How To Teach Toddlers Spanish

Teaching a toddler Spanish is a good idea in a world where knowing a language aside from English is increasingly helpful. Teaching toddlers Spanish is much like teaching them English and is a gradual process.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Language flashcards
• Children's Spanish music CDs and books

1. Immerse your child in the Spanish language by allowing him to listen to his favorite songs in Spanish. He will recognize the tune and correlate the Spanish words to those in the English version of the song.

2. Work on repetition by going over flashcards with your toddler. Go over the word in English, then go over the same word in Spanish. Shapes, colors and numbers one through 10 are good to start with.

3. Reinforce the Spanish language by allowing your toddler to watch bilingual children's television programs or DVD episodes. Good programs for them to watch include "Dora the Explorer," "Go Diego Go" and "Handy Manny." These shows work well because they introduce Spanish words along with familiar English words.

4. Speak Spanish to your child. Most toddlers know many words, such as "hi," "bye," and "milk." For example, if your toddler told you "Hello," say "Hello, hola." Eventually, she will make the connection that "hello" and "hola" mean the same thing.

5. Read Spanish books to your child. Often, classic children's books in English can be bought in a Spanish version. Buy the Spanish version of your toddler's favorite stories, and alternate reading them on different nights in each language.

Tips & Warnings

• Many children's DVDs that are in English have the capability of turning on Spanish subtitles. Turn the subtitles on so your toddler can become familiar with how the words are written.
• Don't force Spanish upon your children; they will pick up the language eventually. Just continue to incorporate it into their daily routine.

Resources

• Nick Jr. bilingual programs