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Beginner Spanish Activities: Game Time! How to Learn “Hermano” and “Hermana”

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Fun and quick 5-10 minute games that will teach your students to speak Spanish!

We’re back with our Game Time series and the next level of our Sticker Activity to help beginners learn Spanish! This week, your students will be learning the words “hermano” (brother), “hermana” (sister), “hermanos” (brothers), and “hermanas” (sisters), with the help of some fun stickers! This activity is very simple and can be used for large groups or for a single student. 

If you haven’t played the first round, you’ll want to check that out first. If you’re ready to learn this next group of vocabulary words then let’s start!

Sticker Activity 

Part 2
Learning objective
Students will learn and use two new Spanish words:  “hermano” (brother), “hermana” (sister), “hermanos” (brothers), “hermanas” (sisters), and “tengo” (I have).
⏲ Time needed

 < 10 minutes

✏️✂️ Materials needed
  • Printed photos or drawings of the students’ siblings. If there are students who do not have any siblings, that’s okay! We will be gathering the students photos all together for the activity.
  • For students who do not have siblings, have them bring a photo or drawing of just themselves for Step 4.
  • Stickers or labels if you have them, or scotch tape and a pen 
👩‍👧‍👦 Ages

For anyone who is game to play! Learning in a playful and different way helps everyone remember the Spanish vocabulary long-term. Ideally, your students will already know how to count to a few numbers in Spanish (only needed for the amount of siblings the student has).

Step 1

First, have your students gather their favorite photos (or drawings!) of their siblings. Make sure that there is a variety of photos of individual and group photos. As well as boys only, girls only, and a mix of both – as much of a variety as possible with the amount of siblings the students have. This is how we will practice each of the four vocabulary words.

Step 2

Create labels with a pen and some scotch tape, or use stickers if you have them. Create enough labels for each of the four vocabulary words: hermano, hermana, hermanos, hermanas.

Step 3

Have your students label each of their photos with the correct stickers or labels and say the word aloud, pointing to the photo as they do so.

Step 4

Have the students gather their own photos. The teacher will go around and ask each student how many siblings they have. The student will then hold up their photo or photos and reply with the correct answer below:

  • Tengo un hermano/una hermana” (I have one brother/sister)
  • Tengo tres hermanos y dos hermanas” (I have three brothers and two sisters) adjust to apply to a student who has multiple siblings.
  • No tengo hermanos/hermanas” (I don’t have any brothers/sisters) 

The teacher can ask in English or Spanish. If you want to say it in Spanish, the question is “¿Cuantos hermanos tienes?”

Challenge: Try to say these vocabulary words and phrases 3 times today.

Let us know what you think of this challenge and if your students had fun playing it!

What other games or activities have your tried and are your favorites? Let us know by reaching out to info@fl4k.com!

 

Categories
Educational Foreign Language

Why You Should Celebrate the European Day of Languages

Reading Time: 2 minutes

September 26th is the official European Day of Languages! A day that celebrates the diversity of languages and helps spread encouragement of language-learning across the continent.

Why is it important

European is home to 44 countries, and in these countries, there are 26 official languages as well as 225 Indigenous languages continent-wide. This doesn’t even cover the non-European languages widely spoken throughout the continent. 

Because all of these countries with their own languages are so close together, Europeans will quite often encounter another language in their day-to-day lives, creating a need for individuals to learn more languages than just their mother tongue. In fact, the majority of Europeans are able to have a conversation in one or more world languages at 54%, with 10% of Europeans able to converse in three or more world languages. That’s compared with 20% of Americans who can communicate in two or more languages.

Celebrations

The European Day of Languages has many fun games and activities to play with students on their website! Some of these are guessing the location based on a photo, a multilingual tongue twister challenge, and a multilingual joke book! We have one for you – What did the chair say when it left the room…?

“Silla!”

Silla is Spanish for “chair” and pronounced like “see ya!”

Get it?! Ok, moving on…

Each country may have its own event to celebrate this day, such as the National Symbols and Traditions Presentation this year in Romania, and other local celebrations around different European cities. Celebrations range from movie nights featuring films in different languages, to classroom activities for kids to get real-time practice, to large-scale media events. There really is no shortage of ways to participate on this special day.

The move toward plurilingualism is strong and steady, with more and more individuals learning how to converse in one or more world languages than their native language. And why stop at just one additional language? Once you reach conversational fluency, try to get there with another language. There is no pressure to reach the fluency of a native speaker; being able to converse comfortably is enough to benefit you immensely.

