If you’re looking to improve your Spanish (or at least maintain it), summer is a great time to do it! You know the old adage, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” Let us help you figure out fun ways to use your Spanish and improve it this season.

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At Calico Spanish, we build curriculum anyone can use to teach young children to speak real Spanish to real people. That means our Stories curriculum is full of the comprehensible input children need to acquire useful language

-no dull phrasebooks or cute-but-useless crafts here–

It also means we’ve got the open-and-go lesson plans that save teachers and parents time and stress – regardless of their Spanish ability.

Now, we serve a lot of proficient and native Spanish-speaking teachers and families, but we’re also thrilled to serve a lot of teachers and parents whose Spanish proficiency isn’t native. If that’s you, keep reading – we’ve got recommendations from our team (and more!) on fun reads, listens, and more that will help you relax and improve your Spanish at the same time.

Improve your Spanish with a great beach read

Whether you’re going to the beach (me! me!) or the mountains or anywhere in between, we hope you’ll find some time to put up your feet, listen to the beautiful nature around you, and pick up a good book. For some of us, it’s been way too long since we cracked the spine of a fresh new book and met some new “friends”!

Of course, we can’t discuss great Spanish-language reads without mentioning Isabel Allende. Try her highly entertaining (and romantic) twist on how the masked hero Zorro got his start. Or, learn about the twists, turns, and ethical dilemmas of the conquest of Chile as you join Inés del alma mía, the (real) mistress of the conqueror of Chile. Her mystic Águila y Jaguar series for young adults is also accessible.

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Noticia de un secuestro

When people talk Latin American authors, they can’t help but talk García Marquéz. When you’re talking García Marquéz, you have to mention Cien años de soledad. But Gabriel often wrote with prose heavy with Colombian colloquialisms (his autobiography in particular comes to mind). As a result, some of his works are more grad school class and less beach read. One notable exception is Noticia de un secuestro. That one is a work more in line with his journalist background. You’ll race through the narrative of danger, murder, and kidnappings in Escobar’s Medellín.

Yo no soy to perfecta hija mexicana.

The novel Yo no soy tu hija perfecta mexicana boasts praise from all corners. From all reports, the translation is top-notch. When Julia’s perfect sister dies, she has to step in and try to meet a rather impossible standard. Reviewers say the story is captivating and the Spanish isn’t prohibitively complex.

Our teacher team has a few more recommendations for reads that improve your Spanish. La casa de papel is billed as an interactive “Escape Book” affiliated with a Netflix venture. Another recommendation is La marimba de mi abuelo, a book that explores family roots and is actually written for higher-level language learners.

Need more recommendations? Check out these from the blogger at Cosas Molonas, incorporating mostly translations of English-audience bestsellers. Of course, the translation Yo antes de ti caught our eye (grab a box of tissues!).

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Improve your Spanish with a podcast (or 5)

Is a plane trip or a road trip in your calendar? On the road or in your backyard, a podcast can be fun, quick entertainment or information. And it can help you improve your Spanish at the same time!

Try the Duolingo Podcast!

Some podcasts specifically aim to help you improve your Spanish. Our picks in that category include Hoy hablamos and Charlas hispanas (both with free episodes and premium version). You can also take a listen to Doorways to Mexico, or try Coffee Break Spanish. Also check out Duolingo’s brilliantly produced language-learning podcast with native speakers interwoven with an English-speaking host for context.

If your Spanish is already pretty good, we have to mention the growing number of offerings in Spanish from NPR. Of particular note is the top-notch Radio Ambulante. Among recent episodes, El niño millón is a fascinating story. Farther back, the two-part Doctor: ¿Esto es normal? is a pair of absolutely riveting episodes. Other podcasts along those lines include El hilo, a storified summary of important headlines, and of course, TED en español.

Oh- and if your kids are around, definitely check out the fun resources from CuentoAventuras.

Improve your Spanish with a show

Has your “binge-watching” been getting 30 minutes of a show in, while folding laundry and thinking through lesson plans ? It’s time for a well-deserved break from those lesson plans, and time to pick up a new show.

