“I heard him singing a whole song in Spanish in the kitchen while he was alone after dinner” Carl’s mom (3-year-old boy).
“In her first day at the daycare, she did not know the colors in English; but she could say them all in Spanish” Morgan’s mom (4-year-old girl).
“I was talking with someone who we knew was a native Spanish speaker. He asked my son something in Spanish, and he answered him in Spanish!” Sage’s mom (5-year-old boy).
“I see her doing the mimics while we are listening to the Spanish songs in the car.” Mary’s mom (18-month-old girl).
“She keeps asking me how do you say this and that in Spanish. She is so curious about the language.” Lori’s mom (5-year-old girl)
I have heard these and many other stories during the last 20 years that I have been teaching Spanish to parents and their children. Parents are eager to sing, dance, do mimics, play games, make crafts, and talk in Spanish with their kids, so they can help their kids be exposed to a second language at a young age. They have inspired me to write an early childhood curriculum. I now write because they desire to give their children the gift of a second language. I hope this helps many families. The following article describes this curriculum for young children.
After almost 20 years of teaching English or Spanish as a second language, I decided to write a curriculum that can be used by parents at home or teachers at school. I wanted to offer them (parents and teachers) something that it is easy to follow and use with young children. This curriculum is targeted at both non-native and native speakers. Both groups can benefit from this curriculum. The curriculum is based on children’s and parent’s needs. It offers a fun and practical way to learn Spanish.
How do I teach a second language if I am not bilingual?
The first step is desire. Do you want your child to be exposed to a second language? If the answer is yes, then you have the second most important step, motivation. Motivation will lead you to find resources, and classes and be willing to speak Spanish to your child.
Finally, just as important as the other steps, is consistency. Consistency makes something a habit and a need. It creates enough repetition for something to linger and be included in our daily lives. Consistency is what we need when we are learning something new until it stops being new.
How can this Spanish curriculum help me?
Pasitos early childhood curriculum will give you the tools to get immersed in Spanish, to learn words and sentences that you can use daily, and to play games to reinforce the concepts you are teaching to your child or students.
The short lessons will help you to enhance your vocabulary (and your child’s) and your understanding of the language.
How long and how often should I teach Spanish at home?
Language is life. You use language all the time with your child. As you learn words and sentences in Spanish, use them randomly here and there during your day. You can also set up a time as short as five minutes or as long as 30 minutes to sing, dance, and play using Spanish words. The most important aspect is consistency. Be consistent in exposing your child to Spanish.
The more you use a word, the more natural and familiar it will sound to your child. Say the colors every day here and there. Choose one color at a time. For example: “rojo/red”, then your child will learn that red has two names: Rojo and red. Same with commands (followed by a please/por favor) “sientate/sit down”, after a while, your son or daughter will know that means sit down.
What science says does science say about learning a second language at an early age?
According to research the first five years of life represent a unique window of opportunity to learn a second language (N. Ferjan, 2017). The exposure to a second language during this time brings the best possible outcomes for full acquisition in a second language. According to Mechelli (2004), the exposure to two languages before the age of 5 years results in the highest levels of brain tissue density in areas related to language, memory, and attention. The early exposure creates what scientists call “coding of native-like patterns in language input”. This means that when a child is exposed to a second language at an early age, he or she will create neurological patterns for this language that will contribute to more effective language acquisition even in the later years of their lives. (Flege, 1995; Inverso et al, 2003; Zhang et al., 2009). There is a lot of research on infant language acquisition.
One of the most interesting and encouraging findings is that when infants are exposed to a second language from birth, they will simultaneously set up neural networks for two distinct languages. (Ferjan Ramirez et al., 2017). This means that babies have the natural capacity to learn two languages from birth. However, this capacity fades over time if they are not exposed to the second language.
Whether you are a bilingual parent or if you don’t speak a second language, you can help your child to get exposed to a second language, and eventually become bilingual if that is your goal. Unfortunately, most public schools don’t offer second language teaching in pre-school or the elementary level. Therefore, the brain’s critical the window for native-like language acquisition is missed, but you can give your children that opportunity. You have all you need: the desire, the intentionality, and the love for your child.
A final word.
It is the little things you do every day that form a habit, the five-minute routine you have with your child, or the “let’s do this before eating routine”. It is the small steps you take every day that will shape your child’s interest and motivation to learn Spanish or any other language. Learning a language, like any other skill, takes time, and consistency. Language is alive and carries a culture with it. Speaking a second language will open doors for your child to another world, people, reality, and country and most of all will help him or her to be a more understanding person. When you learn to speak a second language, you eventually learn to think in that language, not just to speak it. I can testify that the process is fascinating. Don’t wonder anymore, don’t wait, start today teaching your child Spanish or any other second language today. Have fun!