What Should the First Spanish Lesson Be for My Child?
- Homeschool Languages
- Jun 23
- 8 min read
Your child’s first Spanish lesson should teach high-use phrases they can say immediately, like “Quiero…” (I want) or “¿Puedo tener…?” (Can I have…?), not lists of colors or animals. Starting with simple, functional sentences during everyday activities keeps kids engaged and builds real-life speaking confidence.
🎯 Start with real phrases like “¿Puedo tener…?” so your child can use Spanish right away.
🧸 Introduce a puppet that only “speaks” Spanish to make practice playful and pressure-free.
🍽️ Weave Spanish into daily life, snack time, playtime, bath time—no flashcards required.
👩👧 Use a scripted, open-and-go lesson so you can learn together without prep or stress.
🔁 Aim for two lessons a week, then sprinkle Spanish naturally throughout your day.
When I first tried to teach my kids Spanish, I felt like a total fraud.
I knew the language. I had books, songs, apps, you name it. But when it came time to actually use Spanish in our home, with my real live children (who were more interested in mud pies than conjugations), I froze.
Nowadays, there’s a tool to teach every facet of a language