So what
can you do to help your child learn Spanish? Here are some activities I use with
young students I tutor. These activities work best with students from 6 to 12
years old.
1. Sticker boards: A sticker board can be a great
motivator. Use a simple piece of posterboard and allow your student to decorate
it however they wish. Before your activities, tell your student upfront how
many questions or activities they must complete to earn a sticker. Then tally
them up, and at the end, allow them to select as many stickers as they have
earned. It is especially motivational if you select stickers that feature their
favorite characters or animals (ex. Mickey Mouse or Zebras).
2. Vocabulary scavenger hunt: After your student has memorized
some vocabulary words, write 10-15 of them out on sticky notes and place them on
objects throughout the house. For example, start them out with a sticky note
that says "la silla," and they will search all the chairs to find the
next sticky note which reads "la estufa" and so on, each clue leading
to the next. You can do this with any number of things. Children seem to really
enjoy this game, especially if you use a timer and they receive a reward at the
end, such as 5 stickers on the board.
3. Outdoor chalk games: There are a number of chalk games
you can play with your child. For example:
- Conjugation Hop: Write out verb conjugations on the concrete and call out the English equivalent. For example, if the verb conjugations are for the verb "correr," call out "she runs" and wait until the student hops on the correct conjugation. This game starts to get faster as the child memorizes the conjugations and they seem to enjoy the fast pace.
- Draw It: Once your student has memorized 10-15 vocabulary words from a theme, call out those vocabulary words in Spanish, verify that your student knows the meaning, and then have them draw a picture representing that object. For example, call out the word "la bicicleta" and have them draw a bicycle. Then, once all the words have been drawn, call the words out again and have them hop to the corresponding picture.
- When? Where? Why?: For this game, write out all the Spanish question words and start asking the student questions in English. If you ask, "when does the game start?" they should move to the word "cuรกndo." And you can vary this game by asking them questions in Spanish, writing the words in English, etc.
4. Mi libro: For this activity, your student
will be creating a storybook about himself or herself. You may need to be more
involved or less involved depending on their age. Using 10 pieces of
construction paper and a stapler, help them construct a book format. Then, help
them create the plot of their story by asking their name, how old they are,
where they live, who their friends are, etc. Help them to translate these
sentences into Spanish and have them write out the story in their book. Use the
left side of the page to write the story in Spanish and the right side of the
page to write the story in English. Have them illustrate their pages and
decorate their cover. Once the book is complete, ask your student if they would
like to read their book aloud for family members.
5. Flashcard matching game: There are a variety of flashcard
games, but my favorite is the matching game. Once your student has memorized
some vocabulary words, write 25 of them out on flashcards in both Spanish and
English. Then, place all the words on the table, leaving a space between the
Spanish and English words. Have them match up each Spanish word to its English
counterpart. If your student wants a challenge, set a timer and watch them go.
Well, I
hope you've enjoyed this post on 5 activities that help your child become
bilingual. If you have a favorite activity that you'd like to share, we'd love
to hear it. Please leave a comment below.
About:
Kristen
is the author of Spanish Is Your Amigo, a Spanish language textbook and
workbook. You can go check out her free Spanish video lessons on her YouTube
channel SpanishIsYourAmigo by clicking here. She is a native English speaker who has a passion
for teaching the Spanish language in the simplest way possible. She lives in
Houston, Texas and works as a private Spanish teacher in-home and around the
world via Skype.
Click
one of the links below to connect with her: