| 1) Check out books and audiotapes at your
local public library or invest in books/audiotapes that
are written in Spanish. (Books are available at Barnes
& Noble, through Scholastic and Troll book orders,
book fairs at school, and other sources.)
2) Designate a time for daily family reading
and/or silent reading. Encourage your child to read
something in Spanish as well as English.
3) Invite a classmate/schoolmate over to have
a special "Spanish evening" or "Spanish
night over."
4) Let your child call a student from the immersion
school to speak Spanish on the phone.
5) Host a teacher's assistant (T.A.) from Mexico
or be an "Aunt and Uncle" family and invite
a T.A. over for dinner or a party, or include a T.A.
in a family outing.
6) Give your child the necessary supplies to
write letters to Spanish-speaking families and/or friends
from school. Get on the "super highway" by
using the Internet to speak with others who can communicate
in Spanish - parent supervision is advised.
7) Use your child's Spanish writing skills to
write to the embassies or offices of tourism of Spanish-speaking
countries. Request information, pamphlets, posters,
postcards, booklets about the country. Use the information
to make your own travel guide, mural, poster, etc.
8) Visit a Latino market in your community.
Cheer your child on as s/he helps you purchase your
food in Spanish.
9) Talk about the reasons why you want your
child to learn another language and ask your child why
s/he thinks it is important to know a second language.
10) Recognize, praise and encourage any efforts
your child makes to speak Spanish. Often, just the vocalization
of our pride in his or her efforts can make the difference.
11) Review the songs and poems that your child
sings and recites at school. Your child can sing the
song or recite the poem alone by memory, then ask him
or her to teach you a song or poem. Let your child be
the singing entertainment on your next road trip!
12) Purchase children's videos, music and software
programs in Spanish. Call the company "Niños"
at 1-800-634-3304 for a catalog. Blockbuster video stores
will order Disney videos in Spanish for purchase upon
request. |
