In case the hearts, balloons, chocolates, and school dances haven’t been enough to remind you, it’s Valentine’s Day!  In other words, it’s Friendship Day! No, really, in Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, February 14th is Día del Amor y la Amistad – the day of love and friendship.  They have this “Galentine’s” thing […]

For most of the learners and teachers we know and love, the semester is wrapping up.  As we wrap up, many of us are also wrapping something else – the Christmas presents!  Whatever this holiday season holds for you, know that we appreciate you. We know that being bilingual in Spanish is an adventure that […]

In honor of the approach of Mother’s Day, the moms of Calico Spanish would like to remind you about our free printable.  It’s a fun and easy way to give kids the opportunities to sing their mom’s praise in Spanish.  Enjoy!   Happy Mother’s Day! We recently saw an adorable Mother’s Day “My mom and […]

Role play for young learners? Yes, please! It’s no secret: in early language education (and even in middle and high school!), finger puppets are a win! Somehow, sometimes, it seems less intimidating to pretend you’re a puppet speaking Spanish rather than be yourself speaking Spanish.  Of course, young children usually love any kind of role […]

The first time I taught a kindergarten Spanish lesson, I thought if I read the story La oruga muy hambrienta (The very hungry caterpillar) enough times, kids would learn something.  Right? So, I faithfully came into my kindergarten classes, once a week for a 15-minute lesson, and read the book to them.  I was animated and […]

Committed to responsive quality If you could see us work behind the scenes here at Calico Spanish, you’d go away knowing two things for sure.  First, we are truly interested in your feedback.  Second, we are always working to make higher quality products that truly help children speak real Spanish to real people. So: ¿De qué […]

Summer break = break from kids’ learning? Is summer break really a good idea relative to children’s learning journey?  That’s certainly a hot topic for teachers and parents, and we won’t debate here.  Surely, though, over two months of little to no contact with Spanish can only hurt language development. Here’s an idea: Let’s encourage kids to keep […]

TEN MILLION VIEWS. In elementary schools, kindergartens, preschools, and homes around the world, children have joined us in singing in Spanish about everything from colors to animals on the farm.  Kids are singing about how to answer “What’s your name?” and introduce someone to a friend.  They’re showing someone around the house and commenting on the […]

Happy Mom’s Day! We recently saw an adorable Mother’s Day “My mom and I” printable activity in English.  We love these activities and thought it was such a great idea we’d do something similar in Spanish. In ours, we’ve featured some of our Stories Online characters with their moms and grandmothers.  Here at Calico Spanish, we are […]

Especially for early novice learners, culture can be a tough topic to cover in depth, beyond the infamous “Five F’s“: festivals, food, flags, fashion, and famous people.  Throw in the fact that interculturality standards for language classes can’t be met outside of the target language, and it gets tougher.  Throw in a situation where the […]