How to Teach a Toddler Spanish

Young children tend to learn a second language most easily when they’re learning the basic rules of their primary language, making it a wise idea for parents with hopes of raising bilingual progeny to start teaching their children early. The benefits of speaking two languages fluently are countless, from increased academic performance and influencing college admissions to boosting the likelihood of landing a choice job once they’ve entered adulthood. Helping your children to gain second language skills is a great way to give them a competitive edge early in life and increase their appreciation for other cultures, with Spanish being a particularly useful choice in today’s world. As the second most studied language in the world, Spanish is becoming increasingly more common with each passing year. Teaching your toddler to speak Spanish as he’s honing his English skills is easier than you might think; here are a few hints and tips to turn your little one into a bilingual bebé.

• Learn Spanish Yourself – It’s exponentially more difficult to teach your child Spanish if you have no grasp of the language yourself, so take the time to familiarize yourself with vocabulary and verb conjugation. Without basic grammatical knowledge, you’ll have no way of hearing any mistakes in your child’s speech and correcting them. It’s not necessary to speak Spanish as if it was your native tongue, but understanding how to structure a sentence and knowing what common words mean is essential.
• Books, Toys, and Entertainment – There are an abundance of books, toys, movies, and television shows directed solely at primarily English-speaking toddlers to help them develop Spanish skills. Take advantage of these great tools, as they’ll help your child to become fluent in a second language while having fun. One reason shows like Dora the Explorer are so wildly popular with toddlers and their parents is because they teach basic Spanish vocabulary, turning what could be vapid television time into a learning experience.
• Music is the Universal Language – Kids love to sing and learn new songs. Simple Spanish children’s songs, especially those that are easily translated into English for comparative purposes, are powerful tools for helping kids grasp concepts, vocabulary, pronunciation, and accents in the Spanish language. There are a wide variety of CD’s and legal MP3 downloads that will bolster your children’s Spanish music collection; integrating those songs with your child’s English favorites can be quite effective in supplementing their growing fluency.
• Keep Your Expectations Realistic – No matter how hard you work at teaching your toddler a second language, he will only be able to grasp it to a certain level. Remember that your child’s command of any language is limited during the toddler years, and that he’s still trying to learn the fundamentals of speech to begin with. Be patient, and do not get frustrated when he’s not ready for a spot on Telemundo before he starts preschool.
• Hold Off on Formal Lessons – Formal Spanish lessons can be incredibly effective, but they’re not a great choice for toddlers. At this age any classroom setting is likely to be stifling and boring to enthusiastic, energetic little ones. Save the lessons for later, and focus on giving your child the basic skills he needs to develop his ability to speak a second language at home. If you can find a Spanish playgroup, however, taking part is sure to boost your child’s language development.
• Integrate Spanish into Everyday Life – Rather than setting a specific period of the day aside for “Spanish practice,” try to integrate both languages into your everyday lives. Immersion is a very effective tactic for helping language scholars of any age develop their skills, so hiring a nanny or other childcare provider that speaks Spanish fluently can increase your toddler’s comprehension by leaps and bounds. Immersion can be somewhat difficult if you’re not confident in your own Spanish language skills, so make sure that you continue to work on developing them whenever possible, as well.

Giving your child the gift of education, whether in the form of second language skills, early reading, or a concentration on music lessons for pint-sized prodigies, is one of the best things that you can do for him. Keep in mind, however, that toddlers learn about the world around them and how it works primarily through explorative play; insisting that they spend these formative years in a rigid classroom or instructional environment to the exclusion of play could be counterproductive. Remember also that you know your child best; adapt your teaching style to suit his needs, tailoring your approach to his abilities and skill level. With a bit of effort and a lot of patience, he’ll be speaking Spanish as confidently as he speaks English.
 P.S. This post was  proposed to me for publication by  Martina Keyhell. I'm therefore publishing it by her invitation and under her permission. See also the link below fore more information:

 http://www.becomeananny.com/blog/how-to-teach-a-toddler-spanish/

Doctor Jeckyll and Mister Hyde

Like the unforgettable Stevenson's best character, the Cambridge's building showed in the picture plays two very different lives: respectable all girls College during the day, execrable funnel sound corridors at nightime..

That's according to a Daily Mail On Line Report.

Read more

Students at all-girl Cambridge college sent email asking them to be quieter when having sex
By Daily Mail ReporterLast updated at 10:23 PM on 04th February 2010
It's the type of institution where burning the midnight oil is normally associated with academic endeavour.
But it is late-night activities of a different kind which are currently worrying student leaders at a historic Cambridge women's college.
All 400 undergraduates at Newnham College have been sent an email asking them to be 'discreet in your activities' and reminding them that the corridors 'funnelled sound' and that some college walls are 'very thin'.

All 400 undergraduates at Newnham College were sent a polite email on Tuesday after the student union received 30 complaints about noise in the student halls
Lizzy Cole, president of the college's junior common room, sent the email after receiving 30 complaints about noise in student halls.
Undergraduates were horrified to think that their neighbours have heard them in the throes of passion. A second-year classicist, who asked to remain anonymous, said: 'When I read the email I cringed. I thought it must refer to me!'
Another Newnham undergraduate said: 'It's just so embarrassing to think that people have been listening in. I was blushing when I got the email.
'You try to keep it down, but it's easy to forget the walls are so thin if you get a bit carried away.


'This sort of thing must happen at every university in the country. Only in Cambridge would your fellow students complain. They'll be handing out ear plugs next.'
In her email, Miss Cole, 19, a second-year who is studying natural sciences, said: 'This is just a very quick thank you to everyone for being considerate of your neighbours.
'However, I'd just like to politely remind everyone that Newnham corridors funnel sound and walls are very thin in some buildings.
'Therefore, please remember to be discreet in your activities, especially during late/early hours of the day.'
Male visitors are allowed to stay for up to two nights at the college but after that must sign up for a guest room.
A male natural sciences student from Homerton College told the student newspaper The Tab of his experiences of staying a night at the college.
He said: 'I'm not surprised. That place is a nightmare to escape from when drunk. And as for the walls, I thought I was going to break them at one point!'
Newnham, whose former students include Sylvia Plath, Iris Murdoch, Germaine Greer and Joan Bakewell, was established as the second female college at Cambridge in 1871. Along with Murray Edwards College, it is one of the two remaining women's colleges.
It hit the headlines last February after several students from the Newnham Nuns drinking society were pictured in sexual poses during a boozy initiation ceremony. Yesterday Miss Cole said some students had misinterpreted the email.
'The complaints I received from people over the last month or so were mainly about general noise coming from the college,' she said
'It was things like shouting in the corridors and music being played late at night and in the early hours.'
However, Miss Cole added: 'Newnham does have a feminist reputation and also it's known as the slutty college of Cambridge, which I think is a bit unfair.
'But it's always going to be that way with an all-female http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1248487/Students-girl-Cambridge-college-sent-email-asking-quieter-having-sex.html#ixzz0ediwIMx6