Click below for Resources for Your Child's Spanish! You can go right to a complete searchable list of bestselling books on Spanish for Children ... or... you can click on the selected categories down the left hand column of the page. And.......For ANOTHER source of book info, scroll way down this page to see some book covers and reviews of perennial favorites! Fun Listening in Spanish Listen to Classic Stories like: Little Red Riding Hood , Three Little Pigs, Cinderella , Sleeping Beauty Goldilocks and more...just write us if it doesn't come up! Spanish Grammar For Kids or... Listening for Kids: They Can Learn Spanish Grammar by Listening Looking and Listening for Fun and Learning) Children Videos in Spanish Barney, Scooby Doo, Superheroes, Sesame Street, Sponge Bob, Dora, Blue's, Disney's and more Great list of Fun Reading in Spanish for Kids ... Or these favorites: Dr. Seuss in Spanish Goosebumps in Spanish Harry Potter in Spanish Lord Of The Rings in Spanish Nursery Rhymes in Spanish Proverbs in Spanish for Children Songs in Spanish... or... Spanish and Computers for Kids Para Los Padres Hispanos... Enlaces Útiles... Muscle or Joint pain? ¿Sufres de dolor muscular o de conyunturas? Click here for relief! ¡Haz clic aquí para encontrar alivio!

Spanish for Children Los Pollitos When my granddaughter was two years old, she used to call us. She wanted to sing "Los Pollitos" to me. You can find this children's classic in most of the collections of songs that we are recommending. It is perfect for hand gestures. These gestures are ideal for language learning because they imprint the sense of the words as the child recites. The text is: (translation follows) Los pollitos dicen pío, pío, pío cuando tienen hambre, y cuando tienen frío. (the kids make gesture of shivering) La gallina busca el maíz y el trigo; Le da su comida, Y le presta abrigo (the kids make the gesture of Mom hugging her kids.) Pío, pío, pío (the kids should ham it up, making a little chick face!) Translation: The little chicks say peep, peep, peep when they are hungry and when they are cold. The chicken looks for corn and wheat; she feeds them, and she keeps them warm. Las Vocales y las Sílabas Right off the bat here is something you kids will like and which will actually teach them the Spanish vowels. Since the vowels in Spanish are regular, very young kids will be able to play this spelling word game. This is a song of John H. Crosby of hevanet.com that teaches and re-enforces las vocales y las sílabas to teach children Spanish. It is sung to the tune of "If You're Happy and you Know it Clap your Hands": Las vocales en español sí sé. Las vocales en español sí sé. a, e, i, o, u, a, e, i, o, u. Las vocales en español sí sé. To do syllables: (whatever consonant you want to use) La 'm' con la 'a' dice 'ma' La 'm' con la 'e' dice 'me' La 'm' con la 'i' dice 'mi' (it picks up at the beginning of the tune again here and continues to the end) La 'm' con la 'o' dice 'mo' La 'm' con la 'u' se que dice 'mu' Todos juntos dicen ma, me, mi, mo, mu. With older kids you can teach them the Latinamerican school rhyme: "a, e, i, o, u: el burro sabe más que tú" There are many reasons for wanting your children to learn Spanish. We want to help you find resources that will help you with Spanish for Kids. Some parents are interested in preparing their children for life in today's world where it is important to know more than one language. This is even more important in our hemisphere where it becomes increasingly valuable to know Spanish. Other people think of the intellectual stimulation that learning a language provides. They think that they can give their children a an additional intellectual challenge in a painless way. Researcher in London, England have determined that learning a second language boosts brain power which remains throughout life. Take a look at a complete course of Spanish for children of that subscribes to this approach. Various levels are available. Learning a language can be a source of pride and self esteem for the child who is fortunate enough to be exposed to learning outside of the classroom. There are some parents who are concerned that their children grow up respecting the different heritages that surround them. Concerned that the nativist tradition of United States history is always present, many parents, not of a Spanish Speaking background, choose to prepare their children to accept and embrace the Hispanic culture they live alongside of. Their reason to encourage their children to speak Spanish is based in part on the history of a previous group of Latin immigrants to the United States, the Italians. "Some social critics were aware of the consequences of sudden assimilation. Mary McDowell, a social worker, wrote en 1904: 'The contempt for the experiences and languages of their parents which foreign children sometimes exhibit... is doubtless due in part to the overestimation which the school places upon speaking English. This cutting into his family loyalty takes away one of the most conspicuous and valuable traits of the Italian child.' She attributed the lawlessness of some of the immigrant children to their disrespect for their parents and therefore for all authority." (La Storia: Five Centuries of the Italian American Experience, Mangione and Morreale, p. 222) Reflection on this same national history, and often more importantly personal experience, moves many Hispanic parents to keep their language alive in their children. They want to preserve their heritage for