Online Spanish for Kids

Video lessons on Zoom, Skype or Google Meet are a great way for kids to learn Spanish from home. They work with audio, video or both, you can share files and documents during the lesson, and many tools let you record the class so you can review it later and catch anything you missed.

Even with these tools, teaching children can be a challenge, even face to face. Plan and design online lessons for the situations that come up with young learners:

• Many preschoolers have short attention spans and don’t like to sit still for long.
• Preschoolers generally don’t read well yet, so lessons should be very visual.
• A family member may need to sit with them in case of technical problems (there will be some!).
• Many of the best classroom games and activities can’t be recreated online, so they need adapting.

Here are some tips to get the most out of online lessons and keep children’s attention.

Adaptation

This is the key word in online teaching, or rather “successful adaptation”. For a first online Spanish lesson with a child or teenager, design a new class or adapt one you already use with adults. Remember that while the child is the student, the parents are the client, so show them authority, professionalism and confidence too.

Lesson length

It depends on the child. Younger students do best with 30-minute lessons. Older students, from about age 12, can move to 1-hour lessons, ideally with one or two 5-minute breaks, because an hour of language practice is demanding.

Personalization

Even with a bank of ready activities, tailor each lesson to the child’s interests. If your student loves The Avengers, bring them into the activities: the child will enjoy the class more, and motivation and concentration improve with it. One-on-one lessons make this much easier.

Spanish activities for kids

A few activities that work online or in person:

• Show and tell (preschool and kindergarten, ages 3 to 5): show a flashcard and ask a simple question, such as “¿Qué es esto?” (What is this?) or “¿Es un gato?” (Is it a cat?). Wait a few seconds for an answer, then say “Sí, así es” (Yes, it is) or “No, no lo es” (No, it isn’t).
• Read stories aloud (ages 3 to 8): reading stories works well in online classes. Be aware that showing a book’s pictures over video, live or recorded, can raise copyright issues.
• Trivia (ages 6 to 11): make your own cards with Spanish questions about numbers, body parts, colors, animals and food. Start with easy questions so kids get used to the wording.

In conclusion

When you teach kids Spanish online, never lose sight of the main goal: motivating them to keep learning. Fun and emotional connection have to be part of every lesson, because without them there is no learning.

Want an expert to do it? See our Spanish tutors for kids, Spanish tutors for toddlers and Spanish tutoring for schools.