The journey to being a bilingual family is a continuous one. I find myself trying to find a bilingual aspect to most of our everyday activities. I’ve recently noticed my kids wanting to learn more about numbers and what words translate to Spanish. This fall season, we are working on incorporating bilingual fun into our daily activities.
The kids find the simplest things around us entertaining. We discuss nature on our walks to the school bus stop and count whenever we see more than one object. My daughter is so curious, she is constantly asking what the translation of something is in Spanish. This is why I made it a point to encourage my family to express themselves in Spanish whenever possible.
Creating activities isn’t expensive, and practicing Spanish is free! The trick is to be consistent and willing to try. I try to make our bilingual journey as organic as possible, but eventually I have to get creative. Daily conversations help, but there are many ways to make learning Spanish fun.
Here are 12 ways we will be incorporating bilingual fun into our daily fall activities.
1- Count in Spanish– Count the leaves that have fallen off the trees on your daily walks.
2- Eye spy colors– Play an eye spy game of colors by saying them Spanish. Try this colors game and printable on a rainy day to continue the fun.
3- Read for fall– Get fall harvest and Halloween books in Spanish.
4- A word a day– Practice saying autumn in Spanish (otoño) once a day.
5- Language building apps– Play apps to encourage language building in a fun way.
6- Feelings in Spanish– Discuss feelings according to the weather: Tengo frio = I am cold.
7- Dress up in Spanish– Use Spanish while dressing up for school: Zapatos = shoes, coat = chamarra.
8- Fall holiday story time– Dia de los Muertos is during the fall. Check out this themed story book to teach your kids about this Mexican holiday in Spanish.
9- Sing songs– This bilingual Monster song in Spanish is perfect for the kids!
10- Color a skeleton– This printable is perfect for all ages. Color a skeleton and recite the body part in Spanish
11- Make a sweet Mexican beverage – Encourage your family to discuss the beverage in Spanish. The atole is warm, sweet, thick, etc.
12- Cook a meal with your kids– Try this Mexican sopa, or soup. Its ingredients are basic and easy to translate in Spanish. It’s perfect for the fall season.
How will you incorporate bilingual learning this fall?
Read more of Ruby’s writing at Growing Up Blackxican