There are many good commercial Spanish curriculums available on the market today. Many of them are quite useful and can serve as the foundation to learn Spanish. However, the more methods, games, and activities that are incorporated into daily life, the more likely the new language will take root in the mind.
Since there are many different learning styles, effort should be made to include activities that utilize many senses. If emotions are enacted, studies show that learning is nearly effortless. In other words, if having fun, learning Spanish is a breeze. Try some of these Spanish tips to enliven your Spanish curriculum.
Play Pass It On
This is a variation on an old grammar school game. The teacher simply things of a sentence in Spanish and whispers it to the next person. That person whispers it to the next person, and so on, until the message gets back to the teacher and repeated. It’s quite funny to see how much the sentence and pronunciation changes. This game is excellent for verbal Spanish retention.
Use Flash Cards for Games
Making a bunch of flashcards is a quick job. Just jot down applicable words onto index cards and then create games using them, instead of just doing boring drills. One idea is to have a stack of flash cards with Spanish verbs written on them. The student can perform the action, instead of saying it. Spanish flash cards with nouns written on them can work the same way. Instead of repeating the word in English, the student can go retrieve the object. Younger children particularly love this one.
You can even use the cards in a treasure hunt. Post clues that are written in Spanish or that have Spanish keywords inserted in them. Finding a prize at the end of the hunt is a big enough motivator to encourage the student to figure out the Spanish words.
Watch Spanish Videos
Getting age appropriate movies in Spanish is an excellent way to capture attention and allow new vocabulary to be absorbed. It helps surround the student with real context and accents, and helps create a sense of naturalness and fluidity to the language.
Sing Spanish Songs
The mind easily remembers tunes. Teachers all over the world use songs for memorization. This method is commonly used to memorize facts such as states and capitals, presidents, math facts, etc. Why not use it for Spanish? Although most Spanish curriculums include songs listing vocabulary words, using real songs the student is familiar with can speed learning along even further. For example, if a student loves the song Kiss the Girl from The Little Mermaid, then find the song in Spanish, and because of familiarity, retention will be extremely high. And it’s fun! Many songs can be found on YouTube.
Learning a new language should be a fun experience. By seamlessly weaving these Spanish techniques into everyday life, comprehension snowballs. Activating the emotions by having fun, as well as spicing up a curriculum with these unique activities, helps Spanish become a cinch.
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