Happy Sunday! Today's Lenguaje Dual Domingo, I am picking up after our first year of the program and reflecting on last summer, where the twins transitioned from Kindergarten to First grade!
So...I know this happens to every parent...that feeling that you didn't do enough, or could have done more. Mom guilt. Dad guilt. However you slice it, the kids walked into First grade so excited, but I worried they might be unprepared. I felt that guilt.
I envisioned the previous summer with scheduled time for independent reading (so we could focus on each child individually) handwriting practice and some time making use of the extra workbooks that the teacher sent home.
In reality, there was not scheduled time for learning, or a calendar of objectives that I wanted to cover over the summer. But there was plenty of outdoor fun, quality time with Dad, and new experiences with day camps and travel!
On a positive note, these are three things we did to help make sure that our Spanish was not forgotten:
- Started a Spanish Storytime: We helped start a weekly Spanish story times with other dual language kids, and were able to host a couple Saturday meets.
- Signed up for FREE bilingual books: We also receive these free books in the mail from Read Conmingo.
- Turned on the Spanish: We turned on the TV, but I switched the kids' tv to play Spanish when available. Nickelodeon has Phineas and Ferb in Spanish, even the introduction song!
Looking forward, these are three realistic goals for us to set this summer:
- Visit the library often: This allows my focus to be just on reading, and in a nice quiet environment.
- Listen to Spanish music: We love music during the afternoon, so why not incorporate some español into the mix. And in the car on a roadtrip! Some great fun musicians to look for are Juanes, Shakira and some good old cumbias by Selena!
- Teach in English: One thing I have learned is that they kids will learn the Spanish language in school, and at home, I need to concentrate on the English learning. Teaching skills like telling time, counting money and science experiments in English during the summer will help them understand better when learning them the next school year in Spanish.
So, this was our our summer. Did you have similar struggles?
Have any other great ideas for these dog days of summer?
I'd love to hear about it!
