tristangrace Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 . . . what would you do? My 6yo has talked about wanting to learn Spanish for the past six months or so. I think that would be totally cool (and we have Spanish-speaking friends she could practice conversing with) . . . HOWEVER, I'm not really ready to take it on as a serious subject. She is starting first grade work next month, and I hadn't planned to begin a foreign language (Latin) until third grade. What would you do in this situation? TIA! Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 We bribed our friend (with small amt of cash and wine :D) and she's been teaching our dc weekly for 3 years. We also began to sub Rosetta Stone after about a year (we wanted to be sure it was a serious endeavor before we spent the extra $). It has been fabulous. They either have class at our dining room table, or at another homeschooler's house (we told so many people about it, her little class of our two has morphed into a class of 7!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Feed that curiosity! :D Ages 6 and under are fabulous for introducing a foreign language -- kids can pick up so much, and get an "ear" for a language/accent that is very difficult to duplicate later in life. I think La Clase Divertida is a lot of fun, and my kids actually learned quite a lot. It's meant for parents to watch together with kids, and I love the fact that all the craft materials (for two kids!) are included... Another option since your kids are little would be Puertas Abiertas dvds... Both of these would be low-effort for you, but would give your son the chance to learn a little and have fun doing it. Also check your library for various learning-Spanish dvds that the kids could "test drive". Also, "Salsa" from Georgia Public Broadcasting is absolutely fantastic -- but it's not widely available, unfortunately. You can also do fun little things... Post-It makes a pad of post-it notes with household words in Spanish that kids can stick all over the house. A box of picture flashcards can be fun for browsing... There are place mats with basic Spanish vocabulary... There are fun CDs that introduce a few Spanish words in context, or CDs of songs with Spanish vocab... The Lyric Language ones are pretty decent for the price... (Just don't buy the Twin Sisters materials -- soooo bad.) Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayle in Guatemala Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 One of the big things that has helped my dc (apart from living in a spanish-speaking country) is tv and movies. When they watch tv here (cartoons, disney channel, animal planet, discovery channel) it's basically all in Spanish or some with Spanish subtitles. When they watch movies, a lot of times we will put it into Spanish voice over. Also, listening to Spanish radio (online if possible). The more younger children hear it, the easier it will be for them to pick it up. People here say that my dc don't even have an accent. They speak just like a latin american. That's what I would do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 My bet is that she wants it to be fun. Try starting with "French for Children" and see how it goes, it is only $20 and should keep her busy for some time. Then, if she finishes that and still wants more, find something she can do independently. There is so much for Spanish right now...even fun computer games like the one by Knowledge Adventure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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