Sunday, March 15, 2009

Guess Who?

Have you ever played the game Guess Who with your child? Well, it’s the perfect game to do in Spanish! With a limited list of questions, your child can master them quickly. I would maybe make a list of the questions on paper with a picture to represent each one. For example, you could draw a moustache on the paper with the question “Does your person have a moustache?”

Does s/he have a beard? ¿Tiene barba? Tee-EH-neh BAHR-bah
Does s/he have a moustache? ¿Tiene bigote? …bee-GOH-teh
Does s/he have glasses? ¿Tiene anteojos? …ahn-teh-OH-hohs
Does s/he have hair? ¿Tiene pelo? …PEH-loh
Does s/he have blonde hair? ¿Tiene pelo rubio? …PEH-loh ROO-bee-oh
Does s/he have brown hair? ¿Tiene pelo café? …PEH-loh kah-FEH
Does s/he have white hair? ¿Tiene pelo blanco? …PEH-loh BLAHN-koh
Does s/he have blue eyes? ¿Tiene ojos azules? …OH-hohs ah-ZOO-lehs
Does s/he have brown eyes? ¿Tiene ojos cafés? …OH-hohs kah-FEHS
Does s/he have a hat? ¿Tiene sombrero? …sohm-BREHR-oh
Is it a man? ¿Es hombre? Ehs OHM-breh
Is it a woman? ¿Es mujer? Ehs moo-HEHR

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Describing people

Describing people…
Use your child’s knowledge of colors to ask him/her to describe people.

What color is his/her/its hair? ¿De qué color es su pelo? Deh keh koh-LOHR ehs soo PEH-loh
What color are his/her/its eyes? ¿De qué color son sus ojos? Deh keh koh-LOHR sohn soos OH-hohs
What color is my hair? ¿De qué color es mi pelo? Deh keh koh-LOHR ehs mee PEH-loh
What color are my eyes? ¿De qué color son mis ojos? Deh keh koh-LOHR sohn mees OH-hohs
What color is your hair? ¿De qué color es tu pelo? Deh keh koh-LOHR ehs too PEH-loh
What color are your eyes? ¿De qué color son tus ojos? Deh keh koh-LOHR sohn toos OH-hohs
Brown café kah-FEH
Black negro NEH-groh
Blonde rubio ROO-bee-oh
Grey gris GREES

Sunday, November 16, 2008

I am thankful for...

I am thankful for…
First, I apologize for the length of time between posts. Encourage your child to use his/her manners when asking for something. With the spirit of thanksgiving upon us, I thought I would share a couple of ways you can use it to practice some Spanish. With younger children, I use the simpler version given below.

Please Por favor (pohr fah-BOHR) *a V is pronounced like a B in Spanish
Thank you. Gracias (GRAH-see-ahs)
You’re welcome. De nada (deh NAH-dah)

I am thankful for… Estoy agradecido por… (ehs-TOY ah-grah-deh-SEE-doh pohr)Thank you for… Gracias por… (GRAH-see-ahs pohr)

Friday, September 12, 2008

Playing with your child - Games

Playtime is a great time to add in some Spanish phrases. There are usually lots of colors on board games, so that’s a natural opportunity. And, numbers are usually involved, too, so don’t hesitate to use those, either. Here are some other phrases for you to use when playing a game with your child(ren).

It’s your turn. Te toca. (teh TOH-kah)
It’s my turn. Me toca. (meh TOH-kah)
It’s his/her turn. Le toca. (leh TOH-kah)
Roll the dice. Tira los dados. (TEE-rah lohs DAH-dohs)
Take a card. Toma una carta. (TOH-mah OO-nah KAHR-tah)
You won! ¡Lo ganaste! (loh gah-NAH-steh)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

At the supermarket/store (Part II)

If you have little ones, they can help you put things in the shopping cart. Older ones can read your list to you.

Do you have the list? ¿Tienes la lista? (tee-EHN-ehs lah LEES-tah)
What do we need? ¿Qué necesitamos? (KEH neh-seh-see-TAH-mohs)
We need…. Necesitamos…. (neh-seh-see-TAH-mohs)
Fruit fruta (FROO-tah)
Vegetables verduras (behr-DOO-rahs)
Meat carne (KAHR-neh)
Bread pan (PAHN)
Put it in the cart. Ponlo en el carrito. (POHN-loh ehn ehl kah-REE-toh)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

At the supermarket/store (Part 1)

If you’re shopping for groceries, you can use lots of colors with your child. In addition to the colors listed in Lesson 7, you can use the ones below.

Do you want to ride in the shopping cart? ¿Quieres ir en el carrito? (kee-EHR-ehs eer ehn ehl kah-REE-toh)
I like the _____ one . (fill in with color) Me gusta el _____. (meh GOO-stah ehl ____)
Blue azul (ah-ZOOL)
Purple morado (moh-RAH-doh)
Orange anaranjado (ah-nah-rahn-HAH-doh)

Monday, July 14, 2008

Be careful!

Be careful!

You can use a simple phrase to warn your children to take caution, whether it’s to watch for an oncoming car or to watch their step.

Be careful! Watch Out!, etc. ¡Cuidado! kwee-DAH-doh
Hold my hand. Dame la mano DAH-meh lah MAH-noh