When my daughter was born, I knew that I wanted her to learn Spanish from a very young age. My goal for her is to be fluent. Some of the things I want to know for my daughter are whether Spanish immersion can work for her and if she can start learning as a toddler. I researched this topic and wrote a helpful article.
So, what exactly is Spanish immersion and is it something that makes sense for your child? If it does make sense, then how exactly would you implement it?
What Does Spanish Immersion Mean?
The first question that I hear most people ask is “What is Spanish immersion?”. And that is an important concept to understand before you have your kids start learning Spanish.
To begin with, immersion is a method of teaching a foreign language by exclusively using that language. This means that Spanish is used exclusively to teach you the language. English, or another language, is not used to help you learn Spanish. The instruction will be solely in Spanish.
If you were to visit a Spanish immersion school, then all of the instruction and teaching of the curriculum would be in Spanish. The children would read, write, listen, speak and learn all in Spanish.
This form of instruction has become increasingly popular over the years. However, an important question you may be asking yourself as a parent or caregiver is whether Spanish immersion is right for your child.
Why Spanish Immersion is Right for Your Child
So, is Spanish immersion right for your child? Yes, I think it is. Learning a second language has many positive effects on your child and will help them for the rest of their lives.
But a lot of families have reservations about immersion programs and learning a second language.
Below are several questions that parents ask before having their children learn a second language.
1. Will My Child be Confused by Learning a Second Language?
No, this is a myth. Children are not confused by learning a second language. Most children are able to understand the difference between different languages at birth. Children are more easily able to learn a second language the younger they are.
Many times, bilingual children will mix English and Spanish into the same sentence. This causes parents to believe their children are confused because they are using both languages in the same sentence. However, the mixing of languages for bilingual children is very common and does not mean they are confused.
For more information on this topic, I wrote a more in-depth blog post that you can read here.
2. Are Toddlers Too Young to Start Learning a Second Language?
No, toddlers are not too young to start learning Spanish. In fact, children are able to begin learning multiple languages from birth. And many parents raise their children to begin learning more than one language from birth. Research has found no issues for these children. Instead, the children show increased signs of learning.
3. Will My Child Struggle Learning English?
Research has shown that young children who enter into a Spanish immersion school will initially learn English slower than their peers. But don’t worry. Children who start in Spanish immersion programs will catch up to the other children their age. Typically, children will catch up some time in elementary school.
4. Will My Child’s Speech Be Delayed?
Another common myth is that learning a second language will delay a child’s speech. This is not true. Research has shown that children’s speech is not delayed by learning a second language.
Bilingual children begin speaking at the same time as monolingual children, which is typically between 8 to 15 months. Bilingual children may speak a little later than monolingual children, but that is typically no more than two or three months.
5. Should My Child be Fluent in English Before They Start Learning Spanish?
Your child does not need to be fluent in one language before learning another. Children are able to learn multiple languages at once. Research has shown that the sooner children begin learning one or multiple languages, the better. Children’s brains are like sponges and they are able to quickly absorb languages.
The key to learning a language for children and adults is the amount of exposure to the language and how often they are exposed. The greater the amount of time and consistency of exposure to a language, the faster they will acquire the language.
How You Can Immerse Your Kid in Spanish
The above questions are common myths that we constantly see parents ask about learning a second language. They are unfounded and not true.
Learning a second language is super beneficial to your child and will help them in many ways going forward. To read about the benefits of Spanish immersion for children, here is an article I wrote discussing the topic.
The next question you may have is, “Spanish immersion is great and it is right for my kid, but how exactly should I implement it?”.
Great question!
There are several different ways that you can immerse your child in Spanish. Below is a quick list of the different ways you can immerse your child in Spanish. We dive further into each topic below.
- Move to a Spanish Speaking Country
- Enroll Your Kid in a Spanish Immersion School
- Hire a Spanish Speaking Nanny
- Hire an Online Spanish Tutor
- Learn Spanish with Your Kids
- Listen to Spanish Radio, Podcasts or Audiobooks
- Learn Spanish While Your Kids Sleep
- Watch Spanish Language TV
- Read Spanish Books with Your Kids
- Label Items in Your House
- Attend Extracurricular Spanish Speaking Activities
1. Move to a Spanish Speaking Country
The first way you can immerse your child in Spanish is by moving to a Spanish speaking country.
I know what you’re thinking . . . this idea is a little extreme. Moving to another country is a big life change! But moving to a new country where the language is foreign to you and your family can be overwhelming. I totally understand that!
Moving to another country is a big undertaking, but if you are committed to learning a new language and culture, then this is the fastest way. Moving to a new country where Spanish is the dominant language will mean that your kids are constantly exposed to it on a consistent basis. This will provide them with total immersion of the Spanish language.
