Spanish Lessons for 3 Year Old?

Hi M.,

There is a language progrma called "Language Door", I believe the website is www.languagedoor.com or google language door. They offer every language you can think of and they do offer classes for ages 3-6 as well as adults. They do private lessons too. They have a few locations in southern california, I've used the one in Encino for my class but am thinking of having my six year old take a class there. Good luck!

There's a great language school in Redondo Beach called Earlybirds (earlybirdslearning.com). Both my kids take classes there and love it. My son was 2 when he started. It is very play-oriented and total immersion. I can't recommend it highly enough. They have Spanish, French and Mandarin.
We also read simple books to them in Spanish and listen to cd's (like "Soy Una Pizza" by Charlotte Diamond).

Hi M.,

A good friend of mine teaches Spanish to young children. She is EXCELLENT as she is a mom herself and loves what she does! She does full emersion (tries to only speak Spanish) and has great games and books for small children. She is extremely patient and loving as well. Her name is Shella and you can contact her by phone at ###-###-#### or email at ____@____.com

She is in Hermosa Beach and I believe you can drop your kids off to her or she will come to you. I highly recommend her!

Good luck!
S.

Whether or not you find classes now, look into an immersion program in your school district. The Corona-Norco school district has such a program. The English speaking children must start the program in kindergarten. They are taught in both languages (Spanish and English). The program is from K-6 grade. Everyone I know that has had children in the program has loved it and the kids are bilingual. Another friend lives in Turlock, CA and her school district also has such a program and her kids are in it.

Unfortunately, I did not hear about the program until my kids were in 1st grade so they could not join it. They are now in 6th grade. We are going to Guatemala in May to Spanish language school for 2 weeks. We will live with a family while there. I am hoping this immersion will be a jump start for their learning Spanish. I know how to read and write, but cannot speak so I am hoping it helps my speaking. I learned about it through www.langlink.com.

Good luck, K.

Hi M.~

I have some experience with this. My little grandson is 5 and is with us during the week and I have taught him spanish. I also have been a tutor and taught spanish classes for kids at a private school.
But first, there are some things that you can do at home. There are so many wonderful free sites on the internet that are specifically for children. Many are interactive, have wonderful audio and visuals. I used to troll the internet late at night finding quality programs for my little one, I would be happy to send you the sites. And if you don't speak any spanish you will be learning along with him!
If that isn't what you want I would be happy to work with him~ My classes always emphasize fun and an easy going attitude as I feel children learn best that way. Starting young with another language is really the way to go.

Anita
L.

I take my 3-year-old daughter to a spanish immersion playgroup designed for 6-month to 5-year olds. The leader is Priscilla and she's in the Long Beach area. You can email her at ____@____.com.

I know she's in a state of transition right now so I'm in limbo as well. She's been leading this fabulous group in her home, but has made arrangements to teach classes instead through Long Beach Parks and Rec. The schedule just came out and her classes were not in there. So, I'm not sure what is happening. But, I do know she's planning to continue the program.

You can email her and request to be kept up to date on the program. She is absolutely wonderful and uses a the Sonrisa curriculum. It's designed to include play, storytime, songs, snack, and craft.

Most classes that I've heard of start when kids are a little older. I just teach one with my kids and the neighborhood kid for fun in the summer. The little ones wander in and out. I'm sure they get something, but the attention span isn't there yet even if it is fun. Are you pretty good with pronunciation? Buy yourself a Jose Luis Orozco songbook and CD. The songs teach great vocabulary and use a lot of body movement (which is very important to language learning). You also might get some bilingual books from your library. Additionally, you and your son could watch the Spanish Sesame Street. Then repeat some of the words you find interesting that day (maybe have a word of the day-"Look at the sun...in Spanish we call it sol.") Good luck!

i think its great! especailly if he has someone at home that can speak it with him. my friends 2 year old geos to a daycare/pre school that teaches them spanish german and manderine chinese and she speaks them well. i say go for it whats it really going to hurt?

Hi M.,
Not sure where you live, but in the Westside Pavillion Mall at Overland and Pico, they have a great program on the second floor. I think it's called World Speaks. I took my 19 month old and he had a lot of fun. My friend takes her daughter weekly.
Hope this helps.
D.

I don't know of anyone who specializes in teaching spanish for young kids, but, there is a channel with Dishnetwork that is called "Baby First" which has a show called "Hola Bebe" and it is really laid back and my son (who is 3 yrs. old) loves it.

I would just get a babysitter that speaks Spanish. That way your child can learn Spanish while integrated with regular routine. Our older son has had two sitters that speak Spanish and he can converse quite well in both Spanish and English. He also knows some Pakistani because his daycare providers when he was younger are Pakistani. The amazing this is our son is speech delayed so all these years (he's 5-1/2 now) we didn't realize he was picking up on all the different languages. But now that he's talking so much, he speaks some in all three languages.

Take care,
B.

What's it going to hurt? Poor teaching can be almost irrepairable.

However, playing and using Spanish words and rhymes will help him pick up and enjoy the language. Make sure it is always laid back and fun (or it will have the opposite effect).
;-)
Speaking any other (2nd) language is usually helpful to the brain development of a young child, but there are exceptions where the child has a less than optimal LAD ... then other languages can delay and impede their proficiency in their mother tongue.
So, listen out for how well he is using English and how advanced that is, then supplement with others mindfully, so he will definitely benefit.

Have fun!

