Welcome! Why Spanish? And Body Parts!

Everyone knows that it's important for children to learn a second (or third, or fourth...) language.  And when they are tiny, they absorb language like little sponges.  The more vocabulary we can expose them to at a young age, the easier time they will have acquiring new words.  I won't bore you with a billion studies on how language acquisition benefits brain development, but the studies are readily available if you're interested.

Check out this article about introducing a second language to your child: http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/language/teaching-second-language/?page=1

I'm a Spanish teacher with a toddler.  I SHOULD be speaking to her exclusively in Spanish at home, but the reality is that I'm not.  Right now we're working on small sets of vocabulary at a time.  We go over these the same way we practice English vocabulary: lots of pointing, acting things out, and repetition.  Nothing tricky about it.  You're probably already doing this with your little in English all the time.

A friend asked for some help and resources to work with her son in Spanish.  The only thing I have that she doesn't have for this is some basic Spanish vocabulary.  So I'm offering little mini-lessons of themed vocab so that she can learn the words and then teach them to her son.  If you are interested in working along with us, feel free to join along.  For each lesson I'll post a vocabulary list, some practice activities and an audio clip or video to help with pronunciation.  Once you have them down, just throw them into the normal conversations and language practice you're already doing with your kiddo.

So, let's get started:
First lesson is body parts.  We go over body parts in English ALL the time.  It keeps my kid happy in the car when she's restless.  We talk about them while we wait in line at the grocery store.  We go over them every chance we get because it gives her a chance to move around while she points to them and keeps her engaged.  So, for now, let's do basic body parts.  We can get into details like elbows and teeth and all of that later.  For now, we want big, general body parts that your child can easily see, identify and touch.

First, check out this post and corresponding video: http://spanishplayground.net/spanish-body-parts-beginners-video-kids/

Grab these flashcards for extra practice (5 additional bonus words included that do not appear in the video): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Ki_Cu7MIsCSmtSOGQ3TkpCRnc/edit?usp=sharing

Download this mp3 of the audio file for the words in the flashcards: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Ki_Cu7MIsCcUd4MDczd2Nta2M/edit?usp=sharing

Once you get these words down, incorporate them into your daily conversations with your little one.  Let me know how they're working for you, any questions you have, and if you need any additional help.  Thanks!