Some people believe that by having total immersion in a language, you can be comfortable reading, listening and speaking it in as little as three months. In the grand scheme of things, three months is a super short time period.
If you are willing to take the plunge, here is a list of countries where Spanish is the official language.
- Puerto Rico
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Spain
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
2. Enroll Your Kid in a Spanish Immersion School
This next way to teach your child Spanish is much easier than moving to another country!
Immersion language schools and Spanish language schools, in particular, have become much more popular over the years. People are understanding the importance of living in a global economy where communicating with people in different languages is important.
Spanish immersion schools for children start as earlier as 6 weeks old. You can enroll your child as a baby and have them learn Spanish from the very beginning.
If this is an option you want to pursue, I suggest you Google search the Spanish immersion schools in your area and become familiar with them. Applications for some of these immersion schools can be very competitive, so it is best to do your research well in advance in case there are any deadlines you need to meet.
For more information on the benefits of enrolling your child in a Spanish immersion school, here is an article I wrote discussing this topic more in-depth.
3. Hire a Spanish Speaking Nanny
Hiring a Spanish speaking nanny is another great option! There are many benefits to hiring a nanny to take care of your kids.
Some of the benefits of hiring a nanny are that you have a dedicated caregiver taking care of your child at home. You do not have to rush out the door to take your child to school. A nanny will provide one-on-one care and they are typically very well qualified.
If you hire a Spanish speaking nanny, then they are able to interact with your child in Spanish nearly every day of the week for hours at a time. Having a nanny speak with your child is one of the best ways for a child to acquire a language. Your child will learn Spanish very quickly by interacting with a nanny so often.
Here are a couple of websites where you can search for Spanish speaking nannies in your area:
4. Hire an Online Spanish Tutor
The best way to learn a second language is by having one-on-one conversations with a native speaker. If you’re not able to find a native speaker in the community, you can try to hire an online Spanish tutor. There are several websites that work with children of all ages.
Here are a few online Spanish tutor websites that you can check out.
- Preply.com – This website allows you to choose from individual tutors and gives you information about the tutor, what they charge per session and their availability during the day.
- 123SpanishTutor.com – This website gives a good synopsis on their methods for teaching and pairs your child with a Spanish tutor.
- KidsClubSpanishSchool.com – This website also pairs children with individual tutors to learn Spanish.
If any of these websites have a free trial period, be sure to take them up on it so you can get a feel for whether you like it.
5. Learn Spanish with Your Kids
One way to learn Spanish that will take a little more time on your part is to learn Spanish yourself. Once you start to feel comfortable with the Spanish you are learning, you can start teaching it to your child.
You can learn Spanish at home using Duolingo or Rosetta Stone. Even better, if you want to learn Spanish with your kids, you can learn at the same time with Duolingo For Kids. (Quick side note – Duolingo and Duolingo For Kids are free!)
Learning Spanish and then teaching it to your kids will take a lot of time, so be sure to understand the time commitment before you jump in!
6. Listen to Spanish Radio, Podcasts or Audiobooks
Listening to Spanish radio, podcasts, and audiobooks is a great way to become more familiar with the language. You can play these with the kids in the car on your way to school or running errands.
Spanish Radio
Here are some Spanish Kids Radio Stations that you can try. I am particularly loving the BabyRadio options!
- TrilingualChildren.com – This link should take you to 6 or 7 Spanish radio stations for kids.
- BabyRadio.es – This is Spain’s BabyRadio. It is a great resource for Spanish kids radio, podcasts, and music. If you have trouble reading the website in Spanish, have your web browser translate the words from Spanish to English.
- BabyRadio on YouTube – Here is the YouTube channel for Spanish BabyRadio. This also has videos, so you can play the videos on your TV, tablet, or smartphone.
- iHeartRadio.com – Here are some Latino radio stations that you can choose from on iHeart Radio.
Spanish Podcasts
Podcasts are another great way to listen on-the-go. If you get tired of the radio or want to focus on certain topics, then check out podcasts you can listen to. Podcasts can provide a lot of information and be helpful if you are trying to learn certain things.
There are several different free podcasts apps you can download for free on your phone. To choose a podcast app on your Apple phone, go to the App Store and search for a podcast app. There will be several to choose from and you will see the user ratings next to each app.
To choose a podcast app on your Android phone, go to the Google Play Store to download the free podcast app.
Once you download the podcast app, you can find different podcasts on that app. Below are a couple of different Spanish kids’ podcasts.
