In this post: Learn about our Llamitas Spanish Level 2 Curriculum (Primaria Baja) for authentic elementary Spanish lessons that will make teaching your child easy!
Are you raising a bilingual child? With all of the amazing benefits that bilingualism offers in our world today, investing in your child’s bilingual education is an excellent idea. But if you’re not sure where to start or need a little extra help along the way, you’re certainly not alone.
The task of educating your child in a second language can seem like a daunting one—to native speakers and beginners alike. Maybe you’re fluent in two languages, but you’re not confident in your teaching abilities. Or, maybe you’re a veteran homeschooler, but you’re a beginner in Spanish.
In either case, having the right support can take away all of that stress and do the hard work for you. Read on to find everything you need to start teaching Spanish at the elementary level with the support of an easy-to-follow curriculum.
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Elementary Spanish Fundamentals
If you’re ready to continue teaching your child Spanish at the elementary level, we’re so happy you’re here! Homeschooling a foreign language doesn’t have to be hard, and we have everything you need to continue your journey (or get started if you haven’t yet).
So, what exactly should Spanish lessons for elementary students look like? Let’s start by backing up a bit and looking at the preschool and kindergarten level.
Preschool Spanish Lessons
In a preschool Spanish curriculum, like our Llamitas Spanish Level 1 Curriculum, your child should have gained a solid foundation in Spanish with early years concepts, such as:
- The Spanish alphabet
- Counting
- Basic phonics and syllables
- Colors
- Days of the week
- Months of the year
- 2D shapes
Before beginning elementary Spanish lessons, your child should have been introduced to these concepts and had some practice with them already. If you’re a bilingual family, your child will likely already have many of these skills, but those who are complete beginners will need to learn them with the support of preschool and kindergarten Spanish lessons.
If they don’t have these basics down yet, don’t worry—it’s not too late to start!
Even if your child has started elementary school, they can still learn these basic Spanish foundations. For those using our Llamitas Spanish Curriculum, Level 1 is a prerequisite for Level 2—and it’s a great introduction to Spanish that kids of all ages can enjoy.
Elementary Spanish Lessons
In grades 1–3, those who have completed a preschool Spanish curriculum (or bilingual families) will move on to further develop their Spanish skills across subjects. Using a thematic approach, your child can apply Spanish to areas like math, phonics, literature, science, art, and more.
If you aren’t familiar with thematic instruction, this is when lessons are structured around topics or themes, allowing students to apply their skills to different areas. This is a really effective way to teach language as well as other subjects, because learning becomes more meaningful when it’s applied in different contexts.
In fact, a 2018 study found thematic instruction to be more effective than conventional methods, adding that it can be helpful in accommodating different learning styles and reading levels for elementary students. This is especially important in grades 1–3, where you can have such drastically different reading abilities within the same age group.
In our Llamitas Spanish Level 2 Curriculum (Primaria Baja), elementary students will explore topics more in-depth, with a huge focus on developing their reading and writing. Think of it like learning what they normally would at the elementary level—but learning the subject matter in Spanish!
Through fun, age-appropriate themes, elementary students will:
- Begin to organize their ideas, building an understanding of grammar and punctuation with narration and copywork.
- Expand their Spanish vocabulary.
- Enjoy beautiful Spanish songs and art appreciation.
- Explore social studies topics such as geography, history, and culture.
- Build on math skills with 3D shapes, fractions, reading basic graphs, counting past 100, measuring, and telling time.
And so much more!
Whether you choose to use a done-for-you Spanish curriculum like Llamitas Spanish or create your own lessons, these concepts should be at the center of your elementary Spanish lesson plans.
Related post: Raising Bilingual Kids in the USA
Teaching Elementary Spanish Grammar Through Stories
If you learned some Spanish in school yourself, you likely spent a good amount of time studying grammar with old-school methods like verb conjugation charts. If you had a hard time retaining information learned that way, imagine how that would go over with young elementary students!
Instead, at Llamitas Spanish, we believe that teaching grammar through stories is a far more effective method, especially for this young age group. That’s why our Level 2 Curriculum includes a bilingual anthology with six folktales from Latin America and Spain.
Rather than the drilling and charts you might be used to, grammar and vocabulary are practiced in context through engaging, age-appropriate stories, developed by our team of translators, bilingual educators, and illustrators.