Which languages are you going to learn more about today? Do you speak more than your native language, or is learning more your goal for the future?

If you’re interested in teaching your children or students languages the fun and natural way, check out FL4K’s new online Spanish platform to get them speaking naturally in no time!

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Uncategorized

Beginner Spanish Activities: How to Learn “Amigo” and “Amiga”

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Game Time! 

Fun and quick 5-10 minute games that will teach your students to speak Spanish

Welcome back to our Game Time series! We hope you liked our Pronoun Game and are looking forward to what’s next! Today, your students will be learning the words “amigo” (friend, male), “amiga” (friend, female), “amigos” (friends, plural), “amigas” (friends, plural, female). This activity is very simple and can be used for large groups or for a single student. 

So, let’s get into it!

Sticker Activity 

Part 1

Learning objective

Students will learn and use two new Spanish words: “amigo” (friend, male), “amiga” (friend, female), “amigos” (friends, plural), “amigas” (friends, plural, female)

⏲ Time needed

 < 10 minutes

✏️✂️ Materials needed

  • Printed photos or drawings of the student’s friends or classmates. Some of the pictures should include only boys, only girls, and some both. 
  • Stickers or labels if you have them, or scotch tape and a pen 

👩‍👧‍👦 Ages

For anyone who is game to play! Learning in a playful and different way helps everyone remember the Spanish vocabulary long-term. 

Step 1

First, have your students gather their favorite photos (or drawings!) of their friends or classmates. Make sure that there is a variety of photos of individual and group photos. As well as boys only, girls only, and a mix of both. This is how we will practice each of the four vocabulary words.

Step 2

Create labels with a pen and some scotch tape, or use stickers if you have them. Create enough labels for each of the four vocabulary words: amigo, amiga, amigos, amigas.

Have your students label each photo with the correct stickers or labels and say the word aloud, pointing to the photo as they do so.

Step 3

For a fun additional step to this activity, have your students take any leftover amigo and amiga stickers and stick them on their friends’ shirts! As they sticker a friend, have the student teach them the new Spanish word!

Challenge: Try to say these words 3 times today.

Let us know what you think of this challenge and if your students had fun playing it! What other games or activities have your tried and are your favorites? Let us know by reaching out to info@fl4k.com!

Categories
Educational Spanish Language

Beginner Spanish Games: Pronoun Game Pt. 5

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Game Time! 

Fun and quick 5-10 minute games that will teach your students to speak Spanish

Welcome back to the bonus level of our Pronoun Game! You may be wondering, “but I think we’ve covered all the pronouns?” And, you’d be right. Today, we’re using the same fun game to learn two new words – “adentro” (inside) and “afuera” (outside) – and practice all the pronouns we learned this far! This is why taking the time to master each level and build on the next is so important.

If you missed the previous parts of this game, or want to revisit your pronouns, you can find all of them on our blog page. Start with Part 1 if you want to learn all of the rules and steps of the game in more detail.

Pronoun Game 

Part 5

Learning objective

Students will learn and use two new Spanish words: “adentro” (inside) and “afuera” (outside)

⏲ Time needed

 < 5 minutes

✏️✂️ Materials needed

Hula hoop, non-stick tape, or a leveled doorway going from an interior room to a hall or the outside.

👩‍👧‍👦 Ages

For anyone who is game to play! Learning in a playful and different way helps everyone remember the Spanish vocabulary long-term. 

Variation for older students

If you only have a few students, students can take turns stepping across the threshold of a doorway to a hall or to the outside. 

If you have many students, each student makes their own square with tape.

Step 1

First, next to each student, put a hoop or make a square on the floor from non-stick tape (or have each student make their square). Alternatively, have your students stand in a circle.

If you only have a few students, you can also use a doorway that has a clear and level area for kids to move back and forth over the door threshold.

Step 2

If you are using one hoop, square, or door threshold: Each student begins by standing inside the hoop (or square) or behind a door threshold leading to a hall or outdoors. Each student starts inside and says, “adentro!” 

Then, the student jumps outside the hoop (or square) or to the other side of the door threshold and says, “afuera!

The rest of the students form a line and move quickly until each child has done this three times. 

If every student has their own hoop or square: Each student begins by standing inside their hoop (or square) or behind a door threshold leading to a hall or outdoors. Each student says, “adentro!” and then jumps outside the hoop (or square) or to the other side of the door threshold and says, “afuera!

