¡Ya sabes español! A great first day activity!

My Kindergartners come into our school with little to no Spanish experience...or so they think! I love to give them a big confidence boost right from the beginning so we do a fun activity I call ‘¡Ya sabes español! (You already know Spanish!) where I have pictures and items of things we say in Spanish all the time: taco, piñata, quesadilla, burrito, armadillo, nachos, salsa, llama, alpaca, and so on  (a lot of them are food!) and have my kiddos name them themselves. As we go, I get to point out, ‘See, you already know a lot of Spanish!’ This activity gives my students a sense of confidence and motivation, especially for those who are nervous that they don’t know anything in Spanish.  It also starts to build that awareness that Spanish is all around us!

A HUGE THANK YOU TO members of our Facebook group who compiled additions to the list- Beth Alders Thaemert, Susan O'Donnell Bondy (and don't miss Susan's Cognate Bingo game for older learners! Click here):

guacamole, chocolate, jalapeño, mosquito, coyote, iguana, patio, cargo, sofá, pasta, tenis, taxi, jaguar, bus, cereal, béisbol, tenis, música