Fun activities with the Advent calendar

If you are a Spanish teacher in the United States, make sure you acknowledge that you might have children who come from different cultural backgrounds and celebrate different holidays. However, you can share with your children that Navidad is celebrated by a majority of people in Spanish speaking countries.

The advent calendar is great to review a lot of the vocabulary you have introduced in your classes:

1. First you need to make sure you eat all the chocolate before you take the calendar to your class. (Yes, I know this will be a challenge for most!!)
2. Precut small images with the vocabulary you would like to review. For example: farm animals, colors, numbers, shapes, or even the name of a song you have sung in class. Make sure they fit in the calendar.
3. Place the numbers from 1 to 25 in a bag.

Invite a volunteer to pick a number from the bag, then find it on the calendar, open the tiny window, and tell you the name of the picture. If the children have enough vocabulary, you can invite them to make sentences using that picture.

You can use the calendar to count backwards, by 2’s, by 5’s, by 10’s, and also to sing a number song!

Enjoy,
Carolina



Halloween Song: Cinco Calabazas

 

This song is perfect to review feelings and emotions. I love teaching it to my second graders.
I cut out five paper pumpkins so the children can show their faces (see picture above). They each pick a feeling in the song, while the rest of the class chants/sings the song. Each child has to show the face that matches the feeling they picked. They love doing it over and over again and have a lot of fun seeing their friends’ facial expressions.

Cinco calabazas sentadas en su casa,

una calabaza se siente muy cansada.
 
Cuatro calabazas sentadas en su casa,
una calabaza se siente asustada.
 
Tres calabazas sentadas en su casa,
una calabaza se siente enojada.
 
Dos calabazas sentadas en su casa,
una calabaza se siente muy frustrada.
 
Una calabaza sentada en su casa,
una calabaza se siente sorprendida.
 
Cinco calabazas sentadas en su casa,
y cuando sale el sol se sienten muy felices.


 

Author: 1-2-3 Spanish Together™ ©2009

Have fun singing in Spanish!

Carolina

Los números – Numbers



Activities:

· Place objects in a box and have the children count.

·Place numbers from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 on the floor and have the children organize them.

· Make a line of numbers on the floor and give turns to the children to jump next to the number you call.

· Use a flyswatter and invite a child to find a number and point at it with the flyswatter.

· Use a numbered dice and have the children count the dots on the dice.

For more fun music and ideas visit www.funforSpanishTeachers.com

First Week of School: Two Songs for Teaching Greetings & Introductions


Song # 1: Hola amigos – Hi Friends


Hola amigos ¿cómo están? (Hi friends -boys-, how are you?)
Muy bien! (Very well). 
Hola, amigas ¿cómo están? (Hi friends -girls-, how are you?)

Muy bien! (Very well).

Bienvenidos amigos (welcome(boys)),

Bienvenidas amigas (welcome (girls))

Bienvenidos, bienvenidas, la, la, la,

Bienvenidos, bienvenidas, la, la, la.


Activities:
• Use a friendly puppet to introduce the song. Have a short interaction with the puppet:
You: Hola, ¿cómo estas?
Puppet: Muy bien gracias
Puppet and you: Bienvenido, bienvenida a la clase de español .
• Pass the ball in the circle asking each student “Hola, ¿cómo estas?” and giving them the opportunity to answer “muy bien gracias”.
Invite students to volunteer using two puppets with the same question and answer.
• Make instruments with recycled materials such as cereal boxes, milk bottles, and spoons. Have students sing the song while playing instruments. Divide the class in two groups. Ask one side of the class to sing “hola, ¿cómo estas? And have the other group respond “muy bien”


Song #2: ¿Cómo te llamas tú? / What’s your name?
 Click here to sample or buy song


A, E, I, O,U
¿Cómo te llamas tú?
(What’s your name?)
A, E, I, O, U
Yo me llamo Julián
(My name is Julián)
A, E, I, O, U
¿Cómo te llamas tú?
(What’s your name?)
A, E, I, O, U
Yo me llamo Alana
(My name is Alana)

Activities:
• Bring a puppet to class. Introduce it by saying “Yo me llamo ….”(my name is), and then say “¿Cómo te llamas tú?” (what’s your name) pointing at the puppet and have the puppet respond to you.
• Have a puppet ask the children in class ¿cómo te llamas tú?
• Have the class stand up in a circle. Throw a ball while asking “¿cómo te llamas tú? They should respond by saying “yo me llamo…” or simply say their name and throw the ball back to you, and then proceed to sit back down.

• Variation:
The student with the ball responds to the question saying “Yo me llamo…” and then throws the ball to another classmate asking “¿Cómo te llamas”. Once their classmates answer, the student who had the ball previously can sit. The game continues until they are all seated.

¡Feliz regreso a la escuela!
Carolina