their children by giving them its most evocative and powerful manifestation, the language of their forebears. Whatever your reason for wanting your children to learn Spanish, this site will provide resources to help you. You will find suggestions and experiences of others who share your interest; you will find songs and stories in Spanish that will enthuse your children with their learning task. A list of links to related sites will lead you to other resources. And you will find that the books you need for yourself and your children have been located and placed at your disposition. ¡Buena Suerte y adelante con su cometido! Do the Parents Know Spanish? Although most of us agree that it is a good thing for our kids to speak Spanish, most kids in the US whose parents were born in Latin American countries do not speak Spanish well. Even if both parents speak Spanish at home, quite often the kids answer their parents in English. Look around at your Latin friends and relatives and you will see that most give up on teaching their kids to speak Spanish. Chicano and Puerto Rican families seem to have a little better luck than Latinos from other countries with keeping Spanish alive in their barrios but even their younger generation is losing fluency in Spanish. However, parents who want their children to speak Spanish can go against the current and set the stage for their children to grow up speaking Spanish. It is not easy. Most families fail in their resolve but it CAN be done. Take a look at our bilingual study: How to Get Your Children to Speak Your Language/¿Cómo Lograr que Sus Hijos Hablen Su Idioma? This report will give some hints on how to improve your chances. But it is most important for you to get your kids reading Spanish BEFORE they learn to read in English. Don't be afraid that it will hurt their English. Unless they are living in a closed Spanish Speaking Barrio, their English will be perfect. They will absorb it on the playground and in the school. Your job is to keep the Spanish up! Take a look at the fuller argument presented below for the importance of your kids learning to read FIRST in Spanish. Finally, another idea for native speakers of Spanish: You may want to review (or study it for the first time) your Spanish. I found one reference for you. Sorry it is expensive; that's because it is used as a textbook. But that will make it easy to use and will surely be complete. Take a look at Nuevos Mundos, Spanish for Native Speakers 2nd Edition, Workbook : Curso de espanol para estudiantes bilingues" Whether or not the parents know Spanish will determine their strategy for exposing their children to the language. Obviously, parents who do not know the language well will not have native pronunciation. If their children learn to read Spanish, they may not have the proper pronunciation. This is a tough issue. Some might say that pronunciation is not important for children. However, why not try to expose them to the correct values of the Spanish sounds. Parents should work on their own pronunciation to model as correctly as possible for their kids. Nevertheless, the value of the parents' involvement in reading and singing in Spanish with their children more than outweighs the disadvantage of the child hearing their poor pronunciation. Much of the damage can be remedied by having the child listen to as much Spanish spoken by native speakers as possible. So, in general terms parents can fall into one of three groups: 1. those who know NO Spanish; 2. those who know enough to read, even poorly; 3. and those who can model correct pronunciation for their children. All these parents should make sure their children HEAR a lot of good Spanish but obviously those parents who know no Spanish will be more dependent on recordings for their children to listen to. Try to find some good audio resources. Besides the tapes and CDs you might buy or take out of the library don't forget the radio and TV. All parents should expose their children to ask much passive listening of Spanish that they can. In most places there are Spanish language radio stations. TV programs from the Univision y Telemundo networks are very widespread. All of the above boils down to three tactics that are valid for all kinds of parents and all kinds of kids of all ages and level of Spanish......... 1. Passive Listening: Everyone should keep the Spanish radio on as much as possible. Keep the radio or TV on while the childis doing other things. It has to be the sea of sound that they swim in while they are beginning their study of Spanish. The child doesn't have to concentrate on it; they will not be listening to try to understand. After a while they won't even hear the radio but it will be affecting them. Little by little they will begin to anticipate the rhythm of the language, even before they understand they words. They will also begin to recognize certain words. 2. Pattern Response Drills: Those parents who know some Spanish can try to run through all the permutations of the new expressions that the child learns. For example, suppose your child just learned to say. "Pedro tiene cuatro años" rather than translating from the English incorrectly, "Pedro es cuatro". Now to make this new element of the language stick, you should go on substituting different ages and the names of different people. The child will soon be able to say comfortably, "María tiene cuatro años." "Juan tiene ocho años." "Yo tengo tres años." "¿Cuántos años tienes tú?" There are many examples of these drills in most language courses but the parent can generate them herself. 