3 great books for summer reading and learning Spanish with your little ones

I want to share with you these 3 great books for summer reading and learning Spanish with your little ones.

From early infancy, reading to your baby begins to teach her to recognise the sounds and rhythm of language and to feel that cuddling with you and reading books is comforting and fun.

You can also choose books in other languages as a way to introduce a second language and tap in babies’ great ability to learn from an early age.

Studies show that children who are routinely read to from a young age develop improved language skills and increased interest in reading, which helps improve their readiness for preschool .

Try to make reading part of your daily routine with your baby—for example, at bedtime. You can start out reading for a few minutes at a time, and extend to longer reading sessions as your child grows older and develops a longer attention span.

Make the story come alive by using different voices for different characters, and even acting out parts of the story, these is also a great idea to aid learning.

Reading and sharing stories can:

• Help your child become familiar with sounds, words, language and the value of books.
• Spark your child’simagination, stimulate curiosity and help his brain development.
• Help your child develop early literacy skills like the ability to listen to and understand words.

Children can be interested in different types of books depending on their age, development, temperament, and life experiences.

Babies like books with interesting things to look at and touch; toddlers also like books that make noises and have fold-out sections they can lift to reveal hidden surprises and preschoolers appreciate books with more elaborate pictures, rhymes, funny words, and interesting stories.

Through books it is easy to introduce a second language, you can use the book to learn single words and sentences and you can discuss the story in your own language too, using your language and the new one will also make it fun for your little one.

Here are 3 books that I love and are perfect to introduce words and little stories in Spanish:

1. Si yo fuera un león (If I were Lion): can you roar like a lion or croak like a frog? A great book to introduce animals and sounds. Very playful and interactive. The author is Isabel Pin and you can find it on Amazon here.
2. Limón (Lemon): A very cute book from Antonio Rubio Herrero and Oscar Villaan, from their collection “De la cuna a la luna” all recommendable books. Limón , limón, plays with simple rhymes and it is fun to read. Also sold on Amazon.
3. Un beso antes de dormir (A kiss before going to sleep). A very sweet book to read at bedtime. All the animals kiss mummy before going to Sleep. BY Teresa Tellechea and Alicia Padrón. Here is where you can find it.

I hope you will enjoy your reading time with your little ones.

For more tips on how to introduce Spanish as a second language leave a comment or question and tell us about your experiences too.

Maybe you have other books that you love, we would love to hear about them.

If you are in South West London join us in one of our classes and learn Spanish with your little one, here are all our classes.