Spanish Lessons for 1-4 Year Olds
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
May 2007
Hi. Does anyone have any recent recommendations for Spanish classes for pre-school/kindergarten age (other then programs offered at EBI). Looking for something in East Bay....I heard of new group that started locally but can't find any info. on them!? Monique
Lango has spanish classes for kids in Oakland and Berkeley. My 2 and 4 year old have been going for a month, but they also offer classes for older kids, up to 8 or 9 years.. The website is langokids.com Justin
Try Centro Latino on San Pablo Ave at Dwight Way. The class sizes are small.
Spanish for preschooler
Dec 2008
We would like our 3-year old to learn some spanish. She's in preschool already so we'd like a supplemental class that meets once a week, and is in Berkeley or North Oakland (hopefully in the south berkeley/elmwood/rockridge area). We are looking for a class we can drop her off at (doesn't require parent participation). The archives list Habitot classes, but Habitot doesn't appear to offer spanish any more, and the Richmond classes are too far away. Thanks! -anon
I know of a great language program for kids that has several locations across the Bay, including Berkeley/North Oakland. Lango is a language immersion program that uses art, music and games to teach kids a foreign language in a fun, enaging manner. You can find out more about Lango at their website www.langokids.com. Hope that helps! Ginella
Hi there, Viva el Espanol is a great program for infants through adults. Their home base is in Lafayette but their teachers travel to different locations. They come to Point Richmond's Fieldhouse on Mondays, from 11-11:50am, for a parent and me art class. This class is for 1 - 3 year olds with caregiver. Otherwise, they also come for a pre/K Spanish class on Fridays, from either 3-3:50pm or 3-4:50pm (the extended version). This class is for 3 years and older, with no parent participation. Your first class is always free. The Point Richmond Fieldhouse is at: 110 E Richmond Ave, Richmond, CA 94801. Their website is: www.vivaelespanol.org.
Hi- I can highly recommend,''Viva EL Espanol'', in Lafayette. There are also ''Viva El Espanol''full immersion classes peppered in various cities in the Bay Area.There are classes available for all ages,reasonable prices, very flexible and make learning FUN!My children,ages 4 and 5 yrs old, have been attending the Lafayette campus for almost 3 years and are now Bilingual.And,''Viva''classes are also incorporated in a variety Public Schools, including, my daughter's Oakland Public School,in the Bay Area.Check them out!The phone number is (925)962-9177, the website is www.LamorindaSpanish.com Denise
Spanish classes for my 3 year old
Nov 2007
I am looking for Spanish play classes or private classes for my 3 year old in the Piedmont area. I know that the Piedmont Recreation Center has one during the day but we would like something after 1 pm. Any recommendations for private tutors that can make it fun for a toddler would be great. He understands Spanish. Thanks Maisy
My son just turned three and we've been taking Spanish classes for several months at Lamorinda Spanish/Viva el Espanol at the Lafayette campus (their main place.). The do have classes in Oakland as well, but I'm not sure where. We live in Emeryville so its a little bit of a trek for us but well worth it. They are wonderful! The teachers speak to the students totally in Spanish and do lots of ''showing'' with their hands to get their point across. You can take a free trial class to check it out. They have several Parent & Me classes for Arte and Musica and pre-K classes as well. They also have classes for older children & teens. He really likes it and so do I. You can check them out online at Lamorindaspanish.com julie
i have to also highly recommend Viva el Espanol in Lafayette! They are an amazing group of teachers and the classes are geared for tots to 8th graders; they are also now offering adult classes. So, you can be in your own class while your 3 year old is in his/her own class at the same time. The classes are in 100% Spanish. My son has done the parent/toddler music class, the parent/toddler art class and is now doing the preschool class on his own and loving it. So, while it's also a trek for us to go to Lafayette, it's well worth the time. If we can't send my son to a dual immersion school, this is the second best thing. Visit them online at: http://www.lamorindaspanish.com viva el espanol fan
Spanish classes for toddlers
Jan 2006
I am looking into Spanish classes for my twins. I am hoping to find classes, locally that start teaching kids around 2 years of age. Any recommendations?? isabella
Please check out HABITOT. Call and ask to speak to Caroline Lacey. There are two classes that meet on Monday afternoons. The first is EXPLORANDO ESPANOL. This class meets Monday 3- 3:45. The second class that they are still trying to enroll is NINOS EN LA COCINA. It is a cooking class for children. This one will meet 4-4:45 if they can get the enrollment up. The teacher is Liza Sanchez, and she is wonderful. My son loves it. As far as ages, they really want kids close to 3, but if your 2's were close to 3, I bet they would be accepted. LR
PRAM runs Spanish classes for children aged 3 and up (they have to be able to attend independently). Classes are ongoing throughout the year and hopefully they'll continue next year when you're children are older. You can get more info from www.PRAM.net They're located in Pt. Richmond at 110 E. Richmond Ave. buena suerte
we take a great class in Pt. Richmond offered by PRAM on Thursday afternoons from 3:30-4:15 at the Fieldhouse. You can call for info (510)620-6843, but I have found them less than responsive, so I just showed up one day & signed up. the teacher, Rosie, is great. all the kids love the class. they learn common vocabulary words, incorporate art projects, food, etc. she even does little parties for the holidays. it is very affordable- $40 for 8 sessions. your kids do need to be able to attend by themselves (ie parents are not allowed to stay- the instructor has found the kids are better able to focus) buena suerte, mama of a spanish learnin' 3 year old
Orinda Community Center has a wonderful Spanish class offered for toddlers ages 2-4 and their caregivers. It is a class made up of singing, playing games and creating art while learning Spanish. Taught Fri. from 11:30-12:15 pm. from 1/20-3/24. Cost is $109 for non-residents of Orinda. There is also lots of free parking and a great park to play in right outside of the class when the lesson is done. If you like it, the class continues 4/21-6/2 for $85. There is still space, it is not too late to get in. Call 925-254-2445 to register. Address: 26 Orinda Way, Orinda CA (right off the BART line.) Mom into Spanish
Spanish for 1-3 year olds
June 2003
I am looking for videos that teach young children basic spanish. I do not speak/understand spanish myself. Individual videos or a series would be great. Please let me know where these videos are available also. Any recommendtions would be appreciated. Princess3kaz
OK, I am not sure how old your kid is, so I am giving some for different ages. Your local children's librarian can give you sepcific choices based on your kid's age. My list is not exhaustive by any stretch of the imagination.
