Hello there, fellow moms and dads! Bree here to talk all about learning Spanish for kids! I’d love to share with you how my daughter and I are learning Spanish at home! I’m Refold’s resident emailer, blogger, and homeschool mom. I’m so glad you’re here!
Like all parents, I want the best for my child. Early in her life, I decided that I wanted to give her the gift of a second language, but I had no idea how to start learning Spanish (let alone teach it)—especially since I wasn’t fluent in another language.
Sound familiar? If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I teach my child a language I don’t know?”—you’re in the right place!
In my last blog, I discussed how I tried (and hated) many different Spanish learning programs with my child. That experience drove me to teach myself Spanish with immersion and create the best Spanish learning program for kids so that my daughter would love learning it!
Today, I’m going to give you an inside look into our language learning program and give you lots of helpful tips for learning Spanish online for FREE with your child!
The Truth About Learning Spanish for Beginners and Kids
When most people think about learning Spanish for beginners and kids, they imagine Spanish school classes, textbooks, and apps. But when I created this Spanish learning course, my goal wasn’t to replicate school at home. Like most people, I had a terrible time learning languages when I was a student.
The thing is, I thought my teachers were great! They were fun and really tried their hardest, but the methods they were required to use didn’t work for me (or anyone else I knew). Tedious grammar drills, elaborate conjugation charts, boring grammar lists, and anxiety-inducing speaking exercises just didn’t cut it for me! It didn’t matter how much I studied—I couldn’t remember a thing!
The truth is, it doesn’t work for most people. But we didn’t fail as students; traditional language learning methods failed us!
With the right method, anyone can learn a language! I was the worst Spanish student imaginable. But with Refold’s help, I harnessed the power of immersion and achieved a level in Spanish that I previously thought was impossible.
Now, I’m teaching my daughter how to teach herself, just like I did—and you can teach your child, too!
Learning Spanish as a beginner might seem tough (especially if you’re trying to teach a language you don’t know), but this routine can work for anyone—even if you don’t know the language yet!
Our Daily Spanish Routine: How we’re Learning Spanish Online
I created a Spanish learning program for kids that was fun and felt more like a game than a lesson. The best part is that we’re mostly learning Spanish online with free tools and subscription services that we already have (like Disney+, YouTube, and Netflix)!
Here’s what a typical day looks like for us!
- The first thing my daughter does is learn about grammar and vocabulary. To do this, we chose to use Duolingo because she’s seven and likes that it feels like a game. (10 Minutes)
- Next, we grab her Word Detective booklet, the Spanish learning book that I created, and we do her scheduled reviews for the day. You can download a copy of my workbook for FREE, by the way, just keep reading. 👀 (5 minutes)
- Then, we pick a simple Spanish show or story and play Word Detective! It’s a game where we look for words she recognizes from Duolingo and her Word Detective booklet. Every time she recognizes a word or phrase, we celebrate, or I’ll give her a prize. (20 minutes)
- While playing Word Detective, we’re also looking for new words to add to her Word Detective booklet! If she’s curious about a word, we’ll look it up and write it down in her book!
- After the story, she’ll take her Word Detective booklet and create “word clues” for each of the new words that she found by illustrating them. After she illustrates her clues, she shows them to me, and I try to guess which clue goes to each word! (10 minutes)
- Later in the day, when she wants screen time, I’ll let her watch a video (or two…or three…) of her choice in Spanish! (Usually, it’s about Minecraft.) This screen time is actually very valuable time! It’s teaching her to enjoy the language, and she has no idea she’s actually learning… (30 minutes)
- Throughout the day, I’ll ask her what she learned and what her favorite word is and keep the conversation going about Spanish, so she stays excited about learning!
All in all, she spends a little over an hour learning Spanish each day! Of course, the actual amount of time varies and depends on her attention span and other commitments.
My Child Loves Learning
My favorite part about our Spanish program isn’t that my daughter remembers about 95% of the words in her Word Detective booklet, but that she loves learning Spanish and looks forward to it every day!
Setting up her routine and creating the Spanish learning books took some effort, but I’m incredibly proud of her progress so far! I firmly believe every child should have the opportunity to learn a language.
That’s why I’m giving away free copies of the Spanish workbook I created, along with a FREE email course that will teach you how to start learning Spanish and create a Spanish learning program for your child!
If you want to kindle your child’s curiosity and foster a love for language learning, sign up below today!
Could I charge good money for these materials? Sure. But I believe that every child should have the gift of language. I hope you enjoy these resources as much as my child and I do!