Step 3

Next, students will be in pairs again like in Part 1, one pair inside and one pair outside. The pair on the inside will start saying, “¡Nosotros adentro, ustedes afuera!” (“We are inside, you are outside!”). 

The first pair will then jump out so that both pairs are standing outside. The pair who has not jumped yet will say, “¡Nosotros afuera!” (we are outside!), then they will jump in and repeat the initial phrase, “¡Nosotros adentro, ustedes afuera!

Repeat 3 times for each pair.

Feel free to add the other pronouns we learned into this game and mix it up as you like! Let us know your variations or results by emailing info@fl4k.com. We love to see and hear about how students learn and progress with these activities!

Well, that’s the end of the Pronoun Game, but not the end of our Game Time series! Stay tuned for our next activities and games for beginner Spanish learners – there is a lot more to come!

Categories
Educational

Beginner Spanish Games: Pronoun Game Pt. 4

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Game Time! 

Fun and quick 5-10 minute games that will teach your students to speak Spanish

Today we’re back with the next level of our Pronoun Game and our last round of pronouns to learn. But stick around for next week’s “Game Time!” post because we’re sharing a bonus round with new words to learn with this game!

For now, though, we’ll get right into this week’s level! If you missed the previous parts of this game, you can find all of them on our blog page. Don’t skip those to jump into today’s level, as each level builds on top of each other to give enough time for your students to get comfortable with the vocabulary one step at a time!

In Part 1, we also go into depth on why games like this are especially effective and tips on how to get the most out of them. So you’ll want to check that out!

Time to jump in!

Pronoun Game 

Part 4

Learning objective

Students will learn and use two new Spanish personal pronouns: “Ellas” (girls, plural), and “Ellos” (boys, plural)

⏲ Time needed

 < 5 minutes

✏️✂️ Materials needed

Optional: non-stick tape.

👩‍👧‍👦 Ages

For anyone who is game to play! Learning in a playful and different way helps everyone remember the Spanish vocabulary long-term.

Step 1

Have your students stand and form a circle, or make a large square on the floor from non-stick tape big enough for multiple students to fit inside.

Variation for a single student: Use stuffed animals, photos, or family members and put them into pairs in a line facing your child. Move on to Step 5.

Step 2

When all your students have formed a circle, the teacher or parent will call out either ellas (girls, plural) or ellos (boys, plural).

Step 3

If the teacher calls out ellas, all the girls will jump into the circle. If the teacher calls out ellos, all the boys will jump into the circle. 

Step 4

Once the students get the hang of the vocabulary, have the students loop arms with one of the students next to them to pair up. Have one student move to the middle of the circle.

For an odd number of students, have one group of three.

Step 5

The student in the middle will point around the circle at each pair, saying either ellas (if the pair has two females) or ellos (if the pair has two males, or a male and female). After completing the circle, the student will switch with another student and the next student will move to the middle and repeat.

How have your students been enjoying this game? Have you noticed an improvement in their natural ability to recall this vocabulary? Let us know by emailing info@fl4k.com with your thoughts, results, or even photos and videos of your students playing this game!

We’ll be back next week with our final bonus round – don’t miss it!

Categories
Educational

Beginner Spanish Games for Kids: Pronoun Game Pt. 3

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Game Time! 

Fun and quick 5-10 minute games that will teach your students to speak Spanish

Today, we’re back with the next level of our pronoun game! We still have a couple more levels to finish this game, but, for now, we’ll get right into this week’s level! 

If you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of this game, you’ll want to go back and go through step by step to get a feel of how this game is played and to build up your student’s skills in order to get to this point. 

If you’ve followed along the last two weeks, you should be noticing that the pronouns your students learned so far have become automatic and natural to them! By using activities like this game and others, students will stop thinking about the Spanish words as they become more comfortable with them. 

Well, if you’re ready for more, let’s jump in!

Pronoun Game 

Part 3

Learning objective

Students will learn and use two new Spanish personal pronouns: “Ella” (girl), “Él” (boy)

⏲ Time needed

 < 5 minutes

✏️✂️ Materials needed

A timer or stopwatch.

👩‍👧‍👦 Ages

For anyone who is game to play! Learning in an active and different way helps everyone remember the Spanish vocabulary long-term. 

Instructions (for a large group or class)

Step 1

Split the class into two teams. Pick one student to volunteer to help the teacher judge and time the teams.

