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First of all, I just want to confess that I’ve been totally slacking on speaking Spanish with Chiquita. Does anyone else who speaks a second language with their child(ren) go through phases like this where you feel lazy and/or unmovitvated? For me, it’s mostly been because of busyness, as we packed and moved, and now that the holiday season has set in.
I’ll say little phrases to her here and there and it still amazes me that she responds, understands and attempts to reply in Spanish for certain words/phrases– mainly the words that she signs–but I’ve been slacking on giving her solid hours of hearing me speak only Spanish like I had hoped to do every morning. I’m sure this phase will pass and I will start back up again soon, but this is where we’re at right now. I still hope to get her registered in a toddler language class and I feel like this will motivate me more. Any other recommendations on getting and staying motivated?
A few recent language links…
- Spanish Lesson Plans for Children pointed out some resources for Christian worship music in Spanish
- Foreign Language Fun is having a sale on their holiday-related Spanish & French resources until 12/18
- Think Spanish‘s blog has an article available about the Christmas traditions in South America
- Eleena @ Voices en Español has a great review about a new online video resource called Bablingua
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
diane 12.13.08 at 9:27 pm
Oh, I definitely go through phases when I’m not as motivated as I should be. For me, music really helps. Just by popping in a fun children’s CD in French or Spanish, I start thinking in the language. Plus, it’s no-pressure & fun. Usually gets me speaking more. And tonight, since we hadn’t done any second language all day, we sang French songs in the bathtub and counted our fleet of rubber ducks. And a French lullaby. (Last chance of the day!)
diane´s last blog post..Spanish Homeschool Lessons for Christmas: The Nativity Story
Jacqueline 12.20.08 at 8:46 am
Just found your blog. Great subject! My eldest is approaching 8, followed by her 5 year old brother and then the baby…I very much agree with your post; sometimes we just stop speaking Spanish to the kids, much to the detriment of our bilingual goals and hopes for them. My dd communicates freely in both languages, speaking, reading and writing in both (homeschooling obviously helps here), but her Spanish is not native level. My son has a lot of issues with language in general, he seems to have flipped between one and the other , with English landing on top now. I thought I’d never have a child who answered in English when spoken to in Spanish! We’ve considered dropping English altogether for an extended period of time. In my own experience with language, immersion is unique in its contributions to language learning. I hope more people join the conversation. Blessings!
Tati 03.14.09 at 6:44 am
I’m glad I found your site. It is hard to stay motivated. I have to say there are many times that I stop speaking, but I usually make myself do it or I put a movie on for the girls in Spanish and then I naturally start speaking to them again. I think also having a network of people that do it will help. I let my mom know the girls’ progress and then I post on my blog. Thanks for all your ideas!
Tati
Sarah 12.10.09 at 10:55 am
So I’m coming late to the party having just found your website yesterday, but I can totally sympathize! I started off trying to speak Spanish occasionally to my daughter (now 3) and by 9 months felt like I was failing miserably. So, I took the plunge and stopped speaking English with her entirely. It is challenging at times, but it has gotten so much easier as my vocabulary of early childhood words has increased. My husband speaks English with her and she just started at an immersion preschool 2 mornings a week in September. She understands everything, and is starting to respond in Spanish (though she still responds mostly in English.) It is so rewarding to hear your little one speak another language! Keep it up!