5 Tips for Starting Bilingual TotSchooling: Spanish Sabado #5

Hola amigos!

Today I’m taking an opportunity to share some tips to help you begin your journey teaching your bilingual toddler.  These tips are also great for those who already partake in bilingual tot-schooling.  Whether one or both parents speak multiple languages, your child will greatly benefit from your journey in building a bilingual home.  Taking some time every day to do focused learning, better known as tot-school, will assist your toddler in learning new languages.

1.  Find A Way To Signal The Start of School
Almost all schools have a school bell that signals the beginning of classes.  When I first started tot-schooling, I made up a song to inform Nugget that it was time for school.  He would stop whatever he was doing and run to our classroom.  He was 16 months old when we started tot-school and loved hearing the song.  Now that he is 3 years old, he not only participates in the singing the song, but he also gets his sister ready to learn by informing her that it’s time for school.

2.  Grow Your Home Library
We have all heard of the importance in reading to our children.  Your bilingual home library should have several books that are written solely in each language as well as blended language books.  Our home library, for example, includes books that are solely in English, some that are solely in Spanish, and books that have both languages demonstrated.  There are several popular and classic books that are now written in various languages.  If you can’t find them at your local library, I have found that Amazon is a great resource to order books and for great prices.

This Summer, I’ll be starting a Bilingual summer reading club for Parents and Toddlers.  We will have books selected on a weekly basis and I’ll have great activities posted that you can complete with your bilingual child.  Stay tuned this Summer!  This is also a great opportunity to grow your library.

3.  Plan for 1 Daily Sit Down Learning Time
Toddlers have the ability to absorb ALOT of information.  As their language guides, we should provide plenty of opportunities for them to learn and absorb the languages.  In my casa, we have a 30 minute focused learning time where we sit at the table to complete a few learning activities.  This learning time is our tot-school.  During tot-school we complete handouts, use manipulatives, assemble puzzles, play games, complete sorting activities, etc. to help learn the theme of the day.  Tot-school typically consists of 3-5 planned activities.

4.  Take Advantage of Teachable Moments
We have several short learning or teachable moments throughout the day.  The short learning moments can include storybook reading, object identification within the room, practicing sentence formulation, or watching short learning videos.  These learning times are just spur of the moment and are based on what your child is doing.  For example, Chi-Chi was playing with a truck the other day.  I took a moment to instruct her on the Spanish word for truck and asked her to tell me the color of the truck.   We then read a Spanish toddler book that involved trucks.

5.  Vary Your Teaching Methods
Your toddler will appreciate and participate in learning opportunities that vary.  Worksheets are a great tool, but you should also incorporate plenty of hands on activities.  I typically have a 2 to 1 ratio for worksheet activities.  Two worksheets are completed then a hands on activity follows.  This way, they maintain their concentration on the activities and on the overall learning experience.

My two toddlers love any activity that includes manipulatives, i.e. pouch top activities, pegs, blocks, beads, etc.  So, I may end our tot-school with the manipulate activity since I know they will want to continue for a while.  Any activity involving full motor skills, like running or jumping, should probably be done last.  It’s so hard to get a toddler to settle down and complete drawing or tracing activities after they have had a blast jumping or running.

6.  BONUS TIP:  
Follow along with us here at Casa Watkins as I share our Spanish tot-school experiences, resources, printables, and many more tips!  Sign up for posts to come directly to your email.  Saturdays are Spanish Sabados here at Casa Watkins and is strictly dedicated to Spanish tot-school and Bilingual homeschool/parenting posts.

 

I hope that you can benefit from these tips!  Starting bilingual tot school can seem pretty overwhelming at times, but it is so rewarding to see your children able to speak multiple languages.

Thanks for stopping by my casa!