language learning tips Archives - Bilingual Beginnings

Learn Spanish Through Music With These Artists

Lorena — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 18:58:42 +0000

Learning Spanish in the classroom setting can be an excellent foundation for your language acquisition journey. Still, there is nothing like finding a resource that inspires and drives you to fall in love with the language.

Behind travel, music was a huge influence in my Spanish language journey.

Latin music was my Pringles back in the early 2000s. Once I began with Latin pop, I just couldn’t stop!

It started with a small (maybe huge) obsession with Enrique Iglesias and then became a full-fledged Latin music fever.

I wanted to know all the music from all the genres, bachata, merengue, vallanata, reggaeton, cumbia, punta, forró and more!

My ears were so submerged in Latin music that, fast-forward 15 years later, I barely know any contemporary American artists!

I want to pass my Latin fever on to you today and ignite your Spanish learning flame through music!

Today, I am going to start with only a handful of artists that I FIRST began listening to when I started my Spanish studies. After I mention the artists, I will go into ways to use music to learn Spanish, and follow up with a list of other artists that inspired some of my friends and followers that learn Spanish too!

Keep reading to see a list of Latin artists that helped me learn Spanish through music! If you like what you see in this post, I am going to go into each Latin genre. So make sure you let me know your thoughts and/or favorite Latin genre at the end of this post.

*The source for all of the information regarding the following artists is Apple Music.

Artists that inspired me to learn Spanish through their music

Below you can find a list of artists that I loved when I first started learning Spanish.

Since I was just starting out with learning Spanish, I took a preference towards slower ballads so that I could make out what was being said in each song.

Enjoy this list, and at the end of this post you can find more Latin Artists recommendations from other people have learned Spanish with music as well as how to learn Spanish through music.

Reik

Reik is a Mexican pop-rock band from Mexicali, Baja California. They formed in 2003. Since their first five albums, their music has evolved from pop-rock to urban Latin music.

I highly recommend listening to their first few albums, especially Un día más.

If you are a hopeless romantic, this band is for you! Their songs hold a special place in my heart, that’s for sure!

In fact, Reik is the first band that I endlessly listened to when I first started learning Spanish.

Their song, Noviembre sin ti is the first song in Spanish that I learned by heart!

Also, their song Llegó tu amor is the song I dedicated to my amorzote the day I knew he was the one.

I learned SO MANY new vocabulary words from this song, such as aguja (needle) and pajar (haystack).

To this day, I still think about this song when I hear those words and it brings a beautiful, nostalgic feeling to mi corazón.

Sin Bandera

Sin Bandera is a romantic ballads duo formed by Mexican singer-songwriter and guitarist Leonel Garcia and Argentine singer-songwriter and pianist Noel Schajris.

Together, this dynamic duo has scored 12 top ten singles across their four first albums.

Their slow love songs are beautiful to listen to, and they are great to follow along with the lyrics and learn new Spanish vocabulary!

My favorite song by Sin Bandera is Que lloro.

Maná

This Mexican quartet from Quadalajara has transcended their county’s rock scene.

Than began in the late 80s, capitalizing on the Spanish Rock trend, but have since evolved over the decades to incorporate sounds from all of Latin America such as Cumbia, Merengue, bachata.

I am OBSESSED with Maná.

In fact, I am listening to them right now as I type! Their songs are so darn catchy, that even if you don’t know a lick of Spanish, you will be singing your own rendition all day long!

Two songs from Maná that I used to keep on repeat all day long when I was first learning Spanish were Mariposa traicionera and Labios compartidos.

Photo Credit: SanneBerg from Getting Images Pro

Juanes

Juanes is the stage name for award-winning Colombian singer-songwriter Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vázquez.

He has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide! Holy moly!

He started his music career in a Colombian Metal Band but made his solo debut in 2000 with his album Fijate bien.

I fell in love with his music after I heard his song La historia de Juan.

Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Iglesias is not a Latin Artist per se, but he has become the king of Latin pop!

His romantic music will leave you breathless and will probably have you spinning circles singing the Spanish C (th)! Ay mi corathón 🙂

I used to be so obsessed with Enrique Iglesias! I’ll never forget in 2006 when I went to his concert and pushed my way to the front of the stage to touch his beautiful hand. ¡Ay Díos mío!

Photo Credit: Tinatin1 from Getty Images Pro

Carlos Vives

Carlos Vives is the Colombian Vallenato king!

Vallenato is a popular folk music genre of Colombia, primarily from Colombia’s Carribbean region. The three traditional instruments used in Vallenato are the caja vallenata, a small drum held with the knees and played with bare hands, the guacharaca a wooden, ribbed stick, and the accordion.

Over the decades, Carlos Vives music has evolved to incorporate more urban influence.

His songs are so catchy, I just need to know all of the lyrics. I also love mimicking his Colombian accent, an accent that I have forever been trying to perfect!

One of my favorite Carlos Vives’ songs is Al filo de tu amor, featuring Wisin. Whenever I hear the word tizón my brain starts to play this song. This just shows the impact music can have on memory and language learning.

Jesse & Joy

Jesse & Joy is a Mexican pop-rock duo composed of two siblings! The two siblings were raised bilingually with a Mexican father and an American mother.

Their bicultural upbringing influenced their folksy pop-rock style, and their music has hit many top charts, with their first big hit being Espacio sideral.

