Books are always my go-to when I want to learn or need to teach my children a new concept. However, I’m discovering that mis niños aren’t like me when it comes to learning new things – my girls are straight up hands on, kinesthetic learners – forget the books. They want to touch and feel everything… you know that kid who wears more of their dinner than eats it? Yep, that’s mi chanchita. And my oldest will eat an entire meal without a fork (she’s 8 people).
So, needless to say, I’ve had to adjust the way I do things because my children don’t learn like I do. I’ve already listed some music we like (again, repetition is everything, so we listen to it frequently). I print out the words for myself so I know what they are saying and can sing along.
Our Learning Corner
This is nothing fancy, y’all. I literally took a corner of my living room that wasn’t already covered in toys and hung these posters. I found bilingual posters on Amazon and used Velcro buttons to hang them low on the wall where by toddlers can reach them.
I then went to teacherspayteachers.com and found some FREE printables I could cut out and stick on them (also using Velcro buttons). Super easy. And for kiddos that like to move around while learning – super fun!
We’ve been working on our English alphabet (which is on the back of this poster), but here is the Spanish side. I used the same letters, but printed an extra “N” for the “ñ” letter. This pack of posters also has weather, days of the week, solar system, emotions, math, money, maps and lots more. We aren’t using all of them at the moment, but since we will be learning for years to come, I thought it was a good investment.
My Chalkboard
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this in another post, but I’ll reiterate it here. I can’t always have my phone by my side and I try to focus on a group of words or sayings each week. (Keep building that vocab, people!) I purchased a chalkboard from (where else?) Amazon and asked my husband to mount it in a high location – can you guess why? Yep, you see where I’m going with this…
It’s mounted above a tall bookshelf/toyshelf. It’s easy for me to glance up and say what I need to while we are playing on the floor rather than having to grab my phone and see all those notifications, wait – who commented on my facebook post? Oh, I need to add bananas to Walmart pick up grocery list…. and there’s a coupon for Groupon, oh my gosh those shoes are super cute! I bet my sister would like those….I’ll just send this link to her real quick…
See? So much easier to just look up at the board.
Hola Amigo – A Spanish Club for Kids!!!
This is something completely new for me, so I’ll let you know how it goes, but can I tell you how extremely EXCITED I am??? This is a Spanish-play based learning box that gets delivered to your door once a month. It includes an activity book, a bilingual reading book, vocabulary games, STEM activities, and fine motor activities. The PreK box is $39.95 per month, but I didn’t have to commit to anything – I can cancel at anytime. I originally signed up for the PreK box but in July of 2020 they are coming out with a toddler box (and it’s cheaper at $24.95). They also offer an Elementary subscription for $34.95 per box.
Try HOLAFREESHIP to get free shipping!
I received everything pictured above in my PreK box for the month of June 2020 (except for that yellow confetti stuff, thank goodness… I would have been picking it out of couch cushions and diapers for days…).
Inside there is sooo much stuff…. Let me count the ways…
- Instructions explaining how to use the manipulatives in each bag
- A non-fiction read aloud book on things that are cold (frio) and things that are hot (caliente)
- A zipper pouch with a glue stick, 24 box of crayons, scissors, and flash cards for colors and parts of the body
- Heavy duty cardboard puzzle of opposites (in Spanish, of course)
- Plastic hearts and bingo boards using the vocab words
- Plastic bears of 3 different sizes (grande, mediano, y pequeño) to use while creating patterns, sorting, and for measuring
- Workbook
- Headband craft
- Bead bracelet craft
- Puppet Theater craft
The entire premise is that you read the book and pick a project when finished. Each time there is something new to experience.
Along with my subscription box, I received an email with links to their Pinterest page with songs, a YouTube link for their non-fiction read aloud book (which was definitely more my speed!) and a link to the vocabulary. The story book itself, “Abuelo y Los Tres Osos”, had quite a lot Spanish reading (much more than my brain could process) so I emailed and asked for a video of someone reading the book.
And they emailed me right back with a link! (Whaaat?!) Now, I need to say this is NOT someone from Hola Amigo reading the book – they don’t have rights to do that. However, it IS someone reading it…. which is what counts, right?
And just in case you need MORE (I did say MORE) – here is a link to ALL their videos and songs for each box.
However, this box was a bit too much for my 2 year old twins. I’m hoping the toddler box will be a bit more their speed. I’m going to stash it for future use and patiently (while sitting on my hands in anticipation) wait for my toddler box to arrive in July.
Workbooks
I know I said this post was about other ways to learn, but…somehow, I’m back to books… it’s just what I love. If you are a learner by writing things, organizing ideas, and just need to see it plain on a piece of paper, I have a great little workbook for you.
Carson Dellosa offers Skill Builders workbooks – every two pages or so is a theme and they are easy and quick. You could use them to begin or end a lesson. I purchased the K-5 for my oldest and the 6-8 grade for myself. I grab it when I have a few spare moments and just fill it out for my own personal enjoyment and reinforcement. They are inexpensive too!
Learning Spanish as a Family 