If you wait to teach Spanish to your child until she/he can speak English, we are already losing some precious years. If your spouse knows Spanish, it is your spouse, but not your child. The only advantage that you have is that it could be easier, but if you haven't used it yet...My point is that you have to start as soon as possible when your child is a baby.
But how? The best way is one parent speaks English and the other speaks Spanish. Always your child will have a strong first language (and probably that will be English: the school, the television, and the books are in English), but you can make possible to have a bilingual child.
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( 3 / 112 )I don't you know but sometimes I get very frustrated with the Spanish books that you can find online or in stores. They aren't age appropriate or they are very expensive. They have a lot of vocabulary or they have only a few words.
So, my idea is to buy books in English and translate them. Yes, I know what you are thinking: It's easy for her. I have an idea.
Go to this web site: http://www.freetranslation.com/
Write your text and then click on "Free translation".
If you have any question, my email is always open: info@PreKSpanish.com.
Start translating!!!!
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( 3.2 / 108 )Many parents ask me what DVD they can buy for their children and my answer is always: "Don't buy anything". Children learn to speak because they want to tell things.
But, if you like to have something, you can try internet for free.
Here is a very good web site with interactive activities and stories. You can choose "English" or "Spanish". I recommend to use only one language and then try another website for the other language.
http://www.storyplace.org
Good Luck, Mariana.
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( 3.1 / 98 )At this point you have to realize how important is to start the second language as soon as possible.
The last article was about why children start talking: they have a need to express what it is wrong (or out of normal) or what they have discovered.
If you started at very young age, your child probably will talk in the second language (something very usual if a parent speaks one language and the other parent speaks another).
If you start later and your child already speaks your mother tongue, you can introduce a very excited thing: how it is said it in Spanish.
Remember, you will talk a lot more before your child starts speaking, even if he/she is older. Be patience. It will come.
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( 3 / 103 )Before a child can "talk" (and by "talk" I am saying "try to express himself with words), small children use body language that is as effective as speech. It tends to be the predominant way of expressing his/her thoughts.
Then children use "semi-words". A semi-word is a short word or a shorten long word that expresses an idea or a thought.
Children feel the urge to express their findings. A child can be outside and rush inside to tell the parents what he/she saw. Also it is a way to express that something is wrong. I went to a class and the father came just when I was leaving. His smallest child said "suit". Probably, because I was there, the father stayed with his suit on a little longer than usual.
At this point it is very important to use even more words, more difficult words, phrases. They are learning how to think using the language.
The joy to communicate through the language has born and at the age of two, they don't stop. The story becomes more and more egocentric. They don't lie, because they don't have that concept yet. Their learning has made by abilities and facts.
After the age of two, changes take place: the intellectual content of parents' talking improves the child's intellect and they learn when and how to talk less.
Now my question is: how to make this work for a second language?
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