Their music is catchy and will have you singing at the top of your lungs.

My favorite Jesse and Joy songs are ¡Corre! and Llegaste tú.

La oreja de Van Gogh

La Oreja de Van Gogh is one of the most successful Spanish pop groups of the 21st century, having sold more than eight million albums worldwide.

I remember loving how different their music is, and how badly I wanted to dominate the Spanish accent.

My favorite song by them is Rosas. I’ll never forget the word empapada thanks to this song!

How to use music to learn Spanish

First, find songs that inspire you.

It might be that you LOVE the melody and have a burning desire to know what words are behind that melody.

Or, you might understand part of the song and want to know what the rest says.

Write down words you don’t know

Listen to the song repeatedly and keep a running list of words that you do not know. Before looking it up, try to figure out what the word means in the context of the sentence. If you cannot figure it out, look the word up and WRITE IT DOWN. Writing things down is highly beneficial for memorization!

If you want to be even nerdier like me, take verbs that you pull out of songs and conjugate them into every form possible!

Print of the lyrics

Print off the lyrics and translate! Before you do, highlight words that you don’t know. Then, again, try to figure out what that word might mean before looking them up. Then confirm if your guess what right or wrong!

I’m telling you, this all might seem very tedious, but it works!

Photo Credit: Eclipse_Images from Getty Images Signature

Sing and then sing again, my friend.

After doing one or more of the previous tips above, sing your song! Sing it in the shower, in front of the mirror. Dance and sing your song. All you gotta do is sing, sing, sing. You will be surprised how much your Spanish will start transforming after doing this with many songs.

You will no longer be trying to translate from English into Spanish. Instead, you will start thinking in Spanish syntax.

Adjectives after nouns and gender agreements will start feeling more comfortable.

You will start to conceptualize the differences between le, les, lo, se, los and las.

It will open your world to a whole new view of Spanish, trust me, and then in a few years, you will be dancing to merengue, and vallenata on the daily like me!!!

Stay tuned for future music posts as I dive deeper into different Latin American genres!

Which artists inspired these Spanish learns to learn Spanish through music?

Lauren from Bilingual Together

Maná
Marta Gomez
Linda Rondstat
Luis Miguel
440

“The first CD I ever owned was Maná, and to this day I can sing every word on it.”

Jenna from Bilingual Balance

Alvaro Soler
Julieta Venegas
Chino & Nacho

Did Latin music help you learn Spanish? If so, let me know which ones in the comments below to add your recommendations to this list too!

Thank you for reading thus far. I hope this post has been helpful! Stay tuned for future posts about Latin music soon!

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The post Learn Spanish Through Music With These Artists appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

9 Outdoor Language Learning Ideas for Bilingual Kids

Lorena — Fri, 14 May 2021 17:37:40 +0000

In this post, guest blogger, Jenna Vislisel, will share 9 outdoor language learning ideas for bilingual kids. To learn more about Jenna Vislisel, please see the end of the post.

Summer has almost arrived, and it is the perfect time to take language learning outdoors! In this post, I will offer 9 outdoor language learning ideas for bilingual kids.

As a bilingual teacher and mom of three young children, I’m always looking for fun and simple ways to integrate Spanish learning into our daily routine. This summer we’ll be taking advantage of family time outdoors in nature – and weaving in new Spanish vocabulary as we make memories together.

Language learning isn’t just about the quantity of language input our kids receive – it’s also about the quality of the language interaction.

Our kids need to be engaged in real-life, meaningful, and high interest activities in the minority language. Creating enjoyable moments using our target language should be a top priority as we raise bilingual kids.

The good news is we can build in quality, playful experiences in easy ways! As Adam Beck says in his book “Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability,” “It’s vital to maintain a strong sense of humor and playfulness – particularly through the younger years – so that your children will come to feel positivity toward the minority language and be willing, even eager, to make this long journey with you.”

Today I’m sharing with you my favorite 9 outdoor language learning ideas for kids. So you and your family can prioritize Spanish learning as well! I hope you’ll utilize these ideas to get outside, have fun, and nurture a love of Spanish language learning in your kids.

1. Explore a theme

As you naturally plan exciting outdoor adventures, take time to explore a theme around where you’re going or what you’re doing.

If you’re going to the farmer’s market this weekend, read some fun books about produce, farming, or markets around the world. Before a trip to the zoo, head to the library to find interesting nonfiction texts about animals.

When you’re heading to visit a relative in a new city, introduce your child to vocabulary words related to that city that they don’t know yet. The key is utilizing a fun family outing for intentionally teaching your child new themed Spanish vocabulary!

In her book “Bilingual By Choice,” parenting expert Virginie Raguenaud encourages us to “keep speaking the language daily – during fun and varied activities and outings to broaden our children’s vocabulary.”

2. Go on an outdoor scavenger hunt in the minority language

Outdoor scavenger hunts are always a big hit with my kids! And this idea can be used multiple times this summer! As you go on a walk around your neighborhood or explore a local park or nature center, choose a focus for a scavenger hunt.

Get creative to challenge your kids with whatever Spanish learning goal is right for them – whether it’s colors and shapes vocabulary or insect names. Your scavenger hunt might be for items in a rainbow of colors one day, ten different types of leaves another day, or fifteen different creatures the next time.