- Cuentos A La Luz De La Luna – Here is the link to the podcast for Apple products. This podcast has fairy tales in Spanish.
- Cuentos infantiles y para todas las edades – Here is another link to the podcast for Apple products. This podcast has stories for the whole family filled with lessons in life, horror, and legends.
- Tres Cuentos – An English-Spanish bilingual storytelling podcast, dedicated to the traditional narratives of Latin America. This podcast explores the legends, myths, and folktales across the Hispanic world.
- Allegro Magico – A podcast full of classical music for children and families to learn about classical music in a fun way.
Spanish Audiobooks
If you don’t have time to sit down and read books with your kids, you can try listening to audiobooks while you are on the go.
If you have Spotify, you can find Spanish stories and audiobooks for your kids to listen to. Spotify has great playlists already that you can quickly start listening to.
If you want to find several different audiobooks to buy, you can find several on Audible. The link I provided shows several different Spanish audiobooks for kids that you can check out.
7. Learn Spanish While Your Kids Sleep
When I saw that you could learn Spanish while you sleep, it absolutely blew my mind! I’ve heard of people learning something with their subconscious, but this made me a believer.
Here is a list of YouTube videos that you can use to help you learn Spanish in your sleep:
- Sleep Learning – Right now, this channel only has a small number of Spanish language videos that you can listen to. They are 3 to 10 hours long, so you will definitely get a lot of information while you sleep. To go through all of the videos while you sleep, click “Play All” so that you can listen to them in succession.
- LearnWhileYouSleep – This YouTube channel has several videos in Spanish, Italian, and French, but they are not organized and hard to group together. There are a couple of Spanish playlists, but this channel is not well structured at the moment.
- SpanishPod101.com – This is a YouTube channel that has a few 8-hour videos that you can listen to while you sleep. To find the sleep videos on this particular YouTube Channel, search within the channel for “sleep” and they should be at the top of the search.
- Eko Languages – This is a great YouTube Channel that has several languages you can choose from. Under the Playlists category, you can find the Spanish Playlist. You have the ability to “Play All” of these Spanish playlists while you sleep. Once again, search through the channel if you want to find other Spanish videos on the channel.
Listen away and enjoy them while you sleep!
8. Watch Spanish Language TV
Let’s face it, kids love TV. When my daughter finds a show she likes, she can stare at the TV to the point where she looks like a zombie. She can become glued to the TV!
So, why not play some Spanish TV shows while she is glued to the TV?
Here are some of our favorite YouTube Channels that our daughter likes to watch.
- Peppa Pig Español Latino – Official Spanish Language Channel for Peppa Pig on YouTube. This is about little Peppa Pig, her brother George, and her parents. The family has adventures and the kids can watch them in Spanish.
- Daniel Tigre en Español – Official Spanish Language Channel for Daniel Tiger on YouTube. This show is a little more interesting for my nephew who is 2 and 1/2 years old. It has concepts that it can teach small children like sharing, going to the bathroom, and resolving fights.
- POCOYÓ en ESPAÑOL – Official Spanish Language Channel for Pocoyo on YouTube. These are wacky little animated kids and animals. They have fun and make for good TV.
- Super Simple Español – Official Spanish Language Channel for Super Simple Songs (My daughter loves these songs and can watch them for HOURS!)
9. Read Spanish Books with Your Kids
My daughter loves reading books! It is one of her favorite things to do when we are getting ready for bed at night. This is a great opportunity for my wife and me to read to our daughter in Spanish.
Here are some of our favorite books to read to our daughter.
- First 100 Words Bilingual: Primeras 100 Palabras – This is a great book for our daughter to read the Spanish words, see the pictures with the objects, and the colors. These are all things for them to learn with this book.
- Animals: Animales (Bright Baby) – This is another English-Spanish board book with animals that your child can learn from.
- Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes/Cabeza, Hombros, Piernas, Pies – This is another fun English-Spanish board book. If you get good at saying the words fast, you can sing this song with your kids, too!
10. Label Items in Your House
This is a super fun way to learn vocabulary words in Spanish for items around the house. You will be blown away by how many things you can stick a post-it note on. Once you have the items labeled, you and your kids can repeat them as you see them. The repetition will help the vocabulary words become ingrained in your kids’ heads.
Plus, your kids will have a ton of fun when they see the colorful post-it notes around the house. Your house will be filled with colors and Spanish vocabulary!
11. Attend Extracurricular Spanish Speaking Activities
If you can’t find native-speakers to speak with or want to get out in the community, this is an option for you. Find after-school programs, cultural events, and other events where there are Spanish speakers. The key is to make sure that there are native Spanish speakers at the events who can speak with your kids.