The Bilingual Family Cereal Dates Podcast

Spanish for Parents (Meal Time Routine)

July 06, 2021 Daniela Perieda - Author and Founder of Bilingual Family. Jon Perieda - Audio Engineer and Police Officer Season 1 Episode 35
The Bilingual Family Cereal Dates Podcast
Spanish for Parents (Meal Time Routine)
Show Notes

Routines tie bilingual parenting into a perfect, actionable package. During routines, we are having conversations with the people we love and care for, and for the most part, during the daily routines, we repeat the same phrases over and over, but they are repeated in a real and meaningful way. In other words, we are talking about things that are actually happening and we're talking with people we care about. If you choose just one routine and you decide to use Spanish during that one routine, by the end of the month, using those phrases will become second nature to you, and you'll be able to add another routine. Imagine that. In one year, you will be using Spanish during 12 of your interactions with your child.


As a parent in the modern, busy world, you may say that you don't have any routines, that your life is hectic and unorganized. However, consider all the times when you interact with your child throughout the day. Think about the things that you say to them every single day and notice the patterns or repetition that are built into your day. These are your routines. Routines are the second most powerful tool in learning a second language. Of course, you now know that relationships are the number one tool.


In the early days of our school, I began to see that the times when children were producing the most Spanish, were not necessarily the times when there was instruction, but rather the times that were repetitive, the times that we were doing activities that were the same every single day. For example, we were able to have full conversations and interactions in Spanish during our snack routine. Children knew all the vocabulary such as place mats, napkins, cups, water, crackers, fruit, vegetables, table, chairs, trash, finished and they were able to ask questions and answer questions, rather. They were able to answer questions in Spanish based on what they wanted to eat, how much they wanted to eat, et cetera. This simple observation made me realize that the reason they were producing in Spanish was simply because they heard the same vocabulary in context every single day. It was real and meaningful every single day.


 Now that you see the power of routines, you may be tempted to start using Spanish during all your routines. If you're a native speaker, this may not be a problem. However, if you are learning the second language, trying to do so much at once will overwhelm you and you will soon see learning a second language as such a huge, overwhelming task that you will give it up. For this reason, it's imperative that you start with small steps, small consistent steps.


Start here with a free routine:

Hora de Cenar - Time for Dinner