3. Make an outdoor nature journal in the minority language

With a simple notebook, your child can enjoy creating a nature journal this summer! It can be a resource all summer long for art and literacy activities in Spanish. Take the nature journal outside for some observation and note taking.

One day, your child might like to do some birdwatching and sketch the unique birds they see. You might even check out a book about local birds from your library to name them all – don’t forget to learn their Spanish names together as well! How about drawing animals they see, describing treasures they collect, or writing about a gemstone collection?

4. Integrate science

Science learning will come naturally as you explore in nature. To maximize science fun, think about your child’s interests and what would be most appealing for them. Would they like to study rocks and minerals, find out how to compost, or learn about summer weather patterns?

Pick a science topic and go for it! How about a flower study? You might gather different types of flowers to name, sort and describe with colors, shapes, and sizes vocabulary. Your child could draw or glue them in the nature journal, press them into flower bookmarks, or use them for crayon rubbings.

5. Make an outdoor language obstacle course

Every summer, my kids and I create dozens of obstacle courses in our yard and on the sidewalk. You can too! Take some chalk and draw a course on the sidewalk. Don’t forget to label the verbs in Spanish!

You might draw lily pads for kids to jump on, then a bridge to cross, and a flat ladder they have to climb. My oldest loves to use his rollerblades, so I’ll make zigzags for him to follow, and lines for jumps.

In the backyard, give simple Spanish instructions for the obstacle course (or let your kids design it). “Circle around the tree, then run to the fence, hop all the way to the garden boxes, and finally crawl underneath the swings.”

6. Use family vacation time

If your family takes a vacation this summer, use it for Spanish language learning! Before the trip, pick out a book or two from the library about the place you’re going to learn some key Spanish vocabulary. On the way there, your child could take advantage of car time for a Spanish game, audiobook, or podcast. And don’t forget about enjoying catchy Spanish music on the trip!

When you’re there, whether you can use Spanish the entire trip or not (my husband doesn’t speak Spanish!), you can choose a time or activity to prioritize Spanish. This could be as simple as choosing an outing – like a morning at the beach – to use Spanish. Think of all the beach-themed language learning you could do with your child!

Or it could be using Spanish as you seek out unique cultural resources at your vacation destination (a restaurant, museum, market, or cultural neighborhood…). Truly, one of the best things about raising bilingual kids is the opportunity to cultivate awareness and appreciation of different cultures!

7. Plan a picnic

Make your picnic time Spanish language learning time! A picnic is an excellent opportunity to learn new food and cooking vocabulary. Involve your child in planning, picking out ingredients, making the picnic food, and assembling it all in a bag or basket for your outing. Discover some new books about food and cooking around the world.

Enjoy the meal speaking the minority language together, talking about the foods you’re eating, and your beautiful outdoor surroundings. If you can take your picnic to a local park, give your kids some playground time and review some park-related vocabulary.

8. Take reading and writing outside

Choose an easy activity – take story time outside! Grab a picnic blanket and a stack of books to read to your little one outside on a beautiful day. Or encourage your child to do their own reading and writing outside in a shady spot in the backyard. Find helpful reading resources and a free summer reading bucket list here.

Take out a favorite book to read – add a stuffed animal and a beach towel for extra fun. They can grab a notebook to write a story, poem, or list of all the sights and sounds around them. Or, they can use a sketchpad to draw a picture of something that catches their eye outside!

9. Create outdoor language learning memories

As Naomi Steiner, M.D., & Susan L. Hayes say in their book “7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child,” “Kids learn better and retain more of what they learn when they’re interested and engaged. So when it comes to kids and language input, the attractiveness of the activities is every bit as important as the sheer number of them.”

Summer is the perfect time to weave minority language learning into exciting outdoor family adventures! And it’s especially significant if you can capitalize on your child’s interests this summer as you plan in – or spontaneously create – quality learning opportunities!

I hope you’ll give one of these outdoor language learning ideas a try with your kids!

Keep reading:

Find more language learning tips and bilingual parenting ideas at bilingualbalance.com.

Connect with Jenna Vislisel from Bilingual Balance on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Jenna Vislisel has been a dual language teacher and elementary reading specialist in three different states. She is teaching her own three kids Spanish and English and is a bilingual parenting blogger. Jenna is passionate about inspiring parents and teachers to make language learning fun and meaningful for kids. Jenna shares advice, ideas, and resources to foster a love for language learning at home. You can find her website at BilingualBalance.com

The post 9 Outdoor Language Learning Ideas for Bilingual Kids appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

How to Expose Your Kids to Spanish: Tips from a Veteran Spanish Teacher

Lorena — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 17:36:49 +0000

In this post, guest blogger Micah Bellieu will share her tips on ways to expose kids to the Spanish language.

Whether you speak Spanish or not, it’s incredibly challenging to surround your child with the target (or sometimes called ‘second’) language. Over my 15-year career as an English and Spanish teacher across the globe, I’ve talked with hundreds of parents who struggle to enforce the second language (also called the minority language, or language not spoken in the country where you’re living).

It takes daily (sometimes hourly!) focus to ensure that your child hears the minority language. It can get tiresome encouraging your kids to speak Spanish, especially when all their friends and their school teachers mostly speak English, but all your efforts will be so worth it.

In this article, I will be giving tips on how to make sure your child gets enough Spanish exposure because this is how the second language fluency battle is won!