Areas and skills developed through these beautiful “living books” include:
- Vocabulary: Learning new words and their meanings
- Grammar: Punctuation and spelling awareness are improved by correcting passages, identifying adjectives, adverbs, etc
- Comprehension: Identifying key ideas of the story, sequencing activities and true vs false statements
- Copywork and dictation: Reading aloud and copying texts teaches correct sentence structure and reinforces vocabulary
Related post: How to Help Your Bilingual Struggling Reader
Free Spanish Lessons
Ready to get started but not quite ready to commit to a complete Spanish program? We totally get that!
Especially if you’re on a tight budget, it can be helpful to dip your toes into teaching Spanish to your elementary schooler first, which is why we want to share our Free Resource Library with you.
In our freebie library, you’ll get:
- Free Spanish lessons for ages 2-8. We’ve included thematic printable packs and flashcards that you can use for short Spanish lessons—perfect for beginners!
- Music & games. Add some more movement and fun with authentic seasonal music playlists and popular Spanish games.
- Resource guides. Have more questions about teaching Spanish to your kids? You’ll find plenty more free resources and tips, too.
We’re passionate about giving parents everything they need to successfully teach their children Spanish at home. Don’t miss out on these awesome free resources, so you can get started right away with absolutely no cost or commitment.
Llamitas Spanish Elementary Curriculum
For those looking for more structured support and a completely done-for-you homeschool Spanish curriculum at the elementary level, our Llamitas Spanish Level 2 Curriculum (Primaria Baja) is exactly what you’re looking for.
Designed for grades 1–3, this beautifully-illustrated, authentic elementary Spanish curriculum is rooted in Hispanic literature, music, and culture. And it includes all of the materials you’ll need, so you can literally just open and go!
Llamitas Spanish Primaria Baja is perfect for you if:
- You’re a bilingual family and you speak Spanish already, but you need some extra support to teach your child Spanish.
OR
- Your child has gained a solid foundation in Spanish (from Llamitas Spanish Level 1 or another preschool and kindergarten Spanish curriculum) and is ready to build on those skills.
Each lesson includes both English and Spanish scripts for you to read, so if you’re still learning alongside your child, that’s perfectly fine! Native speaker audio and authentic Spanish songs are also included for even more authentic language input.
What do the lessons cover?
Our Level 2 Curriculum consists of six units with 12 lessons per unit. Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Phonics & Spelling:
Using our beautifully-illustrated texts, stories, and themed unit vocabulary, your child will build on the literacy skills they gained in Level 1. They’ll gain practice with syllables, CCVC words, diphthongs, sentence structure, and more. Poetry, recitations, and native speaker audio from a variety of Spanish-speaking countries will enrich their learning and provide even more authentic language exposure.
- Lower Elementary Math:
Building on math skills learned in Level 1, students will start solving word problems in Spanish. They’ll also work on addition and subtraction, classifying and comparing numbers, simple fractions, graphs, and 3D shapes. Practical skills like measuring, telling time, and counting money are also learned.
- Bilingual Folktales:
Your child will build their reading fluency in Spanish with our anthology of bilingual folktales. These authentic Latin American and Spanish folktales are beautifully illustrated and include audio-video versions as well. Accompanying lessons will teach your child Spanish grammar in context for more meaningful learning.
- Music, Movement, & Art:
Studying artwork, doing crafts, and learning fun songs will help to instill an appreciation for the arts in your child. They’ll learn traditional Spanish songs, complete a series of music-based lessons, and even learn recipes. To get them moving, we’ve also included yoga stretches along with mindfulness activities.
- Geography, History, & Culture:
Your child will also gain an appreciation for Hispanic culture and history by studying important cultural figures, the Maya civilization, and musical instruments from Latin America. They’ll also explore fun topics ranging from geography to the Amazon rainforest, Atacama desert, and volcanoes.
What else is included?
Along with a completely done-for-you, easy-to-follow Spanish program for your elementary schooler, we’ve included plenty of bonus materials!
Additional resources in our course platform include thematic music playlists and audio tracks, book menus with recommended thematic books appropriate for your child’s level, and digital flashcards for the unit vocabulary.
If you’re ready to raise a biliterate child and need an elementary Spanish program that does all of the hard work for you, our Llamitas Level 2 Curriculum is just what you’re looking for!
Lydia is a freelance parenting and education writer. She previously taught English as a second language and enjoys sharing her love of language learning with her children.