If you’re already part of our subscriber community, head over to the Free Spanish Printable Library (FSPL) and input the seasonal, case-sensitive password provided in each email I send your way! Manipulative activities – using any concrete objects, blocks, shapes, cookie cutters, etc., have your kids explore letters with a hands-on approach.I-Spy – write a couple of words on a paper, and see if your child can identify the high-frequency word of the day!.Related: Seasonal scavenger hunts in Spanish for kids See how many words your child can find that are on the list!.For some advanced extra fun, throw in a couple of words that are not on the list.Choose a certain amount of sight words and hide them around the house or classroom.Print out a poem in Spanish with your child and have them circle the high-frequency word of the day! You might even learn some new vocabulary yourself =) Poetry: Poems use a lot of high-frequency words.You could also print out the lyrics to the song and have your child circle or highlight the high-frequency word as well. Once your child becomes familiar with the song, give them a piece of paper with a particular high-frequency word and have them raise it in the air when they hear the sight word in the song. Songs – pick a nursery rhyme or children’s song and practice it throughout the week.Practice that word a few times with your child or student and have them locate the word with their finger when it comes up in the book.įor a list of children’s picture books in Spanish, click here. Word of the day: Each time you read a book, scan through the book first to see if a particular high-frequency word frequently appears.Allocate a slot of time in each day to read to your child.įor tips on reading to a bilingual child click here. Reading exposes children to new high-frequency words as well as new vocabulary. Reading: The only way to become a better reader is through reading.Ways to use high-frequency words in the Spanish classroom or at home In the meantime, keep reading to see a list of ways you can use high-frequency words in the classroom or at home. I plan on executing some of these activities with my son Lennox over the next couple of months to see, and if these activities prove useful, I want to share them with you!
That is why, even though Spanish literacy takes a phonetic-based approach, I think that it would be beneficial to implement high-frequency word activities to guide children in their Spanish literacy journey. Memorization and repetitive activities are how I learned Spanish and two other languages as an adult. As a more right-brained thinker, I most definitely would have benefited from repetitive and memorization activities such as sight word activities. I do not remember doing sight word practice as a child. I will go more into this in a future post. Phonetics-based learning works on breaking down the different letters and syllables of words.
This means that there is a heavier focus on phonetics-based learning over word memorization when it comes to teaching children how to read. On the other hand, Spanish is a phonetic language, and despite a few rules, each letter has one sound. Many sight words in English include words that do not fit phonetic patterns, i.e., of, through, through, etc. Non-phonetic means the pronunciation of a word does not correspond to its’ spelling. In the English language, practicing sight words and doing sight word activities are extremely helpful due to English’s non-phonetic nature. Memorizing sight words help kids become faster and more fluent readers. Sight words are simple, common words taught to kids to be memorized and eventually recognized within three-seconds. “Sight words are the building blocks of the literacy instruction.” –