Sunday, June 21, 2009

It's Simple to Add Spanish to Your Summer Fun! By Emily Laura Stevens

It's summer time! Kids between the age of two and ten are ready to play, play, and play some more. Children want to laugh and have fun and do this by playing games. Do you want your children to learn Spanish, well in ten short weeks with a few tools you can help your children to learn and have fun at the same time.

The first step to take is to find a great local library that has a great deal of materials available in Spanish and English. Don't just look for books, but for CDs, DVDs, and magazines in both languages. Libraries offer materials based upon the demographics of the population its serves but can get materials if they are requested enough. Show your children a sample of each of the bilingual materials to find out which type works better for your child. Every child learns differently and this can change daily. One day a child might like to watch a DVD that is in English and Spanish and the next day they may never want to watch the movie again. Use the library as a testing ground for the materials that you might want to purchase for your home.

Parents should not become obsessed with the fact that they are not bilingual and realize that anyone can still learn Spanish as a second language even though the parents do not. A benefit to learning a second language early in life is that your child will be able to pronounce Spanish like a native. The second step is to find people in your community who already speak Spanish and spend more time with them. Some settings could be a playgroup, a cultural event, or restaurants. Even though bilingual materials from the library work well, nothing beats immersing your child in a Spanish speaking environment.

The last step is to use computers to add Spanish fun during the summer. Online games allow parents and children to play games that make learning Spanish fun. Many websites provide free resources to help children to learn Spanish. You have to keep the learning fun and don't force a new language on your child. Repetition is important if you want Spanish words to become part of your child's vocabulary. Introduce a word in English and then use the Spanish word. This will allow the word to become part of your child's vocabulary.

Don't delay teaching your child another language because you might think it will confuse their mind with two languages. Many experts believe that bilingual learning allows your child to decipher two languages side by side. So start your summer off on the right foot. Add Spanish to your summer and keep your family laughing and learning!

You are going to be able to speak at a restaurant, at an airport, with new friend, in basically every situation you can think of! So, whether you are interested in learning Spanish for your job, to communicate with neighbors, or if you are planning to travel to a Spanish speaking country, learning a new language online has never been easier!
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Friday, June 5, 2009

Knowing When You Are Ready to Communicate After a Long Regimen of Learning Spanish By Susan J. Wyne

You have spent the last year reading, studying, and comprehending the Spanish language, when is it time to put these lessons into practice with real Spanish speaking conversations? This can make anybody wonder because if you are not exposed to a lot of people that speak Spanish you won't get a chance to practice what you have learned. This is a crucial element because you can sit and do exercises all day, but if there is no application you are just spinning your wheels in the mud.

One of the many issues that come with not knowing if you are ready to converse in Spanish is not having any Spanish friends or family to help guide you with where you are lacking. This can be a key element but if you don't have the outlets there is not much you can do in terms of that, but there are other ways of getting around this hurdle.

When you are learning Spanish, no matter how, you are speaking and listening to people speak at a very slow pace. Compare what you have heard on your audio software to someone in the supermarket on their cell phone speaking in Spanish. It seems that people who natively speak Spanish do so at a million words a minute. However, they have been speaking it their entire lives and people who speak English also talk that fast we are just unaware because for the most part we understand what is being said. Listening to other conversations in Spanish is the best way to test the water and see if you are ready to try and communicate.

You could start this right off the bat when you only know a few words. However, you can become self conscious or have no self confidence in your abilities and if either of these two examples is an issue you are most definitely not ready to converse with people in Spanish. Watch some cheesy Spanish soap operas and see if you can follow along with what is going on without the use of subtitles. If you are unsure where you are in your learning progression, test the waters and find out. Spanish outlets are all around us, everywhere, no matter where you reside.

You are going to be able to speak at a restaurant, at an airport, with new friends... in basically every situation you can think of! So, whether you are interested in learning Spanish for your job, to communicate with neighbors, or if you are planning to travel to a Spanish speaking country, learning a new language online has never been easier!

Learn Spanish Online with the Best Spanish Course Online!