‘The opinions expressed by the guest blogger and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Bilingual Beginnings. Bilingual Beginnings is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the bloggers. This work is the opinion of the blogger.’

THE FORMULA FOR SPANISH FLUENCY FOR KIDS (OR ANYONE)

Consistent exposure + motivation or need to respond in the target language + hundreds of hours = progress with fluency.

WHY YOUR KIDS CAN’T/WON’T RESPOND IN SPANISH (WHETHER AT HOME OR AT SCHOOL

Exposure alone will likely give your kids the ear for Spanish, but it will not ensure their ability to respond in Spanish. This is one of the biggest complaints I hear: “My kids understand almost everything I say, but why won’t they respond in Spanish?” or for parents who do not speak Spanish, I hear, “My kids have been in a Spanish school for years, and the teachers say they understand, but I never hear my child actually speak Spanish!”

Photo Credit: Manuel-F-O From Getty Images

Easy: they haven’t ever REALLY been in an environment where Spanish was ‘a must’ in order to communicate their needs. Whether in a bilingual class with 30 other kids who speak English as a first language or in a home where you know your parents speak English too, it’s hard to make kids respond in the minority language.

Imagine you’ve heard your parents play the piano for ten years, but your parents have never sat you on the bench, put your hands on the keys, and insisted that you play for 10 minutes a day. Just because you’ve heard the piano every day doesn’t have anything to do with being able to play it. Understanding a language and being able to speak a language are two completely different skills.

MOTIVATION TO SPEAK SPANISH IS EVERYTHING

That’s where the motivation to respond in the target language comes in. In order to have a peaceful family life and not ignore your children if they don’t speak Spanish, it’s optimal to find an environment where it’s easier for the kids to choose Spanish over the majority language.

No one, not even adults, will choose the challenging task over the easy one unless there is a little motivation.

I took French classes with a group of 6 other English-speaking adults for four years, and every time the teacher left the room, we all started speaking in English with each other.

Talking in the majority language is human nature, and it’s extremely hard to fight. Imagine if I— a motivated adult paying for French class— insist on speaking English once the teacher is out of the room, how can one expect 30 kids in a dual language classroom to talk to each other in the minority language when they can more easily converse in English? Hard to do.

But when I was in Japan taking an immersive Japanese course, I rarely found people who spoke English outside of the class. While this was frustrating because I could not always find the words, I often got very creative and had to find similar words or synonyms for the words I was trying to express.

This creativity pushed my brain to form new pathways in Japanese, and these paths are created when you are trying to express yourself in your nonnative language. I improved in my Japanese because I ‘had to’ in order to speak with others and communicate my needs.

That month in Japan, I made many new pathways. I wanted to cry sometimes, but I got more fluent and confident in my ability to communicate. So, if we don’t have to speak the language, we often won’t, so we need to find situations where we have to in order to be immersed.

HOW TO EXPOSE KIDS TO SPANISH CONSISTENTLY (AND MAKE SURE THEY SPEAK IT!)

Here are some of my ideas for both kids that understand a lot but don’t speak, and also kids that are complete beginners:

Listen to music in Spanish in the car. Music is an entertaining way to expose your child to a second language. Again, you can learn the songs if you do not speak Spanish, remember the words and what they mean, so that you can help your child understand with hand motions, just like you did with English songs. Make car time, Spanish music time!
Make friends with a family that only speaks Spanish in the home. Arrange playdates at their house. Try to encourage the kids to only speak in Spanish. Doing this will also normalize Spanish. Sometimes kids don’t want to speak the second language because they feel they are different from their friends. So, find friends that also speak Spanish so that it feels normal!
Regarding technology, kids cannot gain fluency from Spanish TV alone, but if you are doing many of the above activities, and you put the TV on in Spanish, then it can help. I recommend real Spanish speaking cartoons. If you make a rule from day one that all TV is in Spanish, then that is all they will know. (Yes, I know this is hard, because they will see other shows at their friends’ houses, but you must be strong.)
Read bedtime stories in Spanish. Again, this is all about consistency. If you start with books in Spanish from day 1, then that is all they will know. Even if you do not speak Spanish, you can learn the books and point at the pictures for certain words.

Photo Credit: Devonyu from Getting Images Pro

Watch a Spanish teacher’s YouTube video reading a book in Spanish, and then mimic the teacher. If the book says ‘corre’, then pretend you are running. If the book talks about farm animals, point at each one as you say the names. If the book says, ‘triste’ make a sad face. Try to incorporate a context while reading, so they connect the words to actions and pictures, just like you do in English!
Online Spanish classes are a great resource for fun and extra exposure. Online immersion classes can be cheap and give an extra hour or two of Spanish per week. Again, it’s hard to make your kids speak to you in Spanish, but it is easier with a teacher in a class with other kids that also want to speak in Spanish. This allows your child to see that others want to speak in Spanish, and your child is more likely to be respectful with the Spanish teacher and respond in Spanish in an encouraging environment.

Check out TruFluency’s Spanish immersion program here.

Will you need full-time childcare? If so, do your research and see if there is a Spanish-speaking daycare center near you.
You could also look for a nanny that speaks Spanish. Try not to talk in English with the caretaker in front of your child. Your child must get used to only Spanish with this person. Aim for a consistent routine schedule each week. I want to note that this does not need to be a tutor. Fluency does not derive from studying only, but from being exposed to the language with the motivation to respond in said language.

