Spanish for Kids: How Grocery Shopping Helps Strengthen Their Spanish Skills

Grocery shopping with your children is sometimes tough simply because there is so much to ask about and question in a shop so full of items! One way to make the grocery shopping trip fun for your child while also teaching them a valuable skill is to use the store as an object lesson for learning Spanish words. Children learn very quickly but usually appreciate concrete items they can see and touch, so the grocery store and food preparation time can be wonderful opportunities for learning.

Making the Shopping List

If you have a child who is learning to read and write, have them help you with making the shopping list for the week in both English and Spanish. If they are not writing any letters yet, you'll still begin their curiosity about language learning if you let them look on as you write, watching you form letters with a pen. If they are children who love getting up and looking around the pantry and the fridge, have them survey the cabinets and cupboards and ask, "what are we missing? What do we need more of?" Each time your child identifies a needed ingredient, translate the word into Spanish and have them try saying it one time, or even multiple times.

Inside the Store

You can visit a traditional grocery store, since many have an aisle with Latin American specialty products that have Spanish on the product packages, or you can choose a local specialty store that focuses on Mexican or another Latin American country's products. Have your child remember or read the items on the list and look around for them. Have them say the names of the different products as they are looking for the products and as they put them into the cart or basket. Ask them questions about the different products as you shop - it may seem like shopping takes longer this way, but with a little preparation, this kind of shopping actually creates more engagement with your child which means they are less likely to get bored and get into mischief. 

• In the produce section, have children practice Spanish colors with "the green cucumber" (el pepino verde), teaching the basics of article use and adjective use from the start. Don't worry if they see it all as one jumbled word at first - small children are amazing at learning auditorily and they may have an easier time remembering than you think.

• In sections where you want to comparison shop, like choosing a box of crackers from 20 different varieties, you can introduce Spanish numbers: "tres" for three, or "dos" for two, and see if they can figure out which one is less expensive (menos caro)!

• Little games, like playing "I Spy" in Spanish can keep small ones entertained when you have a long walk to the next section or need to backtrack. In Spanish, there is a version you can use called "Veo Veo: the exchange goes like this:

  • Veo veo (I see, I see)

  • Response: ¿Qué ves? (What do you see?)

  • Una cosita (A little thing)

  • ¿Qué cosita? (What thing?)

  • Empieza con la "A" (It begins with the letter A)

  • Then the child begins guessing; clearly, children who know their alphabet well will do best in this game.

Putting Groceries Away

Repetition is the key to growing one's vocabulary in Spanish, and luckily, a perfect repetition opportunity exists with groceries, since they need to be put away. Have your child take out groceries, mention how they feel - cold, dry, etc. - and remind them of those words in Spanish. See if they remember what the item is called or if they can sound out the Spanish writing on the package. As they put the items away, you can introduce more words: refrigerator, cabinet, kitchen, and more. Clearly, if you and your child are full-up on Spanish words for the day, that's fine! Grocery shopping happens often in most families, which means that each grocery trip is an opportunity to reinforce past words and encourage the next ones!

Cooking With Kids and Spanish

Children love feeling skilled and independent, and the kitchen is a great place to begin giving children the opportunity to help around the house and feel proud of the food they create. Let them look through recipe cards with you or through parent-approved recipe boards on Pinterest to help you select a recipe that fits the ingredients you have. Many fun words will come up, from apron to whisk, as you assemble the needed ingredients and begin to practice the actions needed for preparing food. You can combine Spanish with kitchen safety, reminding your child that the tasks involving knives or extreme heat, for instance, are for the parents. Your child can practice writing the letters of the Spanish name for the food you create and make a label for the dish before it is served to the family. Once again, the ingredients in your dish will be another reminder of the words your child has learned: you'll be amazed how this simple 4-step repetition exercise will teach your child so quickly!

Many children's books exist that include information about food; look for Spanish language picture books to read together that will help to inspire your child to come up with the next recipe for cooking. Spanish-language children's television programming can also provide a source of excitement to get your child interested in groceries, food, and cooking with you. This can be a good way to ease into cooking together if your child tends to be a picky eater, since many children take much more ownership over meals they come up with themselves and become slightly more adventurous eaters in the process.

The process of grocery shopping with children can seem tough when they get the wiggles or decide to run around the store, but engaging them with a lesson in Spanish can help them to feel focused and engaged. With a little prep ahead of time, grocery shopping can be the educational highlight of your week.

Photo by David Veksler on Unsplash

Little Pim's Easter Coloring Page [PRINTABLE]

Hop, hop, hop into a new language with Little Pim! Celebrate the upcoming Easter holiday by printing out this free Little Pim Easter Coloring Page for your little ones.