There’s something special for language acquisition about watching a good show or movie. For one thing, it combines visual and auditory input. It also helps to have the options of using subtitles and re-watching for comprehension. Another way shows supercharge acquisition is that they engage your mind; that way, your brain focuses on the meaning and not so much taking apart the language.

Of course, you can change the audio on many of your favorite shows to Spanish. This option is on some platforms (thanks, Disney+!) more than others (get the memo, Amazon Prime!). But how about watching a show developed for the Spanish-speaking market?

Once upon a time El internado captivated many a Spanish teacher (and more advanced Spanish classes whose teachers were willing to curate the mature content) with its mysterious intrigues at a Spanish boarding school. Now, a new Amazon Original series offers a new set of high schoolers in El internado: Las Cumbres. As with the original, the first season is a cliffhanger with little of the storyline resolved, and will keep you pushing “Play Next.” Also as with the original, the content is often quite mature, so use discretion.

Netflix has long led the way in featuring Spanish-language material. Elisabeth at Spanish Mama lists her top 50 Spanish Netflix shows to watch in 2021. Some of our top favorites are Alta Mar, Las Chicas del Cable, and El Ministerio del Tiempo.

Improve your Spanish with a new friend

Buy any curriculum, read a book, watch a show, drill a phrasebook, whatever – none of it will make the difference that real relationships can. When you’re negotiating a conversation in a new language with real people, you develop skills and long-term memory that will change your language-speaking life forever.

We always love what Common Ground International is doing, and we encourage you to check out their Intercambio program to get connected with great conversation practice.  Other sites like The Mixxer exist to connect you with a new friend who speaks a language you want to learn.

Here’s another idea for connecting with real people who speak real Spanish. Open up Facebook (or your other preferred social media network) and search for a group with like interests. You can connect with people who love backpacking, music, islands, cats, reading, theme parks – just about whatever you’d choose to occupy your free time! Who knows? Maybe you’ll connect with a friend for life! THEN you’ll really see your proficiency grow – and stay.

Improve your Spanish with new music

You already know that we love songs here at Calico. Our own YouTube channel now has 70,000 subscribers and we are thrilled that so many young learners love our music. Whether you are on a walk, in the car, or jamming out while folding laundry, listening to music is a great way to maximize the amount of Spanish input you receive. Here we’ve rounded up some of our favorite songs and artists. They’re sure to get stuck in your head and have you singing in Spanish all summer long.

Music is a fantastic way to connect your senses to a new language!

First up, Alvaro Soler. His single Magía on his upcoming album set to release July 9th hosts a summer guitar melody that will bring joy to any summer drive. Just last week, his latest single Si Te Vas was released just in time for summer. While this song has “breakup song” written all over it, it is a “bop” as the kids say these days.

Next, we have Jesse y Joy, a brother and sister group from Mexico that are growing more popular with their hit collaborations with artists such as Luis Fonsi and J Balvin. Their top song Dueles has over 200 million listens with the song Tanto feat. Luis Fonsi past 100 million listens. If you prefer more upbeat, positive themes like we do, go back to the siblings’ earlier music rooted in their folk-music roots. Check out Chocolate and Espacio sideral.

For a super fun summer trip playlist, add Me voy de viaje solito by Mera. The tropical tune La travesía by positive, esteemed superstar crooner Juan Luis Guerra hits that theme as well.

One more can’t-miss artist (who often mixes Spanish with English) is Sie7e. His super hit Tengo tu love gives all the feels. His bilingual spin on “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is also super fun. One more recommendation from him: Por toda la vida warms with a theme of committed love. Latin Grammy-winning Volví a nacer hits the same theme.

Taking it back to the 1980’s and 1990’s, Selena was and always will be the queen of Tejano music. Her untimely death left millions devastated, but her music still lives on and is also featured on the new Netflix hit Selena: The Series. Celebrate her life with a mix of her greatest hits.

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There you have it – five ways to improve your Spanish as you rest and recharge this summer. And when it’s time to get back to the littles and their learning, we’d be honored to support you. Discover the Stories curriculum with over 200 hours of planned Spanish-learning content. Try it free today!