If you have the means, take a trip to Latin America or Spain, and sign the kids up for camps. It could be soccer camp, art classes, cooking classes for kids, free events at the libraries, concerts, etc. This immersion will skyrocket their fluency. You could make this a yearly habit, if possible.

The older your child gets, the harder it will be to enforce all of the above, but if you create a strong base, you can keep it up with the online Spanish classes, Spanish speaking babysitter, nanny, or childcare facility.

One thing is sure, you’re doing the best you can, and that’s all that matters. Fight for your child’s bilingual education, but don’t make yourself crazy in the process.

9 Ways That I Teach My Toddler Spanish as a Nonnative Spanish Speaker

Lorena — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 01:30:00 +0000

Inside: 9 ways that I raise and teach my toddler Spanish as a nonnative Spanish speaker at home using the MLAH bilingual parenting approach.

Before I became a mother, I knew one thing for certain. My children were going to speak Spanish. Not only were they going to speak Spanish, Spanish was going to be their first language.

Today, I want to share seven tips on how I raise and teach my toddler Spanish as a nonnative speaker.

I hope these tips help you in your bilingual parenting journey. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for daily bilingual parenting tips and resources to teach your kids Spanish!

Why do I want to raise my child in Spanish as a nonnative speaker?

Learning languages, Spanish in particular, has been my passion since Spanish 1 class my freshman year of high school.

Since then, I have traveled to many countries in Latin America, received my Bachelors and Masters in Spanish and Latin American studies, and currently, I work as a part-time freelance translator.

Learn more: 12 Ways to Become Fluent in Spanish Outside of the Classroom

In 2011, I met my Salvadoran partner Carlos and the language became a full-time gig for me. Together we have grown to learn each other’s languages, but most importantly cultures.

From Carlos’ culture, I have learned to LOVE diverse food, this was huge for me because I was a rather picky eater.

I have a new appreciation for Latin music.
Learned how to dance— well sort of.
Acquired new expressions, new behaviors, new values, and the list goes on and on.
I have genuinely acculturated to this new lifestyle, and because of it, I feel more well-rounded, and I have grown as an individual.
I want this for my son and my future children.
Even though Lennox was born in the United States, I never want him to forget his Salvadoran roots.

Since Lennox was born, I have done all I can in my power to make sure he speaks Spanish and learns his Papi’s culture. It hasn’t been easy, especially in times of frustration when I most want to express myself in my native language, but let me tell you this, it has been SO worth it.

(Update on 3/10/2021) At now almost four-years-old, Lennox is speaking mostly Spanish, and I have learned so much Spanish myself! Spanish I didn’t even realize I didn’t know! For example, nursery rhymes, onomatopoeia, shapes, among many more. It is fascinating, and that is my absolute motivation for writing this post.

Now you might be thinking, well he eventually needs to learn English, and don’t doubt it, he will because English is everywhere. It is on the T.V., my family only speaks English, and in September 2019 he will start preschool so he will learn it there as well.

(Update (3/10/2021): Preschool is a huge influence in Lennox’s life. His English is flying high! So much so we are fighting to make sure he speaks only the minority language at home!

Also, he is an absolute clown, and he is the one telling ME to speak in Spanish. Check out his bayucadas no our Instagram page where we post daily!)

Lennox will know very well that in our house, or with Mami or Papi, he will speak in Spanish only.

I know too many people of Latino descent that let Spanish slip away from their children and it truly makes me so sad. Not only should they be proud of their culture and want their children to be bilingual, but also being bilingual is so beneficial for their children.

Benefits of Raising Bilingual Children

In her article, K. Lori Hanson, Ph.D. goes into the advantages bilingual children have. Her research shows that bilingual children:

Have sharper brain function.
Have stronger listening skills.
Are more creative.
Have a leg up in the future workplace.
Are better problem solvers.
Are more open-minded.
Will gain new perspectives.
Have expanded social opportunities.
Form bonds with extended family.
Can more easily learn another language.
Will most likely raise bilingual kids.

I want Lennox to have all of these advantages, and there is no better way to do so then to teach him while he’s young. Research shows that “the best time to learn a new language is between birth and age 7.” That’s why I want Lennox to get a great foundation of Spanish first before being thrown out into the English-speaking world.

Below is a list of 7 ways that I am raising my toddler in Spanish as a nonnative speaker

1. ¡Español, español, español, all day long!

I mentioned earlier that since Lennox was born I only speak to him in Spanish. This is called the Minority Language at Home bilingual parenting approach.

This approach works for us, because Carlos speaks Spanish and I do too!

This is a lot easier when we are all together as a family as I have always spoken in Spanish with Carlos.

When it is just Lennox and me, it is a bit more difficult and oftentimes feels unnatural. Regardless I do it and over time it has gotten a lot easier. Practice makes perfect, they say.

Check out three other bilingual parenting methods below:

2. Constant communication

Not only do I only always talk to Lennox in Spanish, but I make sure I describe my actions when he is near me.

If I am doing the dishes, I talk to him about how I scrub the dishes. I open interactive dialogue with him so that he can learn the process and daily routines of life.

This is important to do with your children no matter what language you are teaching them. Children are sponges at this age and soak up everything you say to them.