Step 2

Have each team sit in a row parallel to the other team. The teacher and volunteer judge will stand at the front, each with one team to judge and time. In each team, the student at the front end of each row will stand up first and face the rest of their row. 

Step 3

The teacher starts the timer and the student at the front of the row will go down the line, pointing at each student, saying either él (boy) or ella (girl). The student will need to go through the line as quickly as possible without getting one wrong. If the student makes an error, they will need to go back to the front of the row and start again. 

Once the student successfully reaches the end of the line, he will sit down in the back, and the next student will go down the line, ending with the first student. After all the students have gone through, the team with the fastest speed wins!

Pro Tip: For an uneven amount of students per team, have two students referee the teams.

Instructions (for small groups)

Step 1

Have the kids all sit in one row with the parent or teacher at the front with the timer. The child at the front of the row will stand up and face the row of kids.

Pro Tip: For very small groups or for a single student, stuffed animals, dolls, and photos can also be used as stand-ins!

Step 2

The child standing and facing the row of kids or stand-ins will go down the line, pointing at each student, saying either él (boy) or ella (girl). The child will need to go through the line as quickly as possible without getting one wrong. If the child makes an error, they will need to go back to the front of the row and start again. 

Step 3

Once the child successfully reaches the end of the line, he will sit down in the back, and the parent will stop the timer and mark the speed. Once ready, the next child will go down the line, ending with the first child. After all the children have gone through, the child with the fastest speed wins!

For one child using stand-ins, the child can repeat the line until no mistakes are made – and then until he can beat that time!

Have your students practice él and ella to prepare for next week: ellos and ellas! We’ll see you then! 

Categories
Educational

Beginner Spanish Games for Kids: Pronoun Game Pt. 2

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Game Time! 

Fun and quick 5-10 minute games that will teach your students to speak Spanish

We’re back this week with the continuation of our “Game Time” series! Today we’re diving into the next level of our pronoun game.

If you missed Part 1 of this game, you’ll want to start there to get the rundown of how this game is played and to work your way up to this next level. Like we said last week, when it comes to kids learning languages, our motto is “Slow and steady wins the race.” 

Remember: Our goal for beginning Spanish learners is for them to get so comfortable with the Spanish vocabulary that they get to the point where they aren’t thinking about the Spanish words anymore. The words become automatic for them, similar to their native language. On that note, if a student complains that an activity becomes too easy, that’s not a bad thing. We want your students to know the material inside and out; this will make all the difference in their long-term success. You’ll see! 

Pronoun Game 

Part 2

Learning objective

Students will learn and use two new Spanish personal pronouns: “Nosotros” (we) and “Ustedes” (you, plural), as well as “Saltan” (jump).

⏲ Time needed

 < 5 minutes

✏️✂️ Materials needed

Hula hoop, non-stick tape, or a leveled doorway going from an interior room to a hall or the outside.

👩‍👧‍👦 Ages

For anyone who is game to play! Learning in an active and different way helps everyone remember the Spanish vocabulary long-term. 

Variation for older students

If you only have a few students, students can take turns stepping across the threshold of a doorway to a hall or the outside. 

If you have many students, each student makes their own square with tape. 

Instructions

Step 1

First, set up your hoop, taped square, or doorway just as you did in Part 1, and get ready to play!

Step 2

Have your students remember their partner from last time, or have them get into new pairs.

For an odd number of students, one group can have three; the teacher or stuffed animal can make the pair for a single student. 

Step 3

If you are using one hoop, square, or door threshold: One pair of students begins by standing inside the hoop (or square) or behind a door threshold leading to a hall or outdoors. This time, the teacher calls out “¡Saltan!” (jump). When the pair hears this, they are to jump out together or to the other side of the door threshold, saying together, “Nosotros.” Like in Part 1, The rest of the students form a line, moving quickly, until each pair has done this three times. 

If every pair of students has their own hoop or square: Each pair begins by standing inside their hoop (or square) or behind a door threshold leading to a hall or outdoors. Each pair says “Nosotros” together and then jumps outside the hoop (or square) or to the other side of the door threshold.  

Pro Tip: If your child can read and it is hard for him to remember the word, you may hold up a piece of paper with the word “Nosotros” written on it.

Step 4

Next, the pairs pair up! One pair of children stand on the inside and another pair on the outside. After the teacher says “¡Saltan!”, those inside point at themselves, calling out “Nosotros,” then point at the kids outside saying “Ustedes,” and everyone jumps, switching places. Each pair should have three turns.

