May 28, 2020 by Rafael Parra About HSA, Homeschooling 0 comments

How to Add Spanish to Your Homeschool Co-Op

Homeschool moms are some of the busiest people around. You’ve heard the phrase, “Motherhood is one of the most difficult jobs out there.” It’s even more challenging when you have to homeschool your kids. So, it’s no wonder that homeschooling co-ops are common! If done well, co-ops will make education easier and less time consuming.

If you’re planning on introducing a homeschool Spanish course into your co-op classroom, check out these tips and tricks to help you get results and maximize the benefits of your efforts!

The Best and Worst Ways to Learn a Foreign Language

Many public schools give several years worth of Spanish lessons, but their students can barely ask where the bathroom is when they finish their programs. The reason these students learn these few phrases and nothing else is simple: they only use them in Spanish class! Watching the odd Spanish movie and focusing on conjugation, spelling, and grammar are useful tools. However, they shouldn’t be the sole focus of your homeschool Spanish course.

While grammar, vocabulary, and spelling are important, a high-quality language education must have conversational practice, as well. Think about how toddlers speak their mother tongue; they make tons of grammatical mistakes, and their sentences are simple and short. Trying to avoid this “toddler” phase when learning a new language is like going against the natural learning process that’s wired in our brains from birth.

The initial stages of learning Spanish are the most challenging. So, let’s talk about how to structure information to make it easily comprehensible.

Introducing Vocabulary Without Anxiety

add spanish homeschool — Image by jairojehuel from Pixabay

This technique is so effective, my school has used it for almost three decades, from first grade all the way to senior year of high school. Introduce vocabulary to your students by giving them five words a week. Here’s an example useful for young kids:

sol — luna — estrellas — día — noche

Notice how there’s a common theme in these words? Once you have the words prepared, have your students write the words on pieces of paper and make drawings of them. Then, post the five words up on the wall for the whole class to see. These will be your focus words for the week. Have your students memorize them and use them in sentences.

The next week, repeat the process with five new words and practice forming sentences with the growing vocabulary wall. The drawings will serve as a visual aid to help the kids remember what they mean! This technique is especially useful when teaching concepts such as emotions, since the drawings will be subjective and more personal to your students.

Effective Homework Assignments

Now that you have a great way to introduce Spanish vocabulary, let’s discuss how to apply that to your classroom. Coming up with the right vocabulary can be tough. Where do you even start? Lucky for us, there are many helpful resources available online, such as our preschool interactive textbook,

Pull five vocabulary words from a storybook or textbook, and have your students read it after giving them the vocabulary words for the week. This will allow them to apply their newly acquired Spanish knowledge during the week, while having direct contact with the source material.

Another great source of vocabulary words are video games! Kids love them and will associate and learn words fast if you choose the right game.

Easy and Efficient Scheduling and Classroom Setup

You’re already saving valuable time by applying these easy tips and tricks. Take your homeschool Spanish co-op class to the next level by setting up a group classroom with a native Spanish speaker! At Homeschool Spanish Academy, we offer group classroom options that easily transfer as school credits.

You can incorporate these group classes into your co-op in groups of three to 15 students. Connecting a big screen to your computer will make the class come alive for your students.

Give your co-op group the opportunity to get firsthand Spanish experience while giving you some much needed free time! To get to know our program better, schedule a free trial class today.

Want to learn more about homeschooling? Check out these posts!

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Rafael Parra

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

A native Spanish speaker from Guatemala, I'm a psychology student, creative developer, and aspiring polymath who's always learning new things and improving as a person. I'm a nerd when it comes to language, education, and videogames. My goal is to practice all these disciplines in unison and make something great with my time.