This will also allow them to interact with daily chores and help them be more interested in fulfilling these chores when they are older.

3. Technology will not win

If I am going to put all of my efforts into speaking Spanish to Lennox, you best believe that all the technology is going to follow suit.

Now that we’re at toddler-tantrum-throwing-times, it is really hard to avoid technology because you know, that’s the only time you can sit down for a second, fold the laundry, check your phone, or anything else on your never-ending to-do list. You get my gist.

When we do use technology, it is always in Spanish. Here is a list of THE BEST YouTube channels in Spanish for Kids!

Netflix is another amazing resource because almost all of the kids shows have a Spanish audio option. I love showing Lennox the old 1950’s Disney movies and I love even more that they have Spanish voiceovers.

As for phones, Lennox is just starting to use my iPhone. I set my phone to Spanish so that when I download children’s apps, they are in Spanish.

4. Music

Early on into my Spanish education, I used to listen to Spanish music all the time, it was one of the most influential ways that I learned Spanish outside of the classroom.

To understand what was being said, I would print out the lyrics and translate them into English.

Ever since then, Reggaeton, Cumbia, Bachata, Merengue, and so on, have taken over my headphones. Lennox loooooves music, Reggaeton more than I would like him to, but it is so cute to see him start to sing the words and move his hips. He sure does have Latino blood.

Look how he moves those hips!

Lennox has also learned a lot of Spanish and his Salvadoran roots through his food. Check out one of his favorite recipes here: Typical Latin American Shrimp Ceviche

5. Libros, libros y MÁS LIBROS!

I love reading to Lennox and I have spent a pretty penny on buying picture books in Spanish. However, I have gotten a lot of hand-me-down books that are in English. I still utilize these books, but I make up my own stories in Spanish and we talk about the pictures instead.

Our favorite book in Spanish is Diós te bendiga y buenas noches By Hanna C. Hall. The pictures are adorable, it talks about bedtime and it has a beautiful rhyme. We actually have turned it into a song that we sing before bed some nights. I would post a video of it but it’s quite embarrassing.

Looking for more books in Spanish, check out these selections of thematic picture books in Spanish!

6. Caretakers.

We don’t have a lot of caretakers for Lennox but when we do, one of our requirements is that they speak Spanish so that Lennox can understand them and not become accustomed to speaking English.

7. Playmates and mommy groups

The same goes for playmates, and I am so happy that I have a lot of Spanish-speaking friends with children. Lennox especially benefits from the older kids who speak to him in Spanish since he is at the stage where he imitates everything.

I also know in my town, on the app Meetup, there are a lot of groups that have bilingual meetup sessions. I have not met up with these groups yet but I would love to one day. The library near me also has sessions for young children in Spanish. I have been meaning to check those out as well.

I hope you enjoyed my tips for how I raise Lennox speaking Spanish as a nonnative speaker.

For more tips of raising bilingual children, visit our bilingual parenting section of the blog!

8. Play-based activities in Spanish

Throughout Lennox’s toddler years, I was always creating play-based activities to do at home.

Play-based activities are excellent for language learning. They allow children to learn new words and practice their minority language in a fun and engaging way.

Check out a few of our play-based activities below:

Learn different animals and their sounds with this sensory animal washing station.
Play and learn the different ocean animal vocabulary with this beach sensory bin.
Practice the Spanish colors with this lego toss and sort.
Do a STEM activity and learn about hielo y agua with this Disney In Ice Escape Water Table STEM Activity
Memorize the abecedario with this Don’t Break The Ice Letter Smash.
Practice roll playing with these DIY Popsicle puppets.

9. Spanish Printables

Last but not least, the older Lennox got, the more he enjoyed some of my homemade, engaging Spanish printables.

I have made a whole range of printables from alphabet printables, number printables to transportation flashcards and body part flashcards! Check out our whole printable selection here.>>>

The majority of the Spanish printables are available for FREE upon subscribing to my weekly newsletter (see below.)

However, I offer more selections on my Etsy Shop that you can check out here. >>>

Keep reading:

The post 9 Ways That I Teach My Toddler Spanish as a Nonnative Spanish Speaker appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

12 Tips to Become Fluent in Spanish (Outside of the Classroom)

Lorena — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 21:46:01 +0000

Inside: 12 tips on how to learn Spanish and become fluent in Spanish outside of the classroom.

Welcome back to Lorena & Lennox, Bilingual Beginnings! If you’re new here, a warm welcome to you as well. I’m excited to have recently shifted my focus to bilingual parenting, Spanish education, and multicultural living, and I’m thrilled to share this journey with you.

While I’m not a native Spanish speaker, my passion for the language has been a driving force in my life for over 15 years. With a background in Spanish translation and Latin American studies, I’ve dedicated myself to mastering Spanish and fostering bilingualism in my son and future children.

Despite my formal education in Spanish, most of my language learning journey has taken place outside the classroom. Today, I’m excited to share with you some of the language learning tips and strategies that have proven invaluable to me along the way.

Whether you’re interested in learning Spanish or any other language, I’m confident that these tips will be incredibly useful to you on your language learning journey.

I invite you to enjoy this post and share your thoughts or any additional language learning tips you may have in the comments below. Let’s embark on this exciting linguistic adventure together!

*This site may contain affiliate links. To real the full disclosure, click here.

