{"id":656,"date":"2019-09-26T02:52:57","date_gmt":"2019-09-26T02:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pandatree.com\/blog\/?p=656"},"modified":"2021-04-03T02:52:25","modified_gmt":"2021-04-03T02:52:25","slug":"5-games-to-help-your-younger-child-build-fluency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/26\/5-games-to-help-your-younger-child-build-fluency\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Games to Help Your Younger Child Build Fluency"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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As the world becomes more globalized and interconnected the need for multilingual people grows\u4e00and it goes without saying that it\u2019s simply cool to be able to speak more than one language. Nowadays many parents are enrolling their children in foreign language classes or tutoring lessons to develop fluency in a second or even third language. A special shout out to those parents\u4e00by doing so they are helping to shape future citizens who are welcoming and culturally aware of other people\u2019s language, history and traditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Parents who understand the value of learning a foreign language<\/a> for children also want ways to help reinforce their children\u2019s learning at home \u2013 even if they are not fully fluent themselves. Since the basic foundation of language is vocabulary, one of the best ways parents can help is by playing some foreign language vocabulary games with their kids. While the examples in this article are in Spanish, these games are applicable to any language. You will need some basic knowledge of the language to lead these games, but you don\u2019t need to be fully fluent. Don\u2019t hold back because you\u2019re worried you might make a mistake or mispronounce a word. Your child\u2019s teacher can correct it, and the benefits of practice outweigh the risk. If you are currently participating in PandaTree\u2019s Preschool Program<\/a> along with your child, these are fun ways to reinforce the\nlearning that both of you are getting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Vocabulary Bubbles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your child\u2019s teacher or tutor is working on colors,\nhere\u2019s a fun game to practice: blow a bubble and see if your child can say and\npoint to a color before the bubble disappears. Be sure to take turns blowing\nbubbles and saying answers. Children are more open to participate when others\ndo it as well.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Passing the ball<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Grab a ball and stand several feet apart from your child. Choose a vocabulary category such as shapes. You may start off saying, \u201ctri\u00e1ngulo\u201d [triangle] and then pass the ball to your child. Then, your child is to come up with a new shape such as \u201cc\u00edrculo [circle]\u201d and pass the ball back to you. Add a challenge by having your child use adjectives to describe the shape: \u201cEs un tri\u00e1ngulo azul\u201d [It is a blue triangle]. This game is a great way to use Spanish to reinforce a child\u2019s content knowledge on topics such as animals, foods, sports and more. Activities like this, which involve physical activity, have been shown to increase retention<\/a> of new vocabulary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Vocabulary Dinner Time<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a busy parent and your child tends to hang out in the\nkitchen while you prepare dinner, it can be a perfect moment for your child to\npractice food vocabulary in Spanish. Do a countdown from five to one and then\nhave your child identify a food you are using. \nFor example, \u201ccinco, cuatro, tres, dos, uno\u201d  and the child says, \u201czanahoria [carrot]\u201d.\nNext, your child counts down and it\u2019s your turn to say a different food word in\nSpanish. Feel free to extend the game by asking for descriptions or how it\ntastes in Spanish like, \u201cdulce [sweet] o sour [agr\u00edo].\u201d Look ups on Google\nTranslate are allowed. P<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. Animal Scavenger Hunt<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I promise you that your child will have a blast with this Spanish game. Gather at least 5 to 10 animal toys. Hide one of them in your backyard. Then, ask your child: Can you find the rabbit? [\u00bfPuedes encontrar el conejo?]. You can give your child clues by saying if they are getting warmer or colder [fr\u00edo], or give them hints like look left [ mira hacia la izquierda], or look up [mira hacia arriba]. When your child finds the animal, ask, \u201cwhat did you find?\u2019 [\u00bfQu\u00e9 encontraste?]. Then ask them to find the next animal, or better yet, have them hide an animal for you. If the weather isn\u2019t cooperating, you can also play inside. Once all the animals are found you can have a little tea party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. Drawing night<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gather at the dinner table with paper, watercolors, color pencils, crayons, markers or any other artsy stuff that you might have at home. Then, each family member will draw or paint something, like a tree, the beach, an orange, the Statue of Liberty, etc.. Next, each person guesses what each other drew, in Spanish. This is a fun and relaxing family game. For intermediate-level Spanish students, draw a scene and ask the others to explain what\u2019s happening. The person with the first correct answer earns a point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Beyond the learning value from the vocabulary practice that\nyour child gets during these games, your child is also having fun \u2013 with you \u2013\nand creating a positive association with foreign language learning. And given\nforeign language learning is a multi-year journey, memories from fun games like\nthese will help motivate your child along the way. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the world becomes more globalized and interconnected the need for multilingual people grows\u4e00and it goes without saying that it\u2019s simply cool to be able to speak more than one language. Nowadays many parents are enrolling their children in foreign language classes or tutoring lessons to develop fluency in a second or even third language. … Continue reading “5 Games to Help Your Younger Child Build Fluency”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"coauthors":[16],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":668,"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions\/668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dashboard.pandatree.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}