One of the great pleasures of parenting is watching how your child learns and grows. It has been amazing to watch E's use and understanding of Spanish grow in our time here.
Every day, he seems to be absorbing more, using new words, asking what words mean in the English, or what the Spanish word is. At the same time, he is developing in so many other ways - learning the alphabet in Spanish, writing letters and words, wanting to learn to read. It is truly amazing. His school seems to be making all the difference.
I'm seeing how E learns language best when it is in context.
"Te amo" with a hug and a kiss.
"Ahorra" each time we rush across the street, avoiding oncoming cars.
"No gracias" to each vendor who walks up to us at an outdoor table.
Of course, there's a good bit of repetition in these situational cues, but I see how this mirrors how he learns new words in English. I sometimes call him "my little tape-recorder." He'll repeat a phrase he's heard us say - exactly - to see how we react. Do we affirm or correct him? When I notice him doing that now, I offer the definition of the unfamiliar word.
I've tried other techniques - offering the vocabulary, explaining the grammar, rehearsing responses - but it sticks fastest if it is contextual.
He seems to have turned a corner recently, and now he uses Spanish as often as English, and interchangeably. With kids who speak Spanish, he uses it easily (though not always correctly).
We hope he will be attending a bilingual immersion school in September, and I'm now thinking I should really try to keep up our Spanish in the interim. A new challenge!
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