We’d love to see their finished creation, so please share your photo with us using the #littlepim on Instagram, Twitter, or tag us on Facebook! Also if you’re teaching your child a new language with Little Pim - Languages for Kids, post a photo or video of them watching our series and we’ll send you a free panda plush!

We hope you all have a fabulous Spring and Easter holiday for those celebrating!

If you’re interested in teaching your child a foreign language, take advantage of our Spring sale for 50% off your first 3 months of Little Pim’s Unlimited Subscription with code HOP50.

How To Use Little Pim Effectively

Congratulations on choosing the most effective method for introducing babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers to a second or third language at the time they learn best. The series is especially designed to take advantage of the critical window when young minds are hard-wired to learn up to three languages with ease, which is up to six years old.

Each Little Pim theme is broken up into seven short episodes. Because we know babies and toddlers have short attention spans, Little Pim was designed to allow you to start and stop after any of the five-minute episodes. Older children (2-6) may enjoy watching the seven short episodes in one sitting. You can pause the episodes at any time and interact with your child to help reinforce the new vocabulary.

Here are some tips so you can become your child’s first language tutor even if you don’t speak the language yourself!

As you and your child watch the episodes, repeat the words and phrases aloud.

If you know the vocabulary, you can comment on what is happening or predict what comes next. Speaking and interacting with the video is an effective way to engage your child and enhance their learning.

How many hours per weeks should my child watch?

Our recommendation is for babies and toddlers to watch at least two five-minute episodes two to three times a week, and for older children to watch all seven episodes. It is best to expose your child to the sounds of the foreign language as often as possible.

Learn with your child and make it fun.

Practicing along with your child keeps him or her motivated and engaged. Put post-its around the house or find objects mentioned in the videos right after watching, and name them together in the new language.

Model, don’t correct.

If your child makes a mistake, simply reinforce the word and show that you’ve understood, then repeat the word with the correct pronunciation. You can refer to the videos for proper pronunciation.

Enroll your child in a language playgroup.

Find other parents with children who are learning the same language as your child, and get together weekly for singing, stories, and play in the foreign language. If you do not have access to one, start one yourself!

Engage your child in the foreign language whenever you can.

Use his or her favorite toys or everyday objects to talk about vocabulary you have learned. For example, use the new words as you cook, or pretend that his or her stuffed animals are having a tea party and reinforce the vocabulary in the series.

Traditional Rosh Hashanah Activities for Kids

September 10th is the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, a day in which Jewish families around the world ring in the year 5779. Whether your child or classroom is learning Hebrew or not, it's a great time to expose them them to Jewish culture and global traditions surrounding this important Jewish holiday.

Rosh Hashanah translates from Hebrew to mean "start of the year." Traditionally, Jewish families attend services in a synagogue and enjoy traditional holiday meals with family on this day and the next.

The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram's horn, which is sounded on both days of Rosh Hashanah to mark the start of the new year.

For a fun craft, your child can make his or her very own (thankfully less noisy) cardboard shofar here.

Many of the foods Jewish families eat during this holiday are also symbolic. For example, apples dipped into honey help prepare followers for a "sweet" new year.

And Challah, a round loaf of egg bread is also commonly eaten on the first night and symbolizes the circle of life.

Apples & honey are traditionally eaten by Jewish families on Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a "sweet" new year ahead.

Teach your child about this yummy tradition by whipping up a batch of Honey Apple Cupcakes together.

If you want your children to learn more about Jewish tradition and learn Hebrew, check out our award-winning Hebrew for kids program.

Are you celebrating the holiday this year or teaching your child Hebrew? Be sure to send us your pictures or share them on our Facebook page.

And don't forget you can get Rosh Hashanah cards here to wish your Jewish friends or family members a happy new year! The traditional greeting is "shana tova," which translates to "good year."

Little Pim Beach Day Kids Coloring Page

With the heatwave we're experiencing here in the northeast, there's nothing like cooling off at the beach or pool. In this coloring page, Little Pim is at the beach ready to enjoy the hot summer day. When it feels like over 100 degrees outside, cool off indoors in the A/C while your little ones color with Little Pim!

Print your FREE "Little Pim Beach Day" coloring page here or by clicking the image below:

If you're subscribed to Little Pim's new subscription product, in addition to all of our videos, you'll receive new episodes introducing your child to new words and phrases describing the weather, seasons, and greetings. Here's a sneak peek at some of the vocabulary covered in our "Sunny Day" episode in English & Spanish that you can teach your little ones while they're coloring:

summer / el verano
it's sunny / está soleado
beach / la playa
sand / la arena
swimming pool / la piscina
swim / nadar

Stay cool, stay hydrated, and enjoy the last few weeks of Summer! - The Little Pim team

Summer Camp Coloring Page

Summer is in full swing and the kids are out to play and maybe even going to camp! Download our FREE Little Pim Summer Camp Coloring Page for a fun coloring activity for your kids:

Let's see your kids' creations! Share their coloring page on Instagram/Twitter using #LittlePim or tag us on Facebook and we will send you a FREE Little Pim Panda Plush bear! Offer ends July 31st, 2018. Limited 1 panda plush per household. 