Remember: The translations included above are there for parents and teachers only. Please do not share with students unless absolutely necessary. Based on the context and visual cues, students need to work out the meanings of the Spanish for themselves. 

Having the brain work out the meaning is what develops the brain’s language centers. It also helps with long-term retention.

It may take many viewings to figure out the meaning of some of the Spanish taught. This is expected. Each time a student watches, the brain works out more of the meanings. This is the process of language acquisition and how students learned their first language. Remind students that they are not expected to understand all the meanings initially; it takes time for everyone.

Have your kids practice these new words, and we’ll see you in a week for the next level!

Categories
Educational

Beginner Spanish Games for Kids: Pronoun Game Pt. 1

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Game Time! 

Fun and quick 5-10 minute games that will teach your students to speak Spanish

Tackling a new language can be boring and difficult or it can be fun and exciting! At FL4K, we root for fun and exciting! In fact, we’ve found that when kids get lost in the moment and are busy enjoying themselves, they don’t even realize they’re learning or speaking a new language.

If you’re familiar with FL4K, then you’ve heard this many times before…when it comes to kids learning languages, our motto is “Slow and steady wins the race.” We’ve seen how powerful this approach is over and over. Even with minimal time, if students are using the time they have with you well, it’s incredible how much they will learn!

In this blog series, “Game Time!”, we’ll give you fun and easy Spanish games for essential vocab that beginning Spanish learners need to know. Some weeks, we’ll also include videos or printables for you. We’ll start with personal pronouns since they’re essential for beginning Spanish learners, but we’ve found that often students can have a hard time learning them if not taught in a gradual way with a lot of repetition.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll share our pronoun game. It’s been a hit with younger students and we’ll include a variation more suitable for older kids. This game can be played with many students or with just one to fit your needs. We’ll be breaking it into manageable chunks, making the learning easier and avoiding overwhelming students. Each week we’ll move on to the next phase in the game, giving beginning Spanish learners plenty of time to practice and get comfortable with what’s taught the week before. Each week, your students will be leveling up in their Spanish vocabulary!

Pro tip: Our goal for beginning Spanish learners is for them to get so comfortable with the Spanish vocabulary, that they get to the point where they aren’t thinking about the Spanish words anymore. The words become automatic for them, similar to their native language. On that note, if a student complains that an activity becomes too easy, that’s not a bad thing. We want your students to know the material inside and out. This will make all the difference in their long-term success. You’ll see!

Pronoun Game 

Part 1

Learning objective

Students will learn and use two Spanish personal pronouns: “yo” (I) and “” (you).

⏲ Time needed

 < 5 minutes

✏️✂️ Materials needed

Hula hoop, non-stick tape, or a leveled doorway going from an interior room to a hall or the outside.

👩‍👧‍👦 Ages

For anyone who is game to play! Learning in an active and different way helps everyone remember the Spanish vocabulary long-term. 

Variation for older students

If you only have a few students, students can take turns stepping across the threshold of a doorway to a hall or to the outside. 

If you have many students, each student makes their own square with tape.

Instructions

Step 1

First, next to each student, put a hoop or make a square on the floor from non-stick tape (or have each student make their square). If you only have a few students, you can also use a doorway that has a clear and level area for kids to move back and forth over the door threshold.

Step 2

Put your students into pairs. For now, students don’t need to pair up, but they need to know who their partner is for the second part of this activity.

For an odd number of students, one group can have three students. 

Pro Tip: For a single student, the teacher can make the pair. Alternatively, you can use a favorite stuffed animal or a photo of a friend or family member as a “stand-in” to make the pair. If you have our character stuffed animals from the video series, these work great.

Step 3

If you are using one hoop, square, or door threshold: Each student begins by standing inside the hoop (or square) or behind a door threshold leading to a hall or outdoors. Each student says “yo,” pointing to themselves, and then jumps outside the hoop (or square) or to the other side of the door threshold.  The rest of the students form a line and move quickly until each child has done this twice. 

If every student has their own hoop or square: each student begins by standing inside their hoop (or square) or behind a door threshold leading to a hall or outdoors. Each student says “yo,” pointing to themselves, and then jumps outside the hoop (or square) or to the other side of the door threshold. 

