I'm pregnant with my first child and want to give my baby all the advantages I can, and there is so much that is lost so early. One of my main concerns is I want my child to learn more than just English, but I'm worried with out a Spanish speaking nanny I don't know how I can accomplish such a thing.
Does anyone know of any daycare centers that teach your children Spanish, or any videos or cassettes (aside from baby Einstein) specifically for that purpose?
Advise anyone???
Hi!!! what I have been doing with my kids since day 1, is I try to buy everything I can that comes in spanish, from cd's to DVD's, books, etc. I also get Discovery Kids and Disney Channel in spanish, they like it, and I know they are learning at the same time.
you can also visit this site: www.leapfrog.com they have toys for all ages in both spanish and english.
My child's school teaches Spanish & Sign Language along with English on Flash Cards. So, they show the color yellow & tell them that it's the color Yellow, then say "in Spanish it's Amarillo". At 3, she's just starting to understand the concept of knowing another language. Dora, Diego & Handy Manny also have taught her different words. I also practice with her. "How do you say Red in Spanish?" But you have to keep it up; they lose it as fast as they learn it.
Try the International School of Tucson (ITS) - they offer foreign language immersion programs in several languages. They do have a Spanish playgroup (I believe), French and German. I love the school - it's very multi-cultural and all the teachers/staff are very warm and kind to the kids. I will send my daughter to pre-school there (they do have to be potty trained for a full day program).
Find a good daycare/preschool that has a Montessori school as part of its program. My daughter started going to one and they teach Spanish right along with colors, shapes, etc... as soon as they turn one. Also a good nitro to other languages is Baby Signs.
Also, you can pick up a basic Spanish book and as you go thru your day talking to your new baby you can add Spanish words that you have learned while you were feeding her/him. Basics like mama, daddy, please, milk, hungry, food, more, thank you, sad, happy, hurt, sleepy...
Remember, just have fun. You will be surprised at what you learn as well.
You can get different books from the library and read them to her or hire a spanish speaking nanny which there are alot of us here in Tucson. All you have to do is call child and family resources and they will give you a list of nannies in your area.
When the baby is old enough to see the TV, don't worry about it. With Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go and Handy Manny...my son is 3 now and he says Excellente! all the time...and Azul Azul.
There are some daycare centers that do teach Spanish and other extracurricular, but that's extra not included in the weekly rate.
My son was dx with autism at age 2, my husband and I speak English fluently, he grew up speaking French since he grew up in Belgium, but I was born in the USA, having known some Cantonese (Chinese). I had to stop speaking to my son in Chinese, because he needed to learn more English first. So, both of us decided he can wait until he's speaking more and then perhaps after he's in 1st grade or so, see how he's doing, and then enroll him in Chinese School. They teach French and Spanish now in elem school rather than waiting until High School. So there will plenty of time.
My son is in 1st grade and attends a charter school in Surprise. They have been teaching spanish in class since kindergarten. He knows quite a bit of the basics. Before that he learned a lot from Dora the Explorer and Noggin. Don't worry too much about it, they are like little sponges and whatever exposure you can give your child will be beneficial!
F. you know this may be kind of a simple thing but most dvd movies and televisions for that matter offer you the choice of playing them in spanish, children are sponges and will get it the question is how are you going to understand them LOL? We do all of our disney dvd's in english, french and spanish and my kids have picked up words however we didnt do this when they were young and i wish we had....
J.
Hi, I am unsure about spanish but have you thought about sign language. If you are interested check out this website: www.signingtime.com
I highly recommend signing time dvd's. I own vol 1-12. You and your child can communicate with sign language before your child is able to verbally express themselves. The dvd's are very kid friendly, fun, and makes it easy to learn. On the website you can even preview what is on the dvd's before purchasing so you don't have to fear about being disappointed. I purchased my dvd's through ebay and it was cheaper. Congrats on your little one. =0)
