A Parent’s Guide to Spanish Immersion for Preschool Students
Are you thinking of Spanish immersion preschool for your little one? Say no more! Reading ahead you will find everything laid out for you. What is it? Does it work? Is it effective? Is it the right thing for my preschooler? Is there a downside to it? How long is the list of benefits? Find out if this is the right choice and where to start!
¡Vamos!
What Is Spanish immersion? Does It Work, and How Effective Is It?
Spanish immersion is a bilingual education technique in which two languages are integrated in the same curriculum. Its main objective is to promote bilingual skills between both language speakers. Biculturalism is sometimes a goal and sometimes a by-product of these programs.
This approach is very effective because it imitates how we learned our first language: by completely immersing in it. When this happens we habituate to listening words and associating them with their meaning. This builds up our vocabulary and makes it easier to formulate correct grammatical sentences in the future.
“Only the immersion training led to full native-like brain processing of grammar” according to researcher Michael Ullman. He believes the language immersion approach has proven more effective than classroom exposure.
Benefits of Spanish Immersion Preschool
The brilliant way to homeschool your preschool child is to help them learn from experience rather than from the rigors of a classroom. There are countless benefits that come from having Spanish Immersion preschool—among them, the enhancement of social abilities, cognitive capacity, and even emotional intelligence.
Enhance Social Abilities
The environment of Spanish immersion preschool is friendly and relaxed, providing an opportunity for children to take risks while learning a new language, and encouraging them not to feel self-conscious. Some of the enhancements of social abilities perceived in children that develop in this environment include:
- Increased confidence to speak and connect with others in a more meaningful way.
Improved ability to communicate with people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Improve Cognitive Capacity
The Spanish immersion preschool technique is a fertile ground upon which core cognitive capacities improve. Here is a list of science-based examples of how Spanish immersion for preschool has improved children’s cognitive capacity:
- Research shows that “immersion children” consistently outperform their monolingual counterparts in morphological awareness (the recognition, understanding, and use of word parts that carry significance) tasks as well as syntactic (grammatical) awareness tasks.
- An ACTFL study suggests that immersion learning for preschool students dramatically improves problem solving abilities, augments verbal and spatial abilities, and positively impacts print awareness.
Sharpen Emotional Intelligence
Take every chance you get to teach emotional intelligence to your children, the sooner the better. Some of the emotional intelligences that children develop while in language immersion are:
- Preschool Students become culturally tolerant towards Hispanic and Mexican American culture.
- Immersion programs have proved to build not only fluency but confidence on students. This suggests it also promotes self-motivation as it encourages children to continue learning after achieving communication.
Spanish Immersion Preschool Program at HSA
At Homeschool Spanish Academy, we understand that building the foundation for Spanish fluency is a priority.
By enrolling your child in a Spanish program at this age, you assist in the advancement of their linguistic competencies as well as their social, cognitive, and emotional development.
In the immersive Spanish courses we offer, your child learns to speak Spanish using themes that have meaning to them, including:
- Greetings and farewells
- Numbers
- Colors
- Basic conversation
- Food
- Clothing
- Seasons
- Daily routines
- Animals
- Hobbies
- Opposites
- Weather
- Authentic pronunciation
Download the Spanish Immersion Preschool Curriculum to see for yourself in full detail what your student can learn and at what pace. After completing only a few classes with us, your child will be able to introduce himself, make new Spanish-speaking friends, and sustain basic conversations wherever he goes.
Even expressing emotions, telling time, and ordering food at a restaurant is something your preschool child will learn with HSA.
Spanish for Kids Starter Kit
If you want to set up your kids for success, a great way is to enroll them in a Spanish immersion preschool program. It will improve their communication abilities as well as social and cognitive skills. But where to start?
If you’re ready for a long list of valuable resources that focus entirely on Spanish materials for kids found online, check out our Spanish for Kids Starter Kit. Among the resources in the list, you’ll find songs, books, cartoons, apps and even games for you to enjoy with your little Spanish learner!
Reading Strategies for Bilingual Kids
As children go deeper into their second language studies, you can provide extra supportive material that can range from word games and anchor charts to air writing and rhyming, even doing theater!
In order for your learner to grow into an avid Spanish reader, you’ll want to focus on building your child’s phonetic awareness of the two languages, including the distinctions between the two. To help you achieve this, we’ve gathered ideas for you in how to plan your Spanish reading strategy as well as an English reading strategy. By planning it out before, it will be more effective and more fun for both of you!
The Pros and Cons of Bilingual Education for Kids
Improving cognitive skills, social abilities, and emotional intelligence are some of the pros you’ll encounter while researching the validity of Spanish immersion for preschool. Benefits are plenty, but is there a downside to this exciting next step? If you leave it to your school district, you will probably notice inconsistency among bilingual programs if they are even an option. Another negative feature you may experience is the lack of qualified staff. Ultimately, it’s essential to find a school that offers you certified, competent teachers who are native Spanish speakers—similar to what we offer at HSA.
Hand-picked for you: The Pros and Cons of Bilingual Education for Kids
Make the Best Decision of Your Life!
Spanish Immersion for preschool is a decision you’ll never regret. The unmeasurable amount of benefits your child will receive has made this method popular for the right reasons. At Homeschool Spanish Academy, we’re proud of our kid-friendly and fun, certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. Their friendly approach in our preschool program puts new students at ease and gives your child the opportunity to experience Spanish immersion at home! If you’d like to try it out before you enroll as a student, sign up for a free class today!
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