Todo El Mundo language schools is restarting its baby and toddler Spanish class specifically for families with young children aged 0-4, running at Bath Library on Tuesday morning from 10 September.
“It doesn’t matter what language you speak at home, these lessons are designed for parents and carers and their children to learn together,” explained Katherine Mallia from Todo El Mundo. “These classes provide a safe, friendly and caring environment where your child can explore the Spanish language through engaging and playful methods that incorporate concepts your child is already familiar with.”
The classes take place on Tuesdays from 9.30-10am and cost £8 per family. They use a specially written, topic-based programme for the 0-4s to ensure enough repetition for learning but also plenty of variety to keep both children and parents engaged.
They also include
- Fun Games and Activities Interactive sessions that keep kids excited about learning.
- Storytelling and Songs Familiar tunes and stories in Spanish to make language learning natural and enjoyable.
- Role Play and Craft Activities Hands-on experiences that bring language to life.
- Continue learning at home Listen to the songs and rhymes anywhere on the La Jolie Ronde App and the videos on YoutubeKids.
“Learning a second language allows toddlers to develop improved perceptual and communication skills, while also learning to speak with near-perfect accents,” explained Katherine.
“Research has also shown that children who learn a second language perform better in standardised tests, especially in areas like math, reading, and vocabulary.”
Katherine and her team have been teaching Spanish to the children aged 0-11 for over 12 years across the Bath area. “There’s always a lot of play and fun involved in the lessons,” she explained. “For example, with our ‘let’s wash’ topic, we act out washing our hands in Spanish to a song, while our cooking topic includes mixing up some vegetable soup.
“The family classes have always held a special place in my heart as I used to do them with my own son and it was a very special bonding experience for us. Now I love seeing that happening for other families in my class while they learn Spanish alongside their small children.
“One of the best feelings coming from having taught Spanish to children for so many years is hearing from families whose children adored our early years or primary school Spanish classes, and have then gone on to take GCSE and even A-Level Spanish, with the language continuing to be a part of their lives into adulthood.”