Step 4

Now students pair up. One student is inside and the other outside. The student on the inside starts, again saying “yo,” pointing to themselves, but now they will also say “,” while pointing at their partner, and jumping to the outside. 

Each pair should do this 3 times quickly.

The translations included are there for parents and teachers only. Please do not share with students unless absolutely necessary. Based on the context and visual cues, it is important for students to work out the meanings of the Spanish for themselves. 

Having the brain work out the meaning is what develops the brain’s language centers. It also helps with long-term retention.

It may take many viewings to figure out the meaning of some of the Spanish taught. This is

expected. Each time a student watches, the brain works out more of the meanings. This is the process of language acquisition and how students learned their first language. Remind students that they are not expected to understand all the meanings initially; it takes time for everyone.

We include a variety of different activities so that you can choose those that are most enjoyable for you and your students. Although some of the activities seem like they are for younger students, consider trying them with older students as well. In our experience, they enjoy them. For example, Duck Duck Goose has been a hit with all ages, even our high school students, yes, high school! So, choose the activities that interest you and your students. 

Give this activity a try and see how quick and easy these games are. Remember our motto? “Slow and steady wins the race!” While it may seem your child is learning very little, they will actually learn a lot, as long as you’re consistent and do the games for a few minutes each week. That’s it!

Next week we’ll also have a video for your kids to go along with the game. Have your kids practice this game and we’ll see you in a week to continue on!!

Categories
Uncategorized

Learning with Games and Videos

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Whether you are a parent, a teacher, or a parent-teacher, I am sure that you are always looking for innovative and engaging ways for your children to learn another language.

The truth of the matter is that this generation of digital natives is not particularly easy to teach due to their statistically proven shorter attention spans. They are used to having easy access to entertainment through their mobile devices.

We can turn a blind eye to this reality and continue to convince ourselves that the way kids learn best is the same as it was when we were children, but the facts show that the digital generation has rewired their brains. They need interactive and innovative learning strategies that help them to stay focused and engaged in learning.

Games and videos are the perfect way to captivate the attention of Gen Z children. The problem is that it is hard to find quality games and videos when it comes to language learning.

At FL4K, a teacher team with over 100 years of experience has joined designers and developers to create a state-of-the-art curriculum that includes Spanish games and videos that both teach and entertain in a way that keeps students engaged. There are many entertaining, even addictive games and videos on the market that are popular with Gen Zers, but they are not specifically designed to teach a second language.

Our games and videos are all about embedding language within a context that makes language functional and memorable. We have designed two games and a video series that follow a culture curriculum through eight different Hispanic cultures. Language students are learning a second language while developing a rich intercultural awareness that is preparing them to be global citizens. 

Let’s look at the games and videos we offer through FL4K.

Fly Swatter Game

The first one is based on a very old-fashioned game, Fly Swatter, that many language teachers will remember. It involved a real flyswatter that kids used to slap words that were either written or posted on a white or blackboard. Language teachers would feed words to students, have them find an associated word or translation of a word, and have them slap it with the flyswatter. It was a way to engage students in a classroom game that kept learning active and fun.

The problem with the game was that the words were more or less isolated vocabulary with limited capability to give students the opportunity to compete against themselves or as a class against themselves or against other classes.

Our Fly Swatter game does just this. In each game, the student has a digital flyswatter that they use to swat as many flies as possible within a round.

For example, a student would hear and read a prompt such as, “Voy aquí para estudiar.” They then would have to choose the correct response of “A la biblioteca” from a group of 5-6 flies moving around on the screen. This group of flies represents many places that one might go like “Al supermercado,” “Al gimnasio,” “Al parque,” etc.

The fly games correspond to the 8-culture curriculum, reinforcing all that the students have learned about another culture (Hispanic is our first curriculum, but many other languages/cultures will be available in the future) while at the same time reinforcing the functional vocabulary and structures that are carefully scaffolded and embedded in the games.

Through games and videos in FL4K, the students expand their global knowledge while at the same time building language proficiency in a second language.

The rich and varied culture curriculum delves into global challenges like deforestation and climate change while exploring AP themes of Family, Beauty and Art, How Science and Technology Affect Our Lives, Factors that Influence the Quality of Life, and Environmental and Societal Change with the idea of preparing them for advanced language study in the future.

Categories of study for each cultural unit include geography and climate, citizens, sites of interest, nature, lodging, adventure, food, products, art, and other cultural influences such as Afro-Latino and Asian. All of this content is reinforced with games that teach functional language and vocabulary.