12 Tips on How to Learn Spanish Outside of the Classroom

1. Traveling

Travel is the driving force behind learning a language.

My first time traveling was to Nicaragua on a mission trip with my church when I was 15 years old. My parents were not very happy with my decision to go. They kept reminding me how dangerous the country was, and they were, for sure, something terrible would happen to me. That didn’t scare me.

I had already taken a couple high school Spanish classes, and I was curious to test out my knowledge.

I was there for a total of two weeks and let me tell you this, I hardly understand any Spanish.

Nicaraguans speak so fast, with such a heavy accent that I might have understood one out of every ten words.

The communication barrier made me so frustrated, especially when we traveled to a tiny community in northern Nicaragua, called La Danta.

The lifestyle contrasted so much to mine. There was no running water, no flooring or walls. No nearby stores. The kids had to walk two miles or more to get to school. Chickens were running around freely. People slept in hammocks. Bathrooms consisted of latrines 30 or 40 ft from the house, and bathing consisted of buckets of water or going to the river. Lastly, there was zero technology.

I was in shock, yet I felt more peaceful than I ever had in my entire life.

And the people were so kind and humble. They always had a huge smile on their face. When I tried to speak Spanish to them, they were so grateful. This touched my heart.

I wanted to be able to communicate with these people and know more about them, but my lack of conversational Spanish did not allow me to establish a deeper connection.

This first trip changed the rest of my life forever.

I traveled two more times to Nicaragua in the following two years. Each time I was more determined to communicate with Nicaragua’s people and let me tell you, by my last trip, I was having full blown conversations.

Going back to the point of this post, traveling in itself did not help me learn Spanish. However, it was the driving force to my burning desire to learn the language. Exposure to the culture and dialects helped me understand that Spanish isn’t merely a word to word translation of English.

This goes for all languages. Every language has its own structure, sense of time, and cultural significance, so to possess real knowledge of a language, you have to understand its culture.

2.Making Friends

Traveling will open your soul to learning a new language, its people, and its culture. However, it shouldn’t stop there.

It is incredibly beneficial to make friends who speak your target language where you live as well.

As soon as I returned from Nicaragua, I was hungry to meet new people. I grew up in a relatively rural area where there were very few minorities.

One day, two new Latino brothers arrived at my high school. I watched them for a few days at lunchtime, itching to get to know them. Each day, they sat at a table by themselves, and I saw many of my peers glare and giggle in their direction. It made me so very angry, so I decided to sit with them.

I initially spoke to them in English. They felt so uncomfortable. Their body gestures showed it all. However, once I started talking to them with my limited Spanish knowledge, they relaxed, and I could see a sense of relief.

From that day on, I sat with them every day at lunch, and together we helped each other learn our target languages. By the end of the year, I had learned so much Spanish from them. In return, their English had improved drastically.

I am forever grateful for their friendship. They inspired me to step out of my comfort zone.

My friendships with Latinos and people of diverse cultures only grew from there. I found people that spoke Spanish in every area of my life, work, school, extracurricular activities, and I would immediately introduce myself in Spanish.

I have learned a majority of my Spanish through them and met my life partner this way.

3. Music

Music is a fun, portable, catchy, self-study resource. By listening to it, you can improve your pronunciation, enrich your vocabulary, increase memorization, and learn new phrases.

Music is one of the best tools for learning a language.

Music is a fun, portable, catchy, self-study resource. By listening to it, you can improve your pronunciation, enrich your vocabulary, increase memorization, and learn new phrases.

Latin American music is so eclectic. There are so many different genres, bachata, merengue, reggaetón, salsa, vallenato, regional Mexican music, and more.

Get out there are learn about these different genres and find some songs that you love. Once you find a song you cannot stop singing, proceed to tip four.

4. Translating Songs

The notebook featured below was my everything throughout my last year of high school. I had already taken all of the Spanish classes possible, so instead of choosing an elective, I decided to do an independent study Spanish class.

I had 1 hour and 45 minutes every other day to do whatever I wanted to do to learn Spanish, and I did not slack off.

Most of my remaining tips took place inside this notebook, so buckle up and take notes. It’s time to learn Spanish.

Now, I consider these activities as “outside of the classroom” activities. Even though some of the pictures have edits from the teacher who “supervised” my independent study, I did these activities in all of my spare time. That’s just how passionate I was about Spanish, and I hope you feel this passion too.

Throughout this notebook, you can find lots of pieces of paper taped inside. These are song lyrics. Since I had started listening to Latino music, there were a handful of songs that were so catchy, I knew all of the words to them, but I did not fully understand their meaning.

I used this to my advantage.

I would print out a hard copy of the lyrics, read through them, and circle words and phrases that I did not know. On the side of the paper, I would write them all down.

Then, I would look them up in a physical dictionary and write down all of the word’s usage. I would find the context of the word and plug its meaning into the song.

Now having a full understanding of all of the words in the lyrics, I would translate the entire song word for word.

(Don’t judge my translations, these are from 2007. As a professional translator now, these are mortifying!!)

Lastly, I would obsessively listen to the song over and over again, nailing the pronunciation and fulling comprehending the meaning of the song. It was a beautiful and fun learning experience.

5. Verb Conjugations

In this notebook, I also kept a running list of new verbs that I came across in songs or other activities.