3. Encouragement: Don't correct their Spanish when they speak. Don't interrupt the flow of their conversation. Don't make their speaking Spanish to be another homework assignment. It should be something special, even something "secret" in your family. Kids like the mystery and intrigue of having something special of their own. Their speaking Spanish should be a joyful, non-threatening experience. If they make mistakes in their grammar, correct their errors by using the same expression correctly a few minutes after. Don't come right back at them with the correct form or they will begin to feel conscious of their expression and choke off their freedom of expression. also........... The Alphabet: If your child is coming up on kindergarten age, you have a wonderful opportunity to teach him or her how to read in Spanish BEFORE they learn the alphabet in English! Why? I will be brief, hoping that you will catch the direction of my thought (and my practice, with both my children and my grandson!) Spanish is completely regular. They can learn the vowels in one sitting. This is how Spanish Speaking kids learn: from "abecedarios", the same as English Speaking children used to learn from primers. If your child learns to read (even if only simple words) Spanish first, in effect you are giving them a great head start. You can start the child reading the simple words like Mami, comida, mesa, Papi, muñeca, carro, etc. Basically you are giving them phonics without having to buy any expensive program. You can do them no harm because, they will have a basis of the sounds that DO hold up for English; they will have achieved the satisfaction and boost to their confidence by your enthusisastic affirmation of the achievement when they read "Mami y Papi" and other simple phrases. As they progress in English they will still have to deal with the irregularities of this language. However, they will have learned the consonants by applying them to completely foolproof regular vowels. I said I would be brief. I am very convinced of the value of this method. I have no scientific proof, just intuition and my own experience. To work, you have to teach the child to read the alphabet in Spanish BEFORE they begin to learn in English. If they are already learning in English, it will confuse them. But if you get there FIRST, you will do them a great favor! So... Click here for Alphabet tools for kids in Spanish. After clicking, look to the top right of the page you land on, and click on the yellow tab "Alphabet" to see a bunch of alphabet resources for you to choose from. Return to "Latino Parents"? Toys and Games: Of lesser importance but still a possible beakthrough for certain children could be the use of toys and games (board games and others) as a way to sneak in some fun and variety into the learning process. See if Spanish Educational Toys or games would be useful for your child. Computer Programs for kids If you or your child is computer savvy or if you want to combine math or science with Spanish you may want to check out the educational software for Children in Spanish: Reader Rabbit, Disney, Jump Start and many more... Some First Recitations A long time, universal, traditional favorite is "Pinpón" Pinpón es un muñeco, muy guapo y de cartón (the kids smile for "muy guapo", and act stiff for "de cartón") se lava la carita (the kids make the gesture of washing their face) con agua y con jabón. Pinpón dame la mano, (the kids reach out their hand) que quiero ser tu amigo (the kids make the gesture of shaking hands) ¡Pinpón, Pinpón, Pinpón! Translation: Pinpón is a doll, a handsome cardboard doll. He washes his face with soap and water. Pinpón give me your hand, I want to be your friend. Pinpón, Pinpón, Pinpón! Another favorite of our kids was "La Mar Estaba Serena" Kids like this one because it is easy to follow. The repetition helps them learn the relation between noun and adjective as well as the vowels in Spanish. The same verse is repeated by using all of the vowels in turn. It begins by the parent singing, "La mar estaba serena; serena estaba la mar". (The sea was calm; calm was the sea.) Then either the parent or one of several children taking turns shouts out, "¡con A!", meaning, "Let's sing it with all "a" sounds"! And you sing, "La mar astaba sarana; sarana astaba la mar." "¡con e"! "Le mer estebe serene; serene estebe le mer". "¡con i"! "Li mir istibi sirini; sirini istibi li mir". "¡con o"! "Lo mor ostobo sorono; sorono ostobo lo mor". "¡con u"! "Lu mur ustubu surunu; surunu estubu lu mur. You'll find the kids really like this one. English (sic!) As A Second Language It might be interesting to do some "reverse engineering" and look at the world of those Spanish Speakers who want to learn English. Reading in Spanish for the Parents If you want to keep up your Spanish. Check out our selection of books in Spanish on a wide range of topics, la familia, la salud, los negocios, el niño, el adolescente, etc. Links As soon as we can......... If your child can handle a pocket calculator, they might like an electronic dictionary. The Oxford Spanish English Electronic Dictionary even uses the IPA symbols. Although the pronunciation of Spanish is completely regular, the IPA is essential for anyone learning English. It costs around $30. Click here to learn more about the Oxford electronic dictionary. To see a table of the IPA symbols of English and to hear the sounds associated with each symbol click here...

