Resources for Teaching Spanish to Preschoolers
Educators who want to teach Spanish to preschoolers have a variety of tools at their disposal which they can use to interest and motivate their students. Research indicates that immersion programs offer an effective strategy to promote the acquisition of a second language among young children. Many resources exist for teachers who want to bring a Spanish-immersion program into their classroom.
Other People Are Reading
-
Songs
-
Teach the children Spanish songs. Translate the songs once so that the children understand the meaning, but otherwise, sing the songs without translation. Use finger plays and act out the movements and and "stories" of the songs. Stansell, in "The Use of Music for Learning Languages," writes that "the deep and profound relationship between music and language supports their discriminate, concurrent use to improve outcomes for language acquisition." Mama Lisa and Garden of Praise offer children's songs that help a preschool teacher teach Spanish.
Books
-
Read Spanish language children's books aloud to the class to help the students learn the tempo, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and syntax of the Spanish language. Use picture books that illustrate the storyline clearly and act out as much of the story as possible. Find Spanish storybooks at a multi-lingual bookstore or through online resources such as Amazon or Spanish-Bookworld. There also are online digital libraries that offer Spanish books for preschoolers.
-
Games
-
Use games to teach Spanish to a class of preschoolers. Immerse the students in a Spanish game of Candyland, Go Fish or Match after you introduce the relevant vocabulary. Use flashcards to teach vocabulary words while challenging the children to say the name of an object in Spanish when they see the flashcard with the illustrated object. Specific Spanish-language games and picture-flashcards that provide resources to teach Spanish as a second language to preschoolers exist on the Apples 4 The Teacher and Spanish Flashcards websites.
Videos
-
Bring Spanish preschool videos into the classroom for the children to watch as they absorb the language. Preschool children's videos should engage and entertain the children while immersing them in the Spanish language. You can find videos to download on the Internet or CDs of Spanish-language videos to buy through 123 Teach Me, Spanish Champs and Kids Love Spanish.
-
References
Resources
- Mama Lisa: Spanish Children's Songs
- Garden of Praise: Spanish
- Amazon: Spanish Storybooks
- Storyplace: Online Digital Library
- Apples 4 The Teacher: Interactive Spanish
- List My Five: Top Five Videos and Music to Teach your Preschooler Spanish
- Spanish Champs: Preschool Spanish Curriculum
- Kids Love Spanish: Teach your Child Spanish
- 123 Teach Me: Learn Spanish for Children
