Teaching Spanish to Preschoolers

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Although teaching preschoolers could be one of the most rewarding activities in the whole world, it's is also tiring if you are not ready for their energy and to keep them engaged. A great thing about this age group is how honest they could be. They immediately will let you know if something dislike them or makes them feel bored. They also get excited with simple things too! And yes, their memories are photographic! There have been a few times when I rely on them to help me remember songs or games we have played in class.

They all want to get a turn in the same class, so be ready to keep track of who has gotten turns because they will complain if give turns to the same people. Get used to see them moving a lot on the rug, because the tiny chairs don't work for them! We are better off to have our classes sitting in a circle on a rug.

They really benefit of knowing the rules of the class and what you expect from them. Constant reminder of what you expect from them is important! You also have to make you extra plan for them because their attention spam is short that they will need a rich variety of activities. I say plan a little extra because you never know what will caught their attention. You need to be able to read how engaged and excited they are with certain activity.

And yes, let's talk about germs! When one of the gets a cold, everyone else gets it. If you are using props that you will need to pass around  cleaning after using them will help you stay healthy and stop spreading the germs.Those cute little voices singing will fill your heart. Be ready to love them and to feel loved!

Props They Love!

This is a list of props I know my students really enjoy! Please feel free to add more in the comments! I would love to hear yours!

Puppets: They enjoy having  puppet friends in class, but make sure they are not spooky. Some of them are really afraid of clowns! Here you can find some tips for using puppets in your class! 

Parachute: Parachute time is one of the activities where everyone can participate at the same time. They love it, and they can fairly easily get out of control, so make sure you talk about the rules every single time you use it in class. My rules are simple: don't get on it or under it, wait for me to shake it, and the let go of the handles when I sing our clean up song.  We use the parachute to count, placing a ball on it and counting for how long they can keep it going. I also use the parachute to review vocabulary; for example, I can ask them, what do you want on the parachute? A fish or a dolphin? I have them chant their choice. You can find more ideas and a song to use the parachute in this post.

Magic Box/Bag: I have never seen a preschooler not get excited about what could be inside the magic box I bring to class. This is a wonderful way to get everyone engaged. I hide flash cards, plastic animals, pieces of felt of different colors, whatever can support what we have been learning.

Small White Boards: I recently discovered that my kindergarteners love using dry erase boards with markers and tiny erasers in class. We mostly use them to write numbers.

I once had a dream of being a singer for children, but I gave up and left the job for Rockalingua and other talented singers out there. 
I recorded a few songs and decided to put them in a playlist to share them with you. I have used them with my students because they don't really care how I sound. I know for sure that they have fun with them! Enjoy and let me know how it goes!

Have fun!