Little Pim Thanksgiving Coloring Page

Happy November! With Thanksgiving coming up, download and print Little Pim's Thanksgiving Coloring page!

Don't forget to incorporate language learning into your holiday while cooking, spending time with family, and during playtime! Teach your kids how to say "thank you" in different languages and other seasonal vocabulary, like the Spanish word for "leaf" = "la hoja."

A post shared by Little Pim (@littlepimhq) on Nov 6, 2017 at 5:01am PST

For other fun activities, check out our blog post on 4 Fun Thanksgiving Activities you can do with your little ones!

Little Pim Autumn Coloring Page

Happy Fall! What fun activities do you have planned this weekend? Celebrate the start of the beautiful season by printing out your free Autumn Coloring Page of Little Pim picking apples! While you're coloring, teach your little ones how to say "apple" in the 12 different languages we offer on our website: English - Apple

Spanish - Manzana

French - Pomme

Mandarin Chinese - Píngguǒ

Italian - Mela

German - Apfel

Russian - Yabloko

Korean - Sagwa

Portuguese - Maçã

Arabic - Tafaha

Japanese - Ringo

Hebrew - תפוח עץ (tah-POO-ahkh)

Share your child's finished work of art with us by using #littlepim on Instagram or Twitter and we'll send you a FREE Little Pim Panda Plush.

Click here to download your free coloring page.

Brush Strokes of Genius

A child’s grip on a pencil starts out loose, like their understanding of cultures and worlds beyond their own. As they master holding the pencil, drawing basic shapes, and later letters, more and more of the unknown comes into focus. They begin to recognize the semi-circular shape of an Iranian mosque’s dome. They are familiarized with the square shape of mosaic tiles in Roman churches. The muscles in their hands know what it’s like to write out characters, the same ones that Shakespeare used to assemble his sonnets. Via these examples, we see how motor skills underlie art, which is a vehicle of cultural exchange. While we at Little Pim often emphasize learning languages as a means of cultural exposure, we want to use this post to highlight learning motor skills as a perfect time to introduce your children to different cultures through art. Accordingly, below is a list of artists from around the world who can inspire activities that will reinforce your children’s motor skills, cultural awareness, and familiarity with art as a tool of self and cultural expression.

Piet Mondrian

tate-museum

• Dutch
• 1872-1944
• Was initially a teacher who painted on the side
• Started out as a landscape painter
• Was heavily influenced by the geometric shapes and simplicity of the cubist movement in Paris, where he moved
• Met Bart van der Leck and Theo van Doesberg, who helped him develop his most famous artistic style, which highlights the beauty underlying simple shapes and primary colors

A child just learning motor skills requires a great deal of concentration just to bring these simple shapes to life. Resultantly, they have a heightened appreciation for them, an appreciation that Mondrian relearned. Your child might thereby be able to relate to an important figure in Dutch culture.

Activity

Ask your children to draw 10 dots at random locations on a piece of paper. Then, have them connect one dot to each of the others on the paper with straight lines. (Use a ruler if straight lines are difficult for them.) Repeat for the other 9 dots. The result is a very cool geometric pattern. Take out primary color markers, colored pencils, or crayons and have them fill in the shapes as they see fit. With that, you have a Mondrian inspired piece ready to be hung on the fridge.

Niki de Saint Phalle

• French
• 1930-2002
• Was a sculptor, painter, and film maker, most widely revered for her monumental sculpture work
• Had no formal art training
• Was first recognized for angry, battered works that mirrored emotions associated with a troubled childhood
• Developed a whimsical, joyous artistic style, child-like in its bright color palette

The fun, quirky nature of these pieces will appeal to your child’s innate happiness and creativity. Let their curiosity take over upon asking what the sculpture below on the left represents.

art-for-kids

Activity

Break out the colorful Playdough for this activity! Show your child images of Niki de Saint Phalle’s sculptures and let the fun ensue. You can suggest rolling out small segments of different colored dough and connecting them to make a multi-colored snake, which is what I see in the sculpture on the left.

Joan Miró

Joan Miró

• Spanish
• 1893-1983
• Painter, sculptor, ceramicist
• Was classically trained in art school but rejected traditional methods and styles later in life, claiming they were created to appease the rich, who commissioned the works
• Was also inspired by cubism and moved to its epicenter, Paris
• Classified as a surrealist, who allowed his subconscious mind to take control of his hands

The abstraction of Miró’s pieces reinforce to your children that there is no such thing as perfection, especially in art. It is all about personal perspective and emotions. Encourage them to make “mistakes” and try something wacky in their own pieces.

