How Can I Speak Spanish to Children of Mine?

By Noah M. Benjamin

As a parent, one of the greatest gifts you can give to your child is the ability to speak more than one language. Spanish to children is probably the best second language because it is very common and easy for an English-speaking child to pick up. Not only can children pick up a second language very easily, but those who are bilingual also have proven to:

Score higher on standardize tests

Speak their first language better than uni-lingual students

Retain the language for longer in life than those who learn later

What most parents don't realize is that it's very easy for children to pick up a second language, as long as you follow the right techniques.

First, it's important to explain how a child's first language gets acquired. Children are born with no previous knowledge of language and receive no language training, yet by the age of 2, they are already conversational. How is this possible? Through immersion! The child is surrounded by the language all day, every day, and the human brain, at their development process, is built to adapt to this kind of immersion.

To teach a child their second language, the best thing to do is to follow this same immersion process. Before they reach their teens, the child's brain is wired a little differently, and is built for learning. Their brains are made, essentially, to solve puzzles. When a child reaches their teens and above, they can still learn new things, but it does not come as easily and intuitively as when they are a child. This is why a baby can learn a new language while an adult struggles with a second language!

If you want your child to learn a second language, start talking to them in Spanish. If you don't know Spanish yourself, don't worry! You can learn basic phrases and vocabulary in a matter of a week or two, and start using those words with your child. Just speak simple Spanish with them, to build a base in their knowledge, and then expand from there.

Give the gift of Spanish to children in your life. It is very easy, and rewarding for the rest of their lives.

The top-performing students in American schools today are bilingual. Find out for FREE how to get your child on the same path to success learning Spanish.