Are you looking for an amazing app for your kids or toddlers to learn Spanish? Or do you want an app just to keep them entertained on the way to the mall while making good use of their laptops, tablets, or iPhones?
Every time, many parents ask me to recommend them efficient apps for young children to learn Spanish. My advice as an experienced tutor with over 19 years of teaching English & Spanish (and also as a mother of a 9 and 4-year-old) is to first find a qualified Spanish teacher. The teacher will include the 4 skills in the path of learning Spanish (listening, reading, writing, and speaking), but an app won’t do that, they are only for some specific skills, such as reading, vocabulary, or pronunciation. It is not so complicated nowadays to get a teacher, there are many sites where you can choose an Online Spanish Teacher (like here, Lingua Linkup), according to your budget, needs, etc. In my opinion, for very young learners (2/3 years old) the session couldn’t be more than 30 minutes, taking into consideration that the attention span at that age is very short. And before that, it would be ideal to have a discovery call of 15 minutes to get to know each other. Choosing one-to-one lessons would help your child learn faster. Once your child starts Spanish lessons, you can also find an app for children just to complement what they learn from their Spanish teacher, instead of spending their time playing Roblox or so, they can have fun and learn Spanish!
It’s important to consider that most of the apps in the market are for learning vocabulary only, and just a few of them include pronunciation and listening.
Here are the 5 of the Best Spanish Learning Apps for Kids
I chose them in order of completion, which ones include most skills (listening, speaking, vocabulary) and also, in that way the children don’t get bored doing repeated activities.
- Duolingo ABC Kids
- Fun Spanish form Studycat
- The free version only teaches basic vocabulary
- Paid full version $3.99 per year
- For iOS
- Beginners (3 to 10 years old)
- This app offer games that teach listening, speaking, useful vocabulary, and simple sentences. (colors, shapes, numbers). While the paid version includes parts of the house, food, actions, and more.
- Get it for: iOS or Android.
- Spanish School Bus
- Free version (only includes 1st level)
- Very young learners (from 3 to 6 years old)
- It could be in the top Spanish apps because this app was created by a Spanish teacher inspired by her Montessori-based approach. The activities involve some movement, which for me is very important to teach young learners. It is a must to get involved in more than just do a click on the screen. In this app, it both shows and says the words. (numbers, colors, shapes, etc.)
- Get it for: iOS.
- Gus on the Go Stories
- 2 free stories, then $1.99 per additional story.
- Young learners (+5 if they are interested in learning Spanish), if not I may say that is recommended for +7)
- It uses whole sentences. Audio/listening and reading skills are developed through stories.
- Get it for: iOS.
- Gus on the Go.
Now that you have a quick review of the 5 best kids Spanish apps, you may agree with me that they are not complete enough. The grammar part is missing, explanations and most of them offer repeat exercises that can be boring for kids learning Spanish. As I said before, the apps are a great way to complete your kids’ Spanish lessons, just to offer them more input and as a way of using their tablet, computer, and or mobile device in a more productive way. Take into consideration that students of all ages, from kindergarten kids up to adults, need to be emotionally involved. So, it is so important that you can find a teacher to be funny, patient, dynamic, and can understand in which way is the student learning. (But multiple intelligences is something for another blog)…
About the Author:
Specializations: Spanish Tutors on Zoom
Bio: 28-year-old graphic designer and writer with 7 years of experience, passionate about communication in all its aspects as the main tool to forge links. I consider myself a detailed, patient, and empathetic person, so even if you consider yourself a difficult student, I will know how to guide you to reach the level of Spanish you need for whatever activity you have in mind. As a student of Literature, I always had the same love for books and their stories, as well as for the Spanish language and its formation. I believe that the best way to learn is to be passionate about what you are learning and that is what I always want to achieve with my students. I have worked with children, adolescents, and adults, so I have knowledge about the different learning stages that a person can go through and the different strategies to approach them.
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