Raising bilingual kids? Ideas for keeping it fun!

Check out Mama Blogueras week over at Spanglish Baby for fun links to other mom bloggers who are raising bilingual kids! There you will find great ideas for connecting with cultures and fun games to keep language learning fun! Here are two more ideas to add to the list:

*If you want your child to be biliterate as well, consider posting a selection of Spanish household vocabulary around the house for an early elementary learner. Posting on things like light switches, cupboards and even candles can widen oral vocabulary as well as help learners begin to connect with the language visually! Change out 10-12 words every few months.

*Pick a Spanish speaking country and learn one or two children's games popular there to spice up a playdate or rainy afternoon. Resources like Mama Lisa's World or Streetplay can help get you started!

Here is one example of a game popular in Bolivia, where I learned Spanish.

Tirar Frijoles (pronounced TEE-rahr FREE-holes), meaninf “throw the beans.”
Bolivian children play the game with dried beans. If no beans are available, use marbles instead. There
are many ways to play tirar frijoles. Here’s one way to play it.

1.Find a partner.

2. Each player of a pair stands about 5 feet from the line and attempts to
flick a bean toward the line. The player whose bean lands closest
to the line becomes the standing player. The other player becomes the
kneeling player, who stands across the line from his/her partner facing
him or her.

3. The standing player stands by the line with heels together, toes apart,
and a bean in his or her hand.

4. The other player kneels across the line from his/her partner about
five feet from the line, and attempts to flick a bean between the standing
player’s feet.

5. The kneeling player gets three attempts to land a bean.

6. If the kneeling player does not land a bean, the standing player keeps
the unlanded beans, and takes a turn at being the kneeling player.

7. If the kneeling player lands a bean, the standing player drops one of
the beans he or she is holding.

8. The kneeling player tries to hit the opponent’s bean. If it’s hit, the bean
belongs to the kneeling player. If not, the standing player keeps the bean
as well as the bean used for the hit.

The game ends when one player owns all the beans or marbles.

From: Sidewalk Games Around The World, Arlene Erlbach, Published by
Millbrook Press



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