The following economical books for young (up to 8 years or so) are very popular.
you can click on the image or the title to learn more, price etc. and to buy right from this page.

	Pio Peep! : Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes by Alma Flor Ada, Vivi Escriva PreSchool-Grade 2 Following in the tradition of Margot Griego's Tortillitas para Mama (Holt, 1995) and Jose-Luis Orozco's Diez deditos (Dutton, 1997) comes this stellar collection of nursery rhymes. Selected from the rich oral tradition of Latin America and the American Southwest, most of the verses are known throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The rhymes cover everything from early morning birds to elephants to angels, and the reason for their enduring popularity is clear. Deeply rhythmic verses, compelling rhyme schemes, and words that "play trippingly on the tongue" characterize every verse. Schertle's excellent English adaptations are not literal translations but poetic re-creations. They retain the rhythm, meter, and general meaning of the originals, making the rhymes as memorable and memorizable in English as they are in Spanish. Escriv 's watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations use brilliant hues and detail to reconstruct a young child's world. Certain to become a staple for preschool and early elementary programs, this offering is also a wonderful, reassuring lap book. A must-purchase for libraries. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
	Las nanas de abuelita / Grandmother's Nursery Rhymes by Nelly Palacio Jaramillo PreSchool-Grade 2? This delightful book blends English and Spanish texts with fanciful watercolor-and-ink illustrations. The parallel versions of these lullabies, tongue twisters, and riddles from South America take advantage of word play in both languages. While based on the author's childhood in Colombia, the verses convey universal childhood themes. Perfect for family sharing, especially where children are helping their parents learn English as a second language.?Carole D. Fiore, State Library of Florida, Tallahassee Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
	Jorge el Curioso (Curious George) by H. A. Rey and Pedro Villa Fernandez Certain to be one of the most popular of the picture-book translations. A Spanish translation of the original Curious George story.
	Con Mi Hermano / With My Brother by Eileen Roe and Robert Casilla PreSchool-K A small boy treasures the time his brother spends with him, and admires the older boy's abilities. He hopes, in time, to be able to play ball, deliver papers, and go to school with his sibling. But for now, he is happy when the two of them play together. This simple, repetitive story paints a reassuring picture of family life and supportive relations. The Spanish text, rendered without regionalisms, is as direct and simple as the English version, but both are bland and unexciting. The watercolor illustrations showing two Hispanic boys are large and colorful; they are good for sharing, but are merely competent in execution. Nonetheless, this possesses a similar sense of admiration and emulation found in Angela Johnson's Do Like Kyla (Orchard, 1990), with the added feature of a Spanish text. Given the simplicity of the narrative, it would probably be most useful as a teaching tool in beginning Spanish language or ESL classes. --Ann Welton, University Child Development School, Seattle Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
	Say Hola to Spanish by Susan Middleton Elya, Loretta Lopez PreSchool-Grade 2? "Spanish is fun,/ so give it a try./ Hola is hello,/ adios is good-bye." So begins this catchy introduction to some basic vocabulary. The almost-musical rhymes resemble a commercial jingle and facilitate learning. The Spanish terms are printed in bold throughout the text, along with plenty of visual clues, to make it easy for youngsters to decipher them. A glossary of the 70 words with pronunciations and the English equivalent is provided. However, since the pronunciation guide appears at the end, the book is best suited for reading aloud by a person already familiar with the language. The colorful cartoons are adequate, but often awkwardly drawn. Lynn Reed's Pedro, His Perro, and the Alphabet Sombrero (Hyperion, 1995) is similar in scope.?Maria Redburn, Irving Public Library, TX Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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