How to Teach Spanish to Children 10 Years or Younger

The best time to teach children the Spanish language is while they are still younger than 10 years old (preferably much younger) and their minds are still sponge-like and ready to absorb information with ease. While it may seem like a bit much to teach young children how to speak Spanish, the fact of the matter is that it is much harder for you, as the adult, to learn a foreign language than it is for your child. When we are young we are able to absorb much more information than when we are adults, so take advantage of those early years and teach your child how to communicate with the increasing number of people of the Spanish-speaking cultures of the world by the time he/she is a teenager. Not sure where to begin? Can't speak Spanish yourself? Fortunately, that's ok. Just take it slow, and learn right along with your child (or sharpen your skills) as you both take on the following exercises each week.

First, purchase a set of Spanish vocabulary flash cards for your young child and assign 10-20 words to him/her each week. Make learning the words a part of your child's weekly chores or integrate them with homework, and administer a quick written and/or verbal test every weekend. Study with your child throughout the week to help/him her learn how to pronounce, spell, and use each word in a sentence (if you need help, check out www.studyspanish.com or simply refer to a Spanish-English dictionary). Be sure to reward your child on a sliding scale after each "test" for the number of words successfully learned. This process should be your child's basic introduction to Spanish nouns. Although with adults it is often best to learn Spanish verbs first because we can usually already recognize the meanings of the nouns, your child has no experience in this area. Learn the most basic and most used words first.

Next, understand that teaching Spanish to children under ten years of age often requires a great deal of visualization. If one of the vocabulary words for the week is "el pastel" ("cake"), point out a cake in a bakery and ask your child to give you the Spanish word for it. He/she will be able to recall that incident and relate his/her surroundings (the smell of the bakery, sweets, etc.) with that word. A great way to start this method of learning the Spanish language is to first assign vocabulary words that your child can use often, such as those that represent household items, food, clothing, toys, etc. This will help your child begin to understand that his/her Spanish flashcards represent actual people, places, things, emotions, and actions, and that they are more than words on paper.

Next, recognize that children under ten still need help learning how languages are put together. In other words, many are still learning the finer points of phonics and how words create complete sentences in their own native language, and as such will need help with similar subjects when learning a foreign language. Now don't panic. If you do not know how to speak Spanish, you can still learn just enough to teach your child how to conjugate Spanish words to make very simple sentences. Of course, you will want to have a Spanish phrase book handy to back up your information, but your child will need to do more than simply memorize phrases. Teach him/her how the nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, etc, are used in the Spanish language and how they are often used differently than in the English language. Again, Spanish help guides are available online and in bookstores either for free or at very low prices to help you both!

Finally, make learning Spanish fun for your child. If you turn learning Spanish into too much of a chore, your child will learn to dread his/her lessons. However, you can implement Spanish learning board games, online memory games, and reward systems for your child as he/she progresses and takes part in his/her lessons each day or week. Children under ten years of age need to feel that they are having fun and are going to be praised for their hard work. Not only will your child work harder if learning Spanish is fun for him/her, he/she will also learn the language faster and with greater ease. It can be hard work for a child (or adult, for that matter) to learn a new language, so make it fun for the both of you. You're child will thank you for it one day.