Is your child struggling to learn Spanish? If so, they are definitely not alone. Language can be a challenging subject for kids, no matter their age. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are so many incredible techniques that you can use to foster a love of learning languages, and to bring up their grades for the upcoming school year.
With that in mind, Smart Kidzs is here to share four creative, time-tested ways to boost your child’s Spanish skills.
Use Arts & Crafts to Make Language Learning Even More Fun
Arts and crafts can be a powerful way to reinforce subjects of all kinds. With a fun, age appropriate craft, you can enhance your child’s understanding of math, science, and Spanish!
Rather than simply looking up one or two crafts, create a space in your home devoted to art, hobbies, and learning. Add shelves, counterspaces, and anything else that makes it easier for your child to organize and create masterpieces. One added practical benefit to this is that more permanent modifications can increase the value of your home. If you decide to sell your home, the value of these updates can be reported when getting an appraisal of your home’s value.
Helping your child learn Spanish by painting, coloring, and through other crafts enriches the learning experience. Since art can be therapeutic, this low-pressure environment can help your child retain far more than they were able to in a classroom or online learning environment.
Speaking of low-pressure, encourage your child to avoid negative self-talk, even if they are frustrated. Keep the experience as fun as possible so that your child can build confidence. Self-criticism, even said in passing, can trigger an unhealthy cycle and quickly erode how your youngster sees themself.
Technology is Your Friend
Nowadays, hiring private tutors is easier than ever before. Whether in search of the best online calculus tutor, history tutor, or foreign language tutor, there are freelancers available for every skill level. You can find online Spanish tutors — and view their available times and hourly rates — by browsing today’s top freelance job boards. There are also many wonderful language learning programs that offer free trials. Just make sure your child has a quality pair of headphones for those virtual lessons!
Give Your Child Real-World Experiences to Practice Spanish Skills
An excellent way to help your child (especially older children and teens) grasp a second language is through real-world practice. Real-world exposure to spoken and written Spanish will help them see how words and phrases are used in everyday conversation. It can also be a fun and rewarding way to practice what they already know.
Ideas for helping your child gain real-world Spanish-speaking experience include taking them to a grocery store where Spanish is predominantly spoken, to a museum featuring exhibits in Spanish, or on vacation to a country where the primary language is Spanish. These life experiences can provide valuable learning that will help them in the long term.
Learn the Language With Your Child
One of the most valuable and meaningful ways to help your child is to learn Spanish with them. Investing time and effort into learning the same content will enable you to speak with them, and allow them to practice their skills more frequently. You’ll also be more equipped to help them with homework assignments in the future. Most importantly, learning Spanish with your child will show them that you genuinely care and that you want to spend this extra time bonding.
Rather than using conventional teaching methods, utilizing the above techniques will make language learning far more engaging and exciting for your child. With afterschool positive experiences, your child will be far more likely to excel in the coming school year.
About Author:
Alyssa Strickland created millennial-parents.com for all the new parents on the block. Alyssa believes the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, but she also thinks it takes a village to raise a parent! Millennial-Parents is that village. Today’s parents can be more connected than ever and she hopes her site will enrich those connections. On Millennial-Parents, she shares tips and advice she learns through experience and from other young parents in three key areas — Education, Relationships, and Community.
