Chelsea Torres is SpanglishBaby’s Book Editor and a regular contributor. She is not a native Spanish speaker, but is raising her Latino son to be bilingual. A graduate of Rollins College, Chelsea lives in Orlando with her blended family.
Laugh Along with El Perro y El Gato {Giveaway}
I can’t believe I had never seen El Perro y El Gato, the original animated specials shown on HBO Family and HBO Latino, before now (I somehow missed this Video of the Week right here!). Ever since these DVDs arrived in the mail, my son has been watching them on repeat. The catchy music, cute animation, and hilarious scenes make these appealing to bilingual and monolingual kids alike. What the little ones don’t know is that they are improving their languageRead More ...
Books & Libros: Back to School!
Believe it or not, it’s that time of year: time to send your kids back to school – or to school for the first time. To prepare them for those early mornings and long days, I’ve come up with a list of titles about the classroom that young children will love. I’ve also included a Spanish thesaurus and preschool math book so that you can keep up with Spanish skills at home, whether or not your kids are gettingRead More ...
Books & Libros: Bilingual Birthday Books
Birthdays are special occasions for people around the world, but for Latinos, each birthday is a passage into a new life stage. Whether you celebrate with a piñata, unique recordatorios, or a huge quinceañera bash, sharing your birthday with loved ones is a cultural necessity. Introduce your little lectores to the excitement of a cumpleaños by sharing some of these fun and informative books with them, or reminisce about your own lifetime of birthdays with the title I recommend forRead More ...
Blended Families and Bilingualism
When I first started writing for SpanglishBaby, my son and I were going it alone. I was a single parent trying to keep up with speaking my non-native language to him full-time. It was challenging, but relatively predictable. Now, I have taken on a whole new set of challenges regarding parenting and bilingualism. I am in a relationship with a wonderful man who has two daughters, ages 9 and 11. The girls both know Spanish, but have quite different viewsRead More ...
Books & Libros: Spanish Chapter Books for Young Readers
Have you noticed that most of the Spanish children’s books that receive mainstream attention are for children under 4 or 5 years old? I recently became concerned that my son and all of the Spanish-speaking children I know would reach an age when Spanish literature (translated or original) would be impossible to find. Then, in a moment of great synchronicity, I happened to run into a display of Spanish chapter books at my local bookstore. ¡Entonces, existen! While it wouldRead More ...
When They Answer in English
It’s happening. My worst fears have been realized: my son is now answering me in English when I speak to him in Spanish. Maybe he just forgot a few words and it’s easier for him to explain this subject in English. Yes, he understands every word of Spanish. Yes, he can translate flawlessly upon request. Yes, he speaks Spanish with those who do not know English. But why does he answer ME in English, when I’ve used 90% Spanish withRead More ...
