Comments on: Ask an Expert: Is it Time to Switch to Another Method?

By: Shari

Shari — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 22:15:05 +0000

There is certainly a great deal to know about this topic. I love all of the points you made. webpage - Shari,

By: BethO

BethO — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:02:33 +0000

P.S. my older daughter and I read out loud together at bedtime even well past the time she was quite capable of reading to me (which she often did). It’s a great ritual to keep going as long as you can and let it grow with the child’s reading level. I think you could do that in Spanish, Carla.

By: BethO

BethO — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:57:27 +0000

This really hits home for me. I’m not a native speaker of Spanish. My husband is not that interested in literature or science and his sisters did not go that far in school. I’ve watched conversations with the older kids in the family flounder because of this.
So I’m doing just what you said, creating homework for myself. If I start now, when my son is 2, I just hope my reading level will catch up in time. I got myself a copy of “Cien Años de Soledad” and had to give up after a few pages. So obviously I need to start a little farther down in reading level. But I think the important thing is being persistent. So I’ve set a rule for myself that at bedtime we will be reading in Spanish at least a third of the time. Hopefully by the time he graduates out of picture books and we are reading straight stories, I’ll be ready… I hope!
If all goes well, I fondly hope that someday we may be able to read a real work of literature together and discuss it…

By: Carla

Carla — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:05:56 +0000

This freaked me out when I saw the mom’s name was the same as mine and that she’s encountering the same issues as me. My oldest is just about to turn 4 and I already worry about how I will be able to develop my own Spanish skills to meet her needs as her imagination and interests grow. I’ve been toying with a few ideas such as picking a topic she likes and finding more advanced vocabulary words for myself to use. It’s kind of like creating homework for myself but it’s well worth it. Even creating advanced vocabulary words for everyday tasks and errands we run would be helpful. I’m also going to challenge myself to read more books in Spanish. Because of my proficiency I’ll start off with books geared towards young kids and young adults to see how I do. Good luck to you!

By: Busy as a Bee in Paris

Busy as a Bee in Paris — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:48:44 +0000

so interesting! i run into the same problem often with my own children 10, 7 and 4. my oldest is 10 and he’s a very curious and intelligent boy. i have often found myself stuck!!! but we keep a little dictionary handy, use lots of circulocution and sometimes i’m just plain honest with him and say, alex, i don’t know what the word is in spanish, let’s find out later when we’re at home. yes, sometimes it’s very choppy, but i agree 100% with the advice given here. bilingualism is the ultimate goal and even short, simple phrases achieve the goal. my children are trilingual today (french, english, spanish) and despite the challenges, it’s an absolute blessing to see that they can really communicate in all three languages! never give up!