Chat by Gabriela and Ady
The mothers concluded that it is difficult to get our kids to speak Spanish. Television, school and friends speak English makes it easier for them to move away from Spanish and only speak English. It is a great challenge to maintain Spanish at home.
Tips to keep the language alive
- Conversations at home
- Eat as a family
- Chores at home – have conversations while cleaning.
- Ask simple questions that can start conversations: “¿Quieres una manzana?”
- Keep conversations with family members (grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts) that only speak Spanish.
- Watch Spanish TV
- Listen to Spanish music
- Plan trips to country of origin to strengthen family relationships.
Start early because when kids are teenagers they don’t see the benefit nor want to practice the language. They see it as a punishment and they see it as being outside their comfort zone.
Its very important that our kids are bilingual.
It is an advantage because they will have more opportunities in the future. There are other benefits asides of keeping our culture. We want them to feel proud of being Latinos.