I’ve always wanted to be bilingual. Although my husband grew up in a Spanish-speaking home, and I took a few years of Spanish, we are still only conversational. This lack of fluency caused me to shy from speaking much Spanish with my children at home because if I couldn’t teach them everything, why try?

Then I took a class from a Spanish teacher who encouraged me to practice with my children, even if it was just a little each day. This changed my perspective.

When I started practicing Spanish with my family, I had unrealistic expectations that we would master Spanish fluently in a year or two. I soon found we would need full immersion in a Spanish-speaking country for us to gain that kind of fluency.  But once I shifted my expectations, I decided adding a little Spanish to our lives every day is better than none.

Here are seven tips for introducing a second language that I found effective.

Seven tips for introducing a second language

Memorize common phrases 

I set out to learn common Spanish phrases I could use with my children daily. These commands came from basic life routines, such as - put on your shoes, brush your teeth, and wash your hands.

I focus on one to three new phrases a week and incorporate them into our daily routines.

I stick them on a fridge or other visible place. This works well with children of all ages, even babies. Although, sometimes I like to rephrase it for my littlest (17 months old), such as: Do you need help putting on your shoes?

Read in the second language

• Read often. The more you practice reading in a foreign language, the more comfortable you will become with it.
• Read age-appropriate texts. You don't want to overwhelm (or underwhelm) your little ones.
• Read loud and clear. It's okay if you only make it through a few pages in the second language. Your mind will get tired and so will your tongue. 
• Point out as much vocabulary from the book. Say it in both your native language and also in the second language. This helps reinforce the idea that there can be different words for an object. You can also do this with books solely written in your first language as you learn more vocabulary.

Start with titles you are already familiar with in your first language 

For me, I found the classics I knew best helped to increase my understanding of the text (i.e. Are You My Mother? Or Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!). I also greatly appreciate Spanglish and bilingual texts so I can see the foreign words next to the English ones. A librarian can recommend more texts.

Practice with a native speaker 

Do you have a friend or relative who speaks the second language you want to learn? Facetime them with your kids and ask them to only speak to you in that language. Even five minutes of practice with a native speaker can help you pick up a new phrase, vocabulary, and pronunciation you didn't know before.

If you don't have a friend or relative who you can practice with, I recommend trying a virtual school, such as Homeschool Spanish Academy. These sites allow you to connect with native speakers who can help you achieve your second language goals through one-on-one weekly online classes. Personally, I've used this academy for over a year and have made great gains with it. The pricing is fair for 25 or 50 minutes of practice.

Enjoy music and poetry

Look up playlists in the second language online.  "Spanish Nursery Rhymes and Folk Songs" on Spotify has plenty of Spanish songs and so does “Canticos” on YouTube.

I also love reading a poem in Spanish a day from one of my favorite poetry books, The Tree is Older than You or Pio Peep. If I want my older children to memorize one, I'll read it for two weeks until they can't help but repeat it. We've learned five Spanish poems this way.

Play games

Physical movement can help kids learn a second language.  Learn body parts through familiar games (“Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” or “Simon Says”), which is even fun to practice with babies.

Act out tasks or full-blown skits in a second language

I started simple: "I put on my shoes" or "I pick up my pencil, I sharpen my pencil, I put my pencil in my backpack. Eventually, I hope we can build up to skits.

Mix it Up

If you're teaching at home, you have the freedom to invite the kids to learn the way they feel like learning that day. My eleven-year old enjoys translating small sections of his favorite chapter book into Spanish.  We purchased the book in both English and Spanish. He will choose small chunks and we read and identify vocabulary, phrases and full sentences in both languages. He also likes Duolingo.

Other days, we might read a few Spanglish books and just focus on reinforcing the vocabulary we already have. Or call Abuelita and have a short conversation with her solely in broken Spanish.

Remember, it’s all about exposure. Every day, focus on trying a little. The more you try, the better you’ll get and the easier it’ll come. Someday I hope to live in a Spanish-speaking country for full immersion, but for now, we are working on making small gains as a family.

More Resources:

• A monthly subscription book box will get kids motivated to learn a second language. For Spanish, I know and love Hola Amigo Box and TalkBox, which are immersive approaches to teaching kids Spanish at home. Also, Sol Book Box is a subscription that curates Spanish children's books to motivate and inspire bilingual children.
• I also recommend Kiwi Co's Atlas subscription, which introduces children to different cultures around the world each month.
• Work with an in-person teacher. You never know until you start thinking outside the box who might be willing to teach a class. You can keep costs low (and more exciting!) by inviting other interested families.

Additional studies that can be incorporated or cut for brevity:

Recently, researchers from I-LABS study discovered babies and young children given the opportunity to learn a foreign language for an hour a day made retainable advancements in the language.

Patricia Kuhl, co-director of I-LABS, says, “Science indicates that babies’ brains are the best learning machines ever created, and that infants’ learning is time-sensitive. Their brains will never be better at learning a second language than when they are between 0 and 3 years of age.”

But don’t be discouraged if you’ve missed the 0-3 window with your child. Another study out of MIT showed children through their teen years can still learn a new language quickly. And adults might have a harder time achieving proficiency, but many studies show they gain brain boosting advantages such as improved memory, longer attention span, and less chance of Alzheimer's.