Bilingual Baby Spanish So Smart! Spanish Lyric Language Spanish Peli the Clown
There are also some nice tape/CD kits with books that you can use if your kid is older. denise
How to teach Spanish to a 2.5 year old
April 2003
We would love to teach our children spanish. Any suggestions for books, tapes/CDs, videos or other inexpensive methods to teach a 2 1/2 year old? We looked into classes but can't believe a one hour ''spanish play group'' for $16 once a week will teach him spanish. anon
Have you checked into the Spanish TV stations and Sesame Street in Spanish? It's called Plaza del Sesamo and your child will probably pick up a lot by watching. Totally free! Elaine
January 2003
I am looking for CDs or tapes to help my 1 year olds learn Spanish. ginnyfine
Jose-Luis Orozco makes great spanish children's music. I believe he has several CD's on the market. Linnea
May 2002
I would love to introduct my children to the basics of the Spanish language, with a fun class including music. Does anybody know of something like this? Thank you! Michelle
Does anyone know of a local (East Bay) Spanish class for children younger than 3? The archives contain a brief recommendation for Centro Latino in Berkeley, but their youngest students are 3, and my daughter's just turning 2. I'd like to find out whether there's anything local that's the sort of mommy-and-me type of play-based language course that a friend is doing with her delighted 2-year-old in Portland. Thanks. Darcy
Try tuning to the Spanish TV station when Plaza del Sesame (Sesame Street) is on. My husband is from Mexico City and we wanted my son to learn Spanish. The program is identical to the English version of Sesame Street, only conducted totally in Spanish, of course! My son is 7 now and can translate conversational Spanish for me, so it has helped a great deal. EB
well, my almost 3 y.o. daughter is English-Spanish bilingual (Enlish dominant)... here are my recs: although i think muzzy has a horribly sexist, classist story line (not to mention the fat/thin thing goign on with the female characters), i have to say that my kid loves it, particularly the audio tape (just the audio from the videos) that we play at least twice a week in the car. the videos look like they were made in 1985 or so, but again, she loves 'em. they've been well worth the rather high price.
we also have 3 or 4 disney 'canta con nosotrsos'' videos, and she likes one for a month or two and then changes her mind... they occasionally have some scary song/scenes (well, scary for my kid), but the rhythms are great--they're disney songs! the only other i can speak to is the ''family circus learns spanish'' (or something similar). inadvisably bought at barnes & noble on a whim--cheesy, hard to follow songs (hard to follow in English AND in spanish), kids doing cheesy things... one more thing: if you don't have them, jose luis orozco's De Colores, an audio tape and a book (sold separately) are great, and everyone--my mother, my aunts, my kid--loves the songs. jessica
I have tried a few Spanish videos with my daughter (20 months) and her favorite is So Smart! Baby Language School - www.sosmart.com. It is all music set to simple animations - no plain speech. She is mesmerized by the cartoons and loves the songs. She has even picked up a few words. The Bilingual Baby videos are also good - http://www.small- fry.com/bilingualbaby.html. This is all speech with classical background music and live children acting out the words and phrases. The video teaches one words at a time, then puts them together to make a sentence. Plaza Sesamo videos are great if your child likes Sesame Street. A lot of the same characters are in both, and some of the same songs are just dubbed. Other songs and characters are unique to Plaza Sesamo. The videos are hard to find, but 30 min episodes are on KTEH at 7am on Sundays.
You can always get copies of favorite Disney movies dubbed in Spanish, but I have found those to be less interesting for toddlers. We do have a Spanish-dubbed copy of Blue's Clues that my daughter enjoys, but Steve's mismatched lips and voice drive me crazy! Jaime
Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (EBI) offers Spanish immersion summer camps. Each week has a different theme and all counselors are native speakers. EBI also offers a monthly Spanish story time the second Saturday of the month. It is returning in person at the Alcatraz Campus on May 14th from 10-10:30am and is free and open to the public. I recommend you check out their programs!