Posted on November 21, 2022 by Rosario Arán
What were the first words you learned in a different language? My earliest memories of learning English are vivid and have stuck with me throughout my entire life. As a native Spanish speaker, the first English words I learned were in kindergarten, at 5 years old. I was taught the words ‘flower,’ ‘grass,’ and ‘tree’. Despite being so young, I remember those first few words as if it were yesterday.
From that time the English language never left me. More words and sentences were absorbed by my brain and today I’m writing this post in English. First words do matter and come a long way if you start when your children are little. Once you set the foundation, a new communication method opens up for your child. Their curiosity and learning development flourishes into something beautiful.
For a child learning Spanish, their experience might be similar to mine. It can be as simple as pointing to a tree and saying the Spanish word for tree, “Árbol.” If you don’t know Spanish, a platform like Oznoz is a great resource. Oznoz features all your child’s favorite shows in over 10 languages — including Spanish. It’s a wonderful way to engage your child in a fun, interactive way, all the while teaching them a brand new language!
Create a Routine
Children need structure in their life. Important things like sleeping, eating, education, hygiene, and activities require structure from a young age to help children develop and thrive. Learning a new language is no different. Having a system that is both structured and fun is an important step in helping your child learn a new language. A great way to start is to pick a few moments during the week to focus on teaching your child Spanish words. Repetition and routine is the key to learning new languages.
Watching one or two episodes of their favorite cartoons also counts as a routine! Find a show in Spanish on Oznoz’s platform to help make word repetition fun and engaging.
Which type of words are important for kids?
It may feel overwhelming to start immersing yourself and your child in a new language, but it doesn’t have to be difficult!
Start with the basics — teach your child words that they use in their daily life. This will allow your child to remember the words more easily and use them on a regular basis.
Food Words
Food is a part of your everyday life and an easy place to start integrating a new language. Teach your child a few basic Spanish words for their favorite foods or snacks each week. It can be a fun dinner time or snack time routine.</p
Here are some easy food words in Spanish:
? Milk: Leche
? Water: Agua
? Watermelon: Sandía
? Toast: Tostada
? Apple: Manzana
Color Words
If you are a bilingual parent, you know that colors are among the first words you learn, and it’s no exception for Spanish learning.
Colors are pretty easy to teach since everything around us has colors and can be used as tools for learning. Simply point to an object and say the color in English and Spanish! You can even use this in conjunction with teaching food words. For example, a red apple in Spanish is manzana roja.
Here are a few basic color words in Spanish:
? Red: Roja/o
? Blue: Azul
? Yellow: Amarilla/o
? Green: Verde
⚪ White: Blanca/o
Greeting Words and Phrases
Any language teacher will tell you that the first few things you should learn in a new language are basic greetings. Being able to say hello, goodbye, good morning, goodnight, and please and thank you are staples in every language-learning journey.
Make it easy for your little ones by repeating common greetings in your native language as well as Spanish. When you wave goodbye, you can say goodbye and adiós while waving your hand. This way, your child has 3 prominent attachments to the word — the English (or native language), the Spanish translation, and the physical hand gesture.
Try these common Spanish phrases:
? Goodbye: Adiós
? Hello: Hola
? Thank You: Gracias
? Please: Por favor
☀️ Good Morning: Buenos Días
? Good Night: Buenas Noches
Body Parts
Just as we teach children the words for feet, hands, fingers, nose, and other body parts when they’re learning to speak, the same can be done when learning a new language! You can incorporate this into everyday moments, like when your child is washing their hands or brushing their teeth. Children are often visual learners and can retain new words when those words are accompanied by physical things they can see and touch.
Use these ordinary moments in their routine to teach them how to name body parts in Spanish:
? Nose: Nariz
? Teeth: Dientes
✋ Hands: Manos
? Feet: Pies
? Ears: Orejas
Object Words
Objects surround your child daily and are part of their lives, so why not use them to teach Spanish words, too? When I was learning English in school, the first things we learned were objects in the classroom or furniture at home because they were recognizable and familiar to us.
Here are a few words that might be easy for your child to understand:
?️ Couch: Regla
? Chair: Silla
? Door: Puerta
✏️ Pencil: Lápiz
? Fork: Tenedor
? Book: Libro
Learning Made Fun, Safe, and Easy!
Teaching basic Spanish words to your kid is easier than it seems — especially with so many tools readily available and perfect moments in their daily routines. Food, colors, body parts, and objects are around them constantly, and are part of the world they are discovering. So take advantage of that and combine their native language with Spanish to find a new way of communicating.
Luckily, there are also digital learning tools like Oznoz to combine fun screentime with learning Spanish. It can easily become part of their daily routine to reinforce the effectiveness of the learning process. Try Oznoz for free today and immerse your child in a world of language learning fun! Watching Oznoz with your kids is a great way to practice Spanish! Check out our shows here!