Bounce Game

Another game that is included with each lesson is called Bounce. Students match images and language, but not in an isolated way.

Images of cultural content will appear in the form of balls flying around a screen and the students will hear functional language like, “¿Dónde está el delfín rosado?” while trying to click on the corresponding image.

When students hear, “¿Dónde está_____?” over and over, they learn to use it actively in a way that is much more effective than rote memorization that is quickly lost once a student has been asked to reproduce it on a quiz or test. Students build proficiency in practicing functional language to communicate in the real world. 

Video Series

In addition to these state-of-the-art games, FL4K has an entertaining video series that follows a clever narrative involving the lives and interests of three brothers.

Functional language is scaffolded and embedded in a context that makes the real-world language easy to learn! Kids can actually start speaking another language right away.

In addition, there is built-in practice with interactive dialogues and questions that allow students to test their knowledge after each lesson and prove what they have learned at the end of a unit/level with built-in can-do’s.

Kids love the instant feedback that this language program offers! The Spanish games, videos, and other interactive features are rolled into one platform that is easy for kids to navigate on their own with guidance from parents and educators. You really have to see it to believe it!

Take a peek at FL4K.com to see demos and read more about the available curriculums. If you want your students and/or children to learn another language while building cultural awareness with games and videos that motivate and actually help them to develop practical language proficiency, FL4K may be what you have been looking for!

Maybe your children are even starting to experience the mid-summer doldrums. Take the opportunity now to get them started with our free summer trial!

If you are a parent that would like to learn another language right along with your children, FL4K is a great opportunity, too! 

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Educational Teacher's Tool Tips

A Homeschool Spanish Curriculum for Your Kids!

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Are your kids ready to learn something new this summer? What about introducing them to Spanish in an innovative way that includes culture, carefully scaffolded language to build proficiency, entertaining videos that teach vocabulary and grammar in a contextualized format, games specifically designed for language learning, a built-in language lab with unique recording features, and practice questions and assessments with feedback? 

Do You Need To Know Spanish As a Parent?

As a parent, you don’t even need to know Spanish. You can actually learn along with your children! FL4K has been listening to teachers with over 100 years of combined experience in the classroom to build a state-of-the-art platform for language learning for kids. While the program will eventually be offered in many other languages, we are first rolling out our homeschool Spanish curriculum. 

One of the most unique features is that the students can study eight different Spanish-speaking cultures through 40-60 social media-like posts per country featuring incredible images and fascinating cultural information that builds proficiency in the Spanish language simultaneously. 

The FL4K Homeschool Spanish Curriculum Discussed

This homeschool Spanish curriculum delves into the following categories of interculturality:  

  • geography and climate, 
  • people, 
  • indigenous groups, 
  • animals, 
  • nature, 
  • food, 
  • art, 
  • unique lodging and more

This is discussed for each culture while at the same time introducing and embedding structures and vocabulary in entertaining and pedagogically sound ways that include a lot of repetition and carefully interwoven language. 

This is a unique homeschool Spanish curriculum with innovative features that capture the Gen Z student who needs interactivity in the classroom in order to stay engaged and motivated to learn. 

Is the Spanish Homeschool Curriculum Comprehensive?

AP themes are appropriately introduced, global challenges are pitched, and suggestions for further investigation are offered. We include topics of science and engineering, as well. 

We look at how other countries are trying to save the planet and some of their accomplished citizens. Imagine your children learning about the blue whale found off the coast of Chile while at the same time learning Spanish! 

This is a homeschool Spanish curriculum like no other! Students can learn about the electric stairs in Medellín and a unique system for recycling in Costa Rica. They can learn that men knit in some cultures and that painting animals on the outside of your house is common in Colombia. Children can begin to compare cultural practices in Spanish-speaking countries with their own and think critically about these similarities and differences. 

Discussion questions are included in this homeschool Spanish curriculum along with activities to help your children practice speaking Spanish. You may have tried other digital platforms to teach your children Spanish, but this is truly a new and different approach! If you think learning Spanish while learning interesting things about Spanish-speaking countries sounds engaging, just give it a try. 

You can start by looking at the program features and how they work at FL4K.com. This is a whole homeschool Spanish curriculum for your children! Let your children check out the features online at our website! There is a lot to explore! 

Check it out soon while a good bit of summer is still looming and kids are asking what they can do for fun. Have them try learning Spanish in a very different way!