How to Teach Spanish Fluency in First Grade

Introducing children to Spanish early on can set them up for fluency later in life.

Many education experts believe it is easiest to acquire a second language as a child when you are still able to adapt easily to changes in pronunciation and intonation. Because of this starting to learn a language as early as possible, even in the first grade, can set your child up for a lifetime of fluency. Though it is unlikely she will become fluent after only one year of lessons, the Spanish skills she learns in the first grade can prepare her to become fluent later.

Instructions

1. Construct a set of goals for your child or children. Fluency will be difficult to achieve in just one year; after all, your child has been hearing English for six years at this point. However, starting small can still have enormous benefits. Basic, achievable goals might include the recognition of a foreign phonetic system, basic expressions for the academic areas the student is learning about, basic greetings and phrases in Spanish and being able to imitate Spanish sounds.

2. Make a list of activities corresponding to the skills you wish to teach. Try activities such as singing, playing games, and story time in Spanish.

3. Find products to support your activities. If you need books online retailers have a variety in Spanish and bilingual editions. Translate familiar songs such as the ABCs into Spanish to help the children learn pronunciation.

4. Combine your products and activities in a way that supports your goals. You may wish to have a small amount of time devoted to Spanish every day, or even change your classroom or home into a Spanish immersion experience. Either way, small amounts of information absorbed at regular intervals will be more productive for encouraging fluency later on than brief, intense immersions will be.

References

• Westport: First Grade Program

Resources

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble