“Señora, señora! I got the job!” yelled Maddie* as she ran into my Spanish 3 class. I regularly teach with an easy Spanish conversation for kids, which was perfect for the hostess job she applied for at a local, popular Mexican restaurant. Most employees there are Spanish speakers.
Me: Woo hoo!
Maddie: Three other people applied, but I got it because I know some Spanish.
Me to all the other students: Did everybody hear that? Don’t ever ask me why you have to take Spanish again.
Why Use an Easy Spanish Conversation for Kids?
Was Maddie fluent in Spanish? Nope, but she could speak it well enough to communicate with other employees. And she was in a perfect position to learn more from them because she already had a solid Spanish foundation. This was possible because of our class conversations that kids could understand and participate in.
Not only can knowing Spanish help your kids get jobs over other applicants (like Maddie), but they can also get higher pay.
Jobs and higher pay for our kids = successful kids with their own houses (aka our 27-year-old kids not living in our basements playing Roblox and eating all our peanut butter m&m’s).
Being able to have conversations with others is an important part of a job. In honor of Thursday, April 28 (Take Our Kids to Work Day), I made a video to practice conversation with 3 of the top verbs in Spanish.
How to Hear Your Kids Speak Spanish: Easy Spanish Conversations for Kids with 3 Verbs
Kids can start speaking Spanish with this video even if they don’t know Spanish yet. The video includes pictures with vocabulary to help kids understand what I’m saying + examples of how to answer the questions.
The video teaches how to say the “I” and “you” forms of the verbs estar (to be), ir (to go), and querer (I want). These are three of the most commonly used Spanish verbs and are must knows to talk with others in Spanish and have them understand you.
For each section, kids listen to…
- my example talking about myself so they can hear how to say the verb in the “I” form. Hearing how to say words before saying them is important to make sure they the words correctly.
- the question and process it. It could be helpful to have kids pause the video after they hear the questions to give them to understand what the question means.
- answer the question in Spanish about themselves.
Spanish Conversation for Kids
Section 1: Estar (To Be)
In this section we preactice how to say estoy (I am) and estás ( you are/are you) with where we are and emotions. Kids will not only learn the verb but some basic emotions and places they’re likely to be at (like the park and grocery store).
Have your kids follow the steps listed above to hear them say how (and where) they are in Spanish!
Section 2: Querer (To Want)
We practice how to say quiero (I want) and quieres ([do] you want) in this part. We practice with food to keep this simple and focus on the verb. Then I add a couple of infinitives so kids can say where they want to go and what they want to play.
Have your kids follow the steps above because then they’ll be able to say things like “quiero m&m’s.” Hmmm, or maybe we don’t want kids to be able to say that in Spanish…
Section 3: Ir (To Go)
The third conversation uses voy (I go) and vas ([do] you go). We build on what we practiced in the first part with places we go like the park.
Again, have your kids follow the steps above to hear them talk in Spanish about where they go!
Another plus to learning these verbs in a simple, fun conversation is that kids are learning irregular Spanish verbs in a natural way. These verbs can often trip up students because they don’t follow the pattern of regular verbs.
Click the video so you can help your kids take their first step to having a solid Spanish foundation and getting better jobs like Maddie.
Don’t wait to have them watch it. Especially if you’re worried they’ll be living in your basement. 😄 Because it takes time to learn another language, so it’s best to have your kids start now.
And if you’re taking your kids to work on Thursday, how amazing would it be if they spoke a little Spanish to your co-workers?
If your kids don’t know greetings in Spanish yet, then check out this video that teaches Spanish greetings and farewells.
How do you help your kids be successful with better jobs and higher pay? Have them learn Spanish! And with this video, it’s simple to have your kids learn Spanish with this easy Spanish conversation for kids! Just click the video above so they can practice speaking with me using commonly used Spanish words.
*I changed the name of this student for privacy reasons.
