As our world becomes global more and more parents are looking to teach their children a foreign language, three years old is a great time to start learning and Spanish is the second most spoken language by native speakers in the world. Which leads us to hear the question ‘how do I teach my three year old Spanish?’
Luckily there are more and more resources being made that can help you teach your three year old Spanish in fun and interactive ways. Because the most important thing you want to remember is that it should be fun. You don’t want to be drilling Spanish grammar words with a three year old.
Instead you want to use it as an opportunity to bond with your child and to have as much fun as they’re having. So let’s take a look at some of the ways your can teach your 3 year old Spanish.
- Watch Dora The Explorer
- Watch children’s shows in Spanish
- Find a Lingotots near you
- Label things in your house in Spanish
- Play Spanish games with your child
- Find a Spanish language partner for your child
- Read to your child in Spanish
- Learn Spanish yourself
We’ve listed out some of the ways you can teach your three year old Spanish, now keep reading to learn about these methods in more detail.
How Do I Teach My Three Year Old Spanish
Here are a variety of ways you can teach your three year old Spanish but which one you decide on ultimately will depend on what works for you and your family.
Hopefully we have given you enough of a range of techniques that you should be able to suit your needs.
Watch Dora The Explorer
Dora is a fantastic show that teaches toddlers Spanish.
Toddlers love the colours and storylines of Dora and the best thing is that it’s part English part Spanish so it’s not too confusing for them and they can enjoy the story while they learn.
Watch Children’s Shows All In Spanish
Now we have the internet, we don’t have to live in a Spanish speaking country to be able to access Spanish shows.
There are plenty of Spanish cartoons available on Netflix and other streaming services that your child can enjoy. But remember that watching TV alone won’t teach your child a second language. Children need the opportunity to explore the language themselves and make mistakes. If they’re only watching cartoons then they won’t fully learn a foreign language.
Find A Lingotots Near You
Unfortunately Lingotots (a UK based country) isn’t available in all countries yet but it is expanding at a rapid rate.
Lingotots is an organisation that provides economical classes for babies and toddlers to learn foreign languages with most of the centres offering Spanish as a language. In the classes the children sing songs, play games and learn Spanish in a fun, safe environment.
If you can’t find a Lingotots near you, then there might be a similar company operating under a different name. And not only will they help your child learn Spanish but it is also great for parent’s socialisation.
Label Things In Your House In Spanish
Make fun colourful labels with your children and stick them to objects around your house.
A great way to make this fun is to let your child decorate the labels and stick them on things together. That way it’ll be easier for your child to remember the new words as they helped to create the signs.
Find A Spanish Language Partner For Your Child
On website like conversation exchange or apps like hello talk you can find language partners where you can organise a language exchange.
If you use these sites to find Spanish speaking parents with children you can organise playdates for your children where you practise English with the parent and the children speak Spanish together.
However you want to do your language exchange is up to you. If you’re trying to learn Spanish as well then you could do the first half of the exchange in English and the second half in Spanish. You might also find a new friend for you and your child in the process.
Play Spanish Games With Your Child
Play games with them in Spanish. If you start learning Spanish as well you can play games with your child to help them learn. That way they’re not only learning but interacting with you as well which should keep them nice and happy.
Does Reading In Spanish Help?
Yes, reading in Spanish can help your child with their Spanish a lot. Reading stories with their parents is fun for any child. It’s a nice bonding experience and can be a great way to pick up a foreign language.
Take a look at our list of best Spanish books for children here.
What Is A Bilingual Book?
A bilingual book is a book that has been written in two languages. For example often you will have the story written in English on one page and then on the other page the same words will be written in Spanish. That way you have a direct translation while you read.
Although these books are a great way to help you learn, the majority have been written for adults. Therefore if you’re trying to teach your child Spanish it may be a good idea to stick to easy children’s books that are just written in Spanish.
What Is a Good Book To Learn Spanish?
As we’ve already looked at children’s books to learn Spanish let’s take a look at some of the best books to learn Spanish for adults.
If you want easy Spanish books then we would recommend reading a book you’re familiar with but in Spanish for example the Harry Potter series. So many people are familiar with the story that you should be able to work out a lot of vocabulary that would otherwise be new to you.
Another thing you could try is to read Spanish graded readers which are books that have been written for specific levels.
Hopefully you’ve found our article on ‘how do i teach my three year old Spanish useful.’ Let us know which techniques you try out and how they work for you.
Leave a Reply