Activity

Grab a few hangers from the closet, thread/yarn from the sewing kit, scissors, and construction paper. You now have all the tools necessary to make your very own mobile, like the one above on the right, perfect for a younger sibling’s room. Snip the hook off of a hanger; that is how you will be able to hang the mobile. Then, cut a few straight pieces of wire from several hangers. Twist them to attach them to the hook. Splay them out in different directions. Afterwards, cut some pieces of thread/yarn and knot them onto the end of the wires. Go crazy cutting out awesome shapes from the colorful construction paper. Pierce a hole and knot the other ends of the threads into the construction paper cutouts. Boom! Your very own Miró inspired mobile!

wang-guangyi

Wang Guangyi

• Chinese
• Born 1957
• Still alive today
• Went to art school after many failed attempts at college entrance
• Heavily inspired by the Chinese Cultural Revolution
• Internationally acclaimed for the “Great Criticism,” which were paintings on top of traditional propaganda
  • Ended the series in fear that its fame undermined its very message, which was that political and commercial advertising is manipulative
  • Continued with political criticism of VISA’s

While less child-like in its appearance than the works of the aforementioned artists, Guangyi is unfiltered and unapologetic for his opinions in his art, just as a child is before he or she is molded to fit into a society that values conformity.

Activity

Let your children make a statement with this next piece of art.  Suggest to your children that they draw how they feel about their least favorite food. See how their emotions translate into art.

Father's Day Language Learning Fun

Father’s Day is a time to celebrate family, love, and happiness. All of the warm sentiments conjured on this day will mirror the warm weather forecasted in New York, where Little Pim is based, creating perfect conditions to have a wonderful day. What could make the day any better? Foreign language. While a shared appreciation for a father figure unites a family, exposure to a foreign language can unite an immigrant or multicultural family with its roots and can unite a curious family around a common love for learning. Language learning can be seamlessly incorporated into your plans for the day, whether you are attending a barbecue, heading to the beach, or staying in the comforts of your own home. It’s not only easy but fun, so read on for some helpful tips.

Barbecue

As you are slicing the fruit for a platter or tossing the salad to kick off the barbecue, you can make use of the vibrant array of colors on display to teach your child another language. The Little Pim flash card sets include the words for colors for each language offered. Accordingly, even if you aren’t proficient in the language you would like to teach, the cards can provide you with the necessary vocabulary to turn this fairly boring task into a fun language learning opportunity.

Moreover, as the adults surround the grill, and conversations about work inevitably ensue, your child might grow bored. To keep them happy and engaged, you can simply hand over your iPad. While this parenting move often leads to gaming, which isn’t necessarily intellectually challenging or fruitful for your child, you can use Little Pim livestream, to turn this moment into another language learning opportunity.

As the eating winds down and everyone is still gathered around the table or fire pit, you can introduce a fun language learning game to liven up the mood. In the game, you can choose a flashcard from the deck at random. You can’t let your child see it. Similar to the wildly popular game “Heads Up,” your child then holds the card to their forehead. Make sure to have the English translation side face the rest of the table. The other family members and friends have to give verbal hints or act out gestures based on which your child can guess the word in English. Once your child has successfully guessed the word, in order to earn a bonus point, he or she must translate the word into the foreign language of your choice.

Beach

As you pack your bag for the beach, make an assembly line with you and your child. As you pick up an item, pass it to your child and have him or her try to name the word in the foreign language. Many of the words that would likely be useful during this exercise are part of the flashcard sets, but below is a short list with translations into French and Spanish for your convenience.

The highly anticipated ocean entry is another chance for you to involve some language learning into Father’s Day fun. While some kids are hesitant to enter the cold water, you can make it less intimidating by turning it into a game. You can call out what is written on one side of the flashcard and have them translate into or from English. Each correct answer can be a step backward towards “safety,” and each incorrect answer can be a step closer to the waves, or vice versa if your child is excited to go into the water.

The car ride home is perfect chance to pop in a French Bop or Spanish Bop CD. More information and statistics encouraging listening to music sung in a foreign language can be found in a recent blog posting.

Day at Home

If Father’s Day will be low-key at home for you and your family, language learning might be the perfect stimulus to brighten the day. For example, while your child is writing that cute letter to Dad that you will save for years to come, you can teach them how to say some of the words in his or her letter in other languages.

While below is a short list of words and phrases your child is likely to use translated into French and Spanish, Little Pim’s content covers many more languages.

Happy Father’s Day from Little Pim to you and your family! We hope language learning can make an amazing day even better.