Help Your Child Learn Spanish
Why is it so important for you to help your child learn Spanish? Well, there are many reasons.
The most obvious reason is that in today’s global society, virtually anywhere you go there are Spanish speaking people living and working. Your child may even know some at his or her school, maybe even in the same class.
Another reason is that studies have proven that raising a bilingual child is extremely beneficial to a child’s cognitive development. Carey Myles, in her book Raising Bilingual Children (Mars Publishing, 2003), says “Bilingualism has been linked to a variety of positive cognitive benefits, including early reading, improved problem-solving skills, and higher scores on the SATs, including the math section.”
A child who can speak two or more languages is likely to have increased employment opportunities once he or she graduates from school.
Whether your interest in teaching your child Spanish is due to necessity or desire, there must be some basic steps you can take in that direction, right? Here are some things to consider:
Learn with your child
It won’t do you very much good teaching your child if you don’t speak any Spanish at all yourself. If you don’t already speak Spanish, consider this a golden opportunity to boost your own skills and have some fun with your child.
Who knows, in a few months you might amaze yourself with how well you can speak a second language! And, of course, it helps your child to learn better when you’re actively involved.
Read books to your child that incorporate Spanish
One of the best ways to learn anything is to read! Reading simple children’s books in Spanish will help your child enormously. Children are very quick to put the words they hear with the pictures they’re looking at.
Some well-known series, such as Curious George and Dr. Seuss, have been translated into Spanish. One great idea is to read your child a book in English, followed by the same book in Spanish. Or perhaps find a Spanish book that your child already knows and loves in English.
Play Spanish games
Everyone knows that children love to play games; in fact, it’s a good way to disguise learning. There are plenty of commonly used games available in Spanish. There are some Spanish software programs that incorporate vocabulary games and other learning games as well.
Find a good software program that teaches Spanish
Today’s children are often very comfortable using computer programs for both play and learning. There is a variety of good software out there that can help your child learn Spanish in a fast and enjoyable way.
Some considerations when choosing a software are price, teaching style, and several learning components to help develop a well-rounded Spanish education.
I hope that this gets you started in your quest to help your child learn Spanish. Good luck, or should I say, buena suerte!
