to their benefit!
All in all, you can see that there are a variety of ways that you can encourage and facilitate learning Spanish for kids. If this is something you’ve already had in the back of your mind, then why not go for it?
