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April 20, 2022 by Nicole Canún Spanish Vocabulary 2 comments

First 99 Spanish Words to Teach Your Child

Are you looking for basic Spanish words to teach your child? This challenge may feel overwhelming. 

Where to start?

This list is all you need!

The following words and phrases relate to where your children live and study and to what they see, use, and experience on a daily basis—making it easy to integrate them into daily life. 

This lesson on first words for beginners does not include a long block of alphabetized words, but rather small digestible chunks divided into thematic categories. 

Let’s dive in!


Table of Contents:

  • Spanish Words To Teach Your Child
  • Let HSA Help You Teach Your Child Native Spanish

Spanish Words To Teach Your Child

These basic Spanish words to teach your child are perfect for approaching their new language. By learning them, they’ll be able to communicate what they want, need, and are currently experiencing. With practice, they’ll start to form short phrases and eventually speak Spanish!

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Basic Conversation

Greetings, farewells, asking how you are, please, and thank you are the first baby steps towards making conversation—and being polite. 

These Spanish words to teach your child are easy to practice. Make it a habit to use them when your kids wake up or when they come home from school. 

Check-out: The Ultimate List of Spanish Greetings and Farewells for Beginners.

EnglishSpanish
goodbye adiós
hello hola
how are you? ¿cómo estás?
I love you te quiero
please por favor
thank you gracias
¿cómo estás? - Spanish words to teach your child

Family Members

Here are the most common members of the family. Impress their grandparents by showing them all the things your little ones know how to say in Spanish.

EnglishSpanish
brother hermano
dad papá
grandma abuela
grandpa abuelo
mom mamá
sister hermana
hermano - Spanish words to teach your child

Animals

Animals are some of the first vocabulary words introduced to your little one in English, so it makes sense that they are one of the first Spanish words to teach your child.

See also: Animal Parts and Anatomy (Free Spanish Lessons for Kids)

EnglishSpanish
cat el gato
cow la vaca
dog el perro
lion el león
monkey el mono, el chango
squirrel la ardilla
el mono, el chango

Colors

Another basic chunk of Spanish words to teach your child are colors. Practice them by making a fun game out of it!

Hand-picked for you: Fun and Fascinating Facts About the Rainbow (Free Spanish Lesson for Kids)

EnglishSpanish
blue azul
brown café
green verde
orange naranja
pink rosa
red rojo
yellow amarillo
amarillo - Spanish words to teach your child

Foods

These Spanish words to teach your child will be easier to remember as they are constantly exposed to food. Make it part of your daily routine to practice talking about different kinds of foods in Spanish. 

Recommended reading: 10 Brain Foods to Improve Your Memory While Learning Spanish

EnglishSpanish
apple la manzana
avocado el aguacate
banana el plátano
fruits las frutas
lettuce la lechuga
pineapple la piña
vegetables las verduras 
la lechuga - Spanish words to teach your child

Toys 

Toys represent happiness to little kids. Learning their names in Spanish only feels natural. Why? Because relating a learning subject like a language to good feelings will make them want to learn more for pleasure. 

Check out: 9 Bilingual Toys to Get Your Kids This Christmas

EnglishSpanish
ball la pelota
bicycle la bicicleta
board game el juego de mesa
cars los carritos
doll la muñeca
puzzle el rompecabezas
stuffed animals los peluches
el juego de mesa

Home Vocabulary

Phrases like vamos al baño (let’s go to the bathroom) or mueve la silla (move the chair) are easy to remember and say. Let them start with these short phrases or just naming items and places in and around your house. 

Continue reading: Moving Day Vocabulary: Pack Up Your House!

EnglishSpanish
bathroomel baño
bedroomel cuarto, la habitación
chairla silla
dining room el comedor
kitchen la cocina
living room la sala
tablela mesa
window la ventana 
la ventana - Spanish words to teach your child

Clothes

Ask your children: ¿Qué quieres llevar puesto? (What do you want to wear?) and let them answer in Spanish every morning. They’ll learn these words in no time!

EnglishSpanish
dress el vestido
jacketla chaqueta, la chamarra
pantslos pantalones
shirtla camisa, la playera
shoes los zapatos 
sweater el suéter
los pantalones

Get more vocab! The Ultimate Guide to Clothes in Spanish

School Vocabulary

Talk to your kids about their school day with these Spanish words. ¿Qué clases tuviste hoy? (What classes did you have today?) or ¿De qué es tu tarea? (What is your homework about?) are a superb way to start a Spanish conversation. 

EnglishSpanish
backpackla mochila
book el libro
history la historia
math las matemáticas
music la música
notebook el cuaderno, la libreta
pencilel lápiz
sciencela ciencia
el cuaderno, la libreta

Opposites

This next Spanish vocabulary is a bit more challenging. Are you ready?

