April 2, 2019 by Ashley Reid How to Learn Spanish, Online Classroom, Spanish Resources, The HSA Method 0 comments

Top Cost-Effective Spanish Classes for Kids

As a parent, you want the best quality education for your child. When it comes to learning a foreign language, your local options may fall short without access to native teachers. That’s why more and more people turn to online alternatives for second-language courses, especially in Spanish. All too often, though, these Spanish programs end up being lengthy, costly, and unfit for your child’s specific needs. Is it worth it to invest in a private instructor? Do Spanish textbooks alone work? What about the multiple online software programs?

Weighing your options is always a good idea. Below, you will find 5 popular alternative Spanish classes for children and teenagers. If you are looking at courses for adults, please visit our blog post here. ¡Vamos!

5. Duolingo and Memrise

Spanish Class options - Duolingo and Memrise

While you may not consider these options to be exclusively “online” programs, they are quite popular with families looking for Spanish fluency. These apps are similar in structure (for a more detailed description, check out our post on Spanish apps) and offer interactive activities to enforce learned vocabulary and grammar. Memrise has a more game-like vibe, while Duolingo is a little more focused on grammar. However, with Memrise you can choose from hundreds of Spanish courses made by users. This ensures your child learns what they need for their level or what peaks their interest. Duolingo also offers a placement test so your students start right at the level they need.

You can find both programs online or on your phone as an app. The free versions offer a variety of language learning options, such as games, vocabulary exercises, pronunciation, and writing. Although live teachers don’t assist your child in learning, he or she can watch short videos of natives speaking and listen to authentic pronunciations.

4. Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone is a favorite among families looking for authentic Spanish classes. Developed in 1992, this program is a Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) software. In other words, the student learns with an automated program.

The platform uses images, text, sound, and repetition to help your child learn Spanish. It also analyzes aspects of your student’s progress to help them learn at their own pace and enjoy the process. For example, it tracks how many questions the student answered correctly, how accurate their pronunciation is, and how long each lesson is taking. However, like the apps, there is no live instructor to help the student.

3.Kids’ Club Spanish School

Looking for an affordable option with live instructors? Let’s check out the Kids’ Club Spanish School.

This platform is a bit newer, created in 2017. The classes allow the child to sit down with a live teacher and interactive software to learn Spanish. The backbone of the program is the N2N, or native-to-native, method. The first native is the teacher—a native Spanish-speaker. The second is the student—a “digital native,” or someone who has grown up with technology. The classes cater to the child’s needs and make learning Spanish fun. If you aren’t sure if your child will respond well to live classes, you can sign up for a free class before purchasing.

2.Panda Tree

Panda Tree is another program that offers live Spanish instruction at your own convenience. This one offers classes in both Chinese and Spanish, and it has been in operation for 5 years. Just like the Kids’ Club Spanish School, the classes utilize interactive software ideal for younger children. This way, kids can sit down with their teacher as if they were in a real classroom. The learners also have access to additional songs and activities to practice outside of class.

Unfortunately, this platform doesn’t offer a free trial class to see if it is a good fit for your child. Another drawback both Panda Tree and Kids’ Club Spanish School have is that there is a maximum age limit. Many high school students need Spanish credits to graduate or to apply to college, but these programs are geared mainly towards younger students.

1. Spanish Academy

Spanish Academy offers live classes to all ages—preschool, elementary, middle school, and high school. Adults are even encouraged to sign up! This platform combines personal classes at your convenience with a written curriculum so your child has a complete learning experience. If you have two kids who want to learn together, you can sign them up to study at the same time. That way, they can have more fun learning Spanish together!

Best of all, the price for classes is significantly lower than both Panda Tree and Kids’ Club Spanish School, even though all three programs offer live, personalized classes online. The only drawback is that availability with Spanish Academy may be limited during the school year because of its great popularity.