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Where do I start? Spanish


GTiff
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When I was 10 my family moved to mexico. Before then I knew no spanish at all. We were put in school for 2 yrs so of course I learned to talk, read, and write. I am fluent in Spanish and we spoke it at home. I now have to children (5 and 1) and I have no clue how to teach them spanish! I know I should just speak it to them. I didn't speak only in spanish to them because I wanted them to learn English well for when the went to school . Now we've decided to home school and they need to learn! I have ordered the whistle Fritz program which I am excited about . I feel it will give me something to go off of. Any other recommendations? We watch Salsa on occasion. We also, play games like Zingo, loteria, and candy land (we count in spanish and say colors in spanish) It is just awkward for me. My daughter is very eager to learn so I want to do it while we can.

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Just speak it all the time. My kids have a few favorite movies memorized so now we watch them in Spanish. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the Magic School Bus are available in Spanish on YouTube. We listen to Spanish music, sing Spanish lullabies, and read books in Spanish. Goodnight Moon, Dr Seuss, and so many others are available in Spanish.

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The best way to connect Spanish to your daily life is to spend time around native speakers. If any of your friends speak Spanish, convince them to speak it with you for at least half of each time you hang out together. If you eat at a Mexican restaurant, try to order in Spanish.  Any time an opportunity to speak Spanish presents itself GRAB IT! You need to practice what you learn and talking is always the best way to do that. Once you can hold a basic conversation, find a Spanish-speaking meetup group or club so that you can pursue one of your hobbies in Spanish. This could be anything from a dance class to a choir to an astronomy club.

This is also the secret to retaining what you have learned. As Luca puts it, “My parents had some good Spanish friends who came to eat at our place once a week, so I was able to practice with them. If you have the opportunity to speak many languages on a daily basis, then you won’t forget them.†This applies if you are juggling 10+ languages or if you are simply trying to keep a second language locked in your memory. The more you use it the less likely you are to forget it.

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I also recommend speaking as often as you can, get and read as many children's books in Spanish. Watch their favorite shows or movies in Spanish; Netflix has many shows which you can switch the audio to Spanish. Get your friends and family to speak to them in Spanish.

 

I have felt the same frustration as you describe directed at myself for never just doing it. I finally made my move a few weeks ago, and my 4 and 6 year old children have picked up some Spanish already. The first week or two it really felt to me like they would never pick up Spanish, but even just a few weeks out from that it's a big difference. Good luck! You can do it.

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