Do you want your kids to learn Spanish but aren’t sure where to start and have wondered how to teach your child Spanish at home – especially if you don’t know any Spanish? When I decided to start teaching my kids Spanish, I spent a lot of time looking for activities that were fun, affordable, and would actually work.
That was like trying to find a unicorn 🦄 – not gonna happen.
I’m a state-certified Spanish teacher and have taught high school Spanish for over 15 years so decided to start creating my own lessons with a variety of engaging activities like stories, conversation, and games and that are age appropriate for kids.
I know others are looking for organized, open-and-go lessons, so I decided to start this blog. You can find out more here.
How to Teach Your Child Spanish at Home
I started the first lesson with my kids introducing the alphabet and greetings. Learning the sounds of the letters and how to start a conversation in Spanish are the foundation for how to teach your child Spanish at home.
You can download the FREE lesson here:
Neither kid wanted to start the lessons, but they cooperated for the most part. They were a bit silly and purposefully mispronounced words especially llamo.🦙 At least they were getting along and not punching each other…😂
I started with the alphabet but had them repeat each letter after me instead of watching the YouTube videos mentioned in the lesson. I was completely shocked when they said they weren’t interested in watching the videos. I thought if I said YouTube they’d be all over it.
However, my youngest, Aidan, disdainfully told me those videos are for 3 year-olds. I told them my high school students like watching them (granted they’ll watch anything if it means they don’t have to work 😂), but Aidan’s look made it clear he didn’t believe me.
So we spent about 10 minutes going through the alphabet and greetings so they could hear the correct pronunciation. I’m still going to try the videos next time so they can see the letters while hearing the sounds. YouTube videos with listening practice are an important part of how to teach your child Spanish at home.
A lot of kids already know the Spanish alphabet, basic numbers, colors, and how to greet people. This is awesome! If your kids (unlike mine) already know this info, you can skip this lesson and find out more about my first unit which introduces commonly used verbs and the topics of immediate family and the house.
If your kids don’t know this vocabulary already or aren’t really comfortable with it, then this is the place to start! Having some basic vocabulary around numbers, colors, greetings, etc. will make it easier to complete future activities. There will be a lot of repetition since that is how language is acquired.
This may sound boring or tedious, but I’ve included different types of activities for all learning types including actions, drawing, games, and music (with a lot of links to videos with songs). So many people have created and posted amazing resources on YouTube so no need to reinvent the wheel! I’ve included multiple videos for each topic with this lesson. My goal is that kids don’t even know they’re learning Spanish words because they’re so engaged with the activities. 😄
Who Can Teach These Spanish Lessons for Kids?
Anyone! It will be easier if you have had some Spanish in the past – even a semester from high school or college. But you can still use the lessons and materials I will be providing even if you have zero Spanish experience. You can learn Spanish with your kids. 🎉🎉
How to Teach Your Child Spanish at Home If You Don’t Know Spanish
If you’re learning Spanish with your kids and aren’t sure how to pronounce words, you have a couple of options. I started a YouTube channel with videos of most of my activities. The other option is to look at online dictionaries like google translate and wordreference.com which have many words with sound so you can hear the pronunciation.
My lessons can be a great addition to your homeschooling curriculum, but you don’t have to be a homeschooling parent to teach your kids Spanish! Some of the parents I talked to when I first started thinking about doing this weren’t homeschooling parents and neither am I.
The nice part about teaching your own kids is you can go at your own pace without any pressure and do as much or as little as you want each day.
Additional Resources to Teach Spanish
Quizlet.com is a website with digital flashcards that can include pictures, sound, and games. You can either make the flashcards or use sets made by other people.
This set has 13 flashcards and this set has 22 flashcards; both sets include greetings and farewells with pictures. Pictures are a great way to reinforce the vocabulary!
Here are letter worksheets to practice each letter of the alphabet from Professor Pepper! They are super cute and include Spanish coloring pages with Spanish words that start with the letter.
Do you know anyone else interested in teaching their kids Spanish? Feel free to share with the share buttons on the left!
Did you start teaching your kids Spanish? Let me know what you did and how it went in the comments section below!
P.S. Are you looking for a quick and fun way to help your kids start learning Spanish? If so, check out my free Spanish for Kids Starter Guide! These 9 simple tips will show you how to teach your child Spanish at home. Know what the best part is? You don’t have to know Spanish to use it!