EnglishSpanish
big and small grande y pequeño
good and bad bien y mal
happy and sad feliz y triste
hot and cold caliente y frío
Caliente y Frío

See more: Spanish Opposites Activities for Kids

Environment

It is important that your children know their surroundings. This list is about some of the things they can find outside the house. Kids find it stimulating to learn things outdoors! 

Hand-picked for you: The 5 Senses in Spanish (Free Spanish Lesson for Kids)

EnglishSpanish
flower la flor
moon la luna
rain la lluvia
starslas estrellas
sun el sol 
tree el árbol
la lluvia

Action Verbs

Here are some of the most common verbs that your little ones will use every day.

EnglishSpanish
to eat comer
to go ir
to read leer
to study estudiar
to want querer
Comer - Spanish words to teach your child

See also: The 100 Most Common Spanish Verbs

Pronouns

These pronouns will help your children improve their conversation skills!

EnglishSpanish
I yo
you (singular, informal) tú
you (formal) usted
he él
she ella
it eso
we nosotros
you (plural) ustedes
they ellos/as
Nosotros

Recommended reading: How to Teach Kids to Read in Spanish: 10 Easy Tricks

Question Words

Another key piece of the puzzle of acquiring a new language is learning question words. Fuel your family’s curiosity by letting them know how to ask questions in Spanish. 

EnglishSpanish
how? ¿cómo?
what? ¿qué?
when? ¿cuándo?
where? ¿dónde?
who? ¿quién?
why? ¿por qué?
¿cuándo?

Check out: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need to Master Question Words in Spanish

Commands

Use commands in Spanish at home! They’re quite useful (as any parent should know!). Encourage your kids to repeat what you say and use them in their own original ways. 

EnglishSpanish
calm down cálmate
come here ven, ven aquí
do your homework haz tu tarea
eat your food come tu comida
go to sleep vete a dormir
stop para
vete a dormir

Let HSA Help You Teach Your Child Native Spanish

Learning proficient Spanish is a tool your child will use for the rest of their life to promote connection, success, and prosperity. They’ll be able to land better jobs, travel easier to Latin America and Spain, and be more sensitive to social and cultural issues by learning Spanish as a second language. Spanish has over 580 million speakers around the world and over 41 million in the U.S. alone.

Homeschool Spanish Academy is here to support you and your family in the ultimate goal of reaching Spanish fluency. Our method gives you access to practice with kid-friendly, certified experts who are native Spanish speakers. Our teachers from Guatemala provide individualized, online, flexible sessions that adapt to your schedule. 

In fact, we’ll design a Spanish package that suits your needs and interests! 

Check our affordable pricing and flexible programs. Prepare your children for a better future by signing them up for a free trial class today!

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“I love that my children have the opportunity to speak with a live person. They get to practice Spanish in a 1-1 setting while improve their speaking, writing and reading skills during their lessons. HSA is a great way to learn Spanish for all ages! My children are 6, 9 and 11. My oldest two (9 and 11) have been taking classes with HSA for almost 2 years now. They love seeing their teacher each week. They understand the importance of learning several languages. I’ve seen them grow and learn with HSA. I’m excited to see how they will improve the more classes they take. I highly recommend them. You can’t bet learning and speaking with a live teacher. I’ve tried other programs. It’s just not as motivating.”

– Karie Ann, Parent of 3

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“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. I have appreciated the one on one interaction and teaching that my son gets from his teachers. He has gotten to know his teachers, which has increased his confidence in speaking Spanish. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”

– Maple, Parent of 3

Erica P. Parent of 1

“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”

– Erica P. Parent of 1

Ready to learn more Spanish vocabulary? Check these out!

  • 10 Simple Spanish Words Your Preschooler Can Learn This Week
  • The 25 Most Useful Spanish Phrases You Need to Learn Today
  • Top 20 Guatemalan Words and Slang Expressions You Should Know
  • Bien vs Bueno: How Good is Your Spanish?
  • How to Talk About Learning a Language in Spanish
  • Señora vs Señorita: Who Is She?
  • Learn These 20 Types of Fish in Spanish [+ More Vocab]
  • 200+ Beginner Spanish Vocabulary Words PDF: Learn Spanish Fast!
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Nicole Canún
Nicole Canún
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
Blogger, content creator, and marketer. Proudly Mexican. Been to 30 countries. I love learning from different cultures and trying their cuisines. Obsessed with Asia. Fluent in Spanish and English, not so much in French.
Nicole Canún
Latest posts by Nicole Canún (see all)
  • Learn These 20 Types of Fish in Spanish [+ More Vocab] - September 4, 2024
  • The Most Extensive Guide Ever to House Vocabulary in Spanish - August 1, 2024
  • What Is An Umbrella School? - June 20, 2024
basic spanish words for kids first spanish words to learn
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2 comments on this post

  1. hongkong live
    August 1, 2021

    I like this web blog so much, saved to my bookmarks.

    Reply
    • Ashley Reid
      August 3, 2021

      Thank you for reading our blog!

      Reply

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