In all of my spare time, especially in all of my other classes that were of no interest to me, I would conjugate each verb in every tense: present, imperfect, preterite, present subjunctive, past subjunctive, future, conditional, and the gerund.

I enjoy doodling. It helps me listen, so conjugating these verbs was quite fun for me. It was even more fun when I came across an irregular verb!

Conjugating verbs is great for practice and memorization of each tense and its usage.

6. Random Dictionary Dives

During my senior graduation, I won the Hispanic Language Excellence Award. As a gift, the head of the Spanish department gave me a hardback copy of the 5th edition Collins Spanish Dictionary. I have never been so excited to receive a dictionary in my life.

Once a week, I used to go through my dictionary and randomly open to one of its 1285 pages and select a word. I would choose 20 words a week, and their corresponding page numbers. I made sure to circle or star the chosen words to mark my progress.

If the words were nouns, I would write down all of their meanings. Then, I would create a sample sentence to make sense of each definition. Creating sentences and reading them would help me memorize my new vocabulary.

To make sure my sentences were coherent, I would ask some of my friends if my sentences made any sense. Often, my friends wouldn’t understand a word because it wasn’t a word they frequently used in their dialect.

Next, I would refer back to the dictionary, and it would tell me where the word is mostly used, be in Spain, or different parts of Latin America.

With the selected verbs, I would do my conjugations that I talked about in the previous tip.

Diving through the dictionary was instrumental in building my vocabulary. I learned a ton of new words that I didn’t encounter in daily conversations or my education.

7. Read, and then read some more

Reading is so beneficial for language learning.

I remember profoundly disliking reading materials in my Spanish classes. However, once I started choosing reading material on my own, it became a fun way of learning the language.

Janina Klimas, from Fluent in 3 Months in her post Learn a Language by Reading: 5 Easy-to-Follow Steps, states the following:

“By learning to read in the language you’re studying, you get so much more out of the learning experience. When you come across words in several different contexts through reading, you start to understand and comprehend vocabulary in a more meaningful way. You can learn much more about language and culture than you could ever discover by reading a language-learning book through reading material written in that language.”

Today, I have a whole library of books in Spanish. Some of them were easy reads and others not so easy. However, I used the not-so-easy reads to my advantage by highlighting phrases that I did not understand, and underlining words that I did not know.”

When I came to a phrase or expression that I did not understand, I would break the sentence down and research it online. There are so many forums that are so helpful when you are stuck with an idiom.

Some of my favorite sites are www.Wordreference.com, www.Linguee.com, and www.ProZ.com.

As for unfamiliar words, I would try to understand the context of the paragraph and hypothesize the word’s meaning. After each chapter, I would write down all of the unknown terms and look them up in my dictionary.

I don’t know about you, but for me, writing things down with a pen on paper makes the words stick all the more.

If you are beginning to learn Spanish, I recommend reading children’s books. I offer thematic-lists of picture books in Spanish you can can choose from here.

8. Subtitles

Subtitles are another great resource. Even if you are watching a program in Spanish, put up some subtitles. By merely listening, you might not pick up on everything said, but reading subtitles can help focus you in on new expressions and vocabulary.

Keep a pen and paper with you, and jot them down!

9. Be Bold

Whenever you are out and about and hear someone speaking Spanish, say hello.

If you encounter a situation where someone needs help because they don’t speak English, help them.

One of my biggest things, and I am still trying to work on this because I get shy, is to speak in Spanish first. Especially when I go to my favorite place ever, Qdoba, where the majority of the chefs are Spanish-speaking, I talk to them in Spanish first.

Their faces change entirely, and they are so thrilled to have someone speak to them in their native tongue.

Not only will you get some heartwarming reactions, but you can experience new dialects and culture.

I am always intrigued to talk to people with dialects diverse from what I am used to hearing. I could listen to them talk all day and hear their phonetic nuances and cultural expressions. It’s fascinating.

I have rarely received a negative response from talking to new people in Spanish, no matter what my level of language was at the time. What I have experienced is a Spanish-speaking person who prefers to speak to me in English. When that happens I follow their lead, maybe they want their practice too.

10. Be Curious

Being curious about a language will instill a passion for learning it. All of my tips will only work if you are curious.

Curiosity of the world will ignite you to travel. Travel will make you curious about the culture and history of a country. Culture and history will make you curious about the language.

Devour every Spanish word spoken your way, and when you come across something that you don’t understand, be curious enough to open your dictionary or consult with Dr. Google.

I know there have been a few words in the past that have just really stumped me—for example, aguantar. I never understood it’s meaning, but heard it so frequently in conversation.

After writing down everything I could find on the word, I finally started grasping its understanding.

Doing this, will define your language skills and broaden your understanding of how language learning works.

11. Storytelling

One of my favorite things upon meeting someone new is to listen to their history and life stories. It will help you understand their identity and culture.

When you meet someone new, ask them about themselves.

12. Cultural Learning

Last but not least, language and culture are so intricately related, it is important to learn about culture as well. Histories, food, music, dances and more will all contribute to a better understanding of the language you are trying to learn.

There are so many documentaries and literature that I could recommend to learn about Spanish and Latin American culture but I will save them for a future post =)

Well, I hope you enjoyed these 12 outside of the classroom Spanish language learning tips. I have plenty of more ideas for future posts that I know will guide you in your language acquisition. Stay tuned =)