Actually my husband is fluent in Spanish and I am not...what I do is I ask him for words to say in Spanish and I teach them to my kids...my 2 year old is saying words and my 1 1/2 year old is still trying to catch on....but I just look for words use them with them.....sorry but I have a question for you if you dont mind...how did you start up your online business I wanted to do the same thing but with either scrapbooking or another idea I had in mind......but I just dont know where to start....>?????

My daughter LOVED Jumpstart Spanish when she was 3-4yrs. It's full of fun games and activities (including songs) that teach Spanish in a fun way. And if he's not in the mood, just turn it off til later.

I don't know where you live, but if you are in the San Luis Obispo area, come to my Spanish class in Morro Bay!! It is through the San Luis Coastal Adult School Parent Participation Program. It is a Spanish class for preschoolers. The Spanish is taught primarily though songs and is broken up by playtime and crafts. It is on Thursday mornings from 8:45 - 11:45. (Although 8:45 - 9:30 is optional indoor playtime. We don't start our first circle time until 9:30.) We are located at the old Morro Elementary School, room 26. If you don't need to sign up to come to your first class. Come check it out and then decide if you want to sign up! If you have anymore questions you can call the Adult School at ###-###-#### or email me. ____@____.com
Hope to see you!
S.

Hello M.,

My name is M. and I have three year old daugther.I had been teaching and tutoring Spanish since 1999 also Spanish is my first language I will start Spanish for kids program on June 14,2008 in the city of Aliso Viejo. I can send you more information if you still interest.

My email: ____@____.com

Look forward to help you.

Saludos,

M. K.

There is a 30 minute Spanish kids show on Saturday mornings on KMEX channel in the south bay and it's called Go Diego Go. Unlike some programs, it is completely in Spanish and mixes in some English words occasionallly. It is animated and my kids like it and end up saying words out loud in Spanish while they watch it.

Hello M.,

About Spanish lesson? When my son was born I had a Spanish nanny. Thinking she could teach my son spanish during the day would give him a head start on learning a second language. My problem came when he started school he was confused. Spanish became his first language instead of English. He had a difficult time answering or speaking because he got mixed up and then not even his sisters could understand him. He out grew it by 2nd grade but this caused him to be held back a year. I would recommend that you hold off until he is in school to start on a second language. The first years of school set the stage for the rest of elementary school. You want to eliminate any roadblocks during this time.
I'm not saying no don't do it...just make sure he can speak English first to avoid what happened to my son.

Best Regards,
P.

HI M. you might want to have your child see the spanish version of sesame street and other shows. They will capture the essense of the language. Also try the libary for easy to learn languages for kids.

good luck, Buena Suerte.....
D. K.

Ok, I know it's not for everyone but when my daughter was 2, I got her the MUZZY DVD set (advertised on TV and yes, a bit costly) but I was amazed that after the FIRST time she watched it, (about 30 mins time) she was able to count to 10 and say a few words (pieces of furniture, teacher, classroom articles, etc) in Spanish. She is 4 now and can count to 60 in Spanish, knows most of the colors, days of the week, months, as well as several other words, sentences, etc. She watches it maybe once every 6 weeks or so but is able to retain everything and pick up new things easily. I like the fact that it's at her pace, she doesn't seem to get bored and they teach everyday, usable things. Good luck!!

If you can, get your child into a half day, bilingual preschool program, (usually Headstart, state and school district programs;) this will be the best way for him to pick up Spanish because he will learn to use it to converse with other kids.
Some Montesorri Schools teach Spanish and Chinese to all of their students (preschool and up,) as part of their curriculum.
My oldest son, went to a school district preschool where there were more Spanish speaking kids than English speaking and there were teachers who spoke both languages. Then my son also was in a bi-lingual kindergarten class and soon, when the teacher asked questions in Spanish, my son understood and would answer in English. He also started out in a bi-lingual class in first grade, but when the district transferred him to a different school and he showed up in the bi-lingual class, we were told that English Speaking kids weren't allowed in the class. Needless to say, he lost most of what he'd learned, and had to relearn it all in high school.

I don't know of any specific places that offer Spanish that young, but I'm sure you could find a private tutor. If you are really interested in your child learning Spanish, there is a great program called Dual Immersion (or Two-Way Immersion) that is offered in some school districts. Beginning in Kinder, native English speaking students are taught in Spanish. Central Elem. School in Ontario is a magnet school that offers this program. You might want to check it out.

-M.

Maibu Bluffs Park... Has Spanish and French Classes !!!!!

We researched this and would love to see if you find any responses with recommendations. What we ended up doing, and it is a bit expensive, we hired a Portuguese speaking nanny to spend the afternoons with them speaking 100% Portuguese. She's been with us for two weeks and they are already saying words here and there. My husband speaks Portuguese. We would like to find a Spanish class - I wish my son's school would have Spanish enrichment programs. I believe speaking a second language is essential - we are so behind the rest of the world with this.

there is worldspeak in the westside mall in west la.
J.

The Choate Center (it's the building located on the northwest corner of Mission and Fallbrook Street)offers free music and movement classes in both English and Spanish. It's a great way to expose your child to spanish - I bring my 3 year old daughter - and you can bring your little one too.

Hello M.,

Have you tried Covina Parks and Recreation. They have classes for young children in spanish. There are so many classes for young children to be exact. When my daughter was younger we did alot of mommy and me and they were alot of fun and very well coordinated.Now she is going to volunteer
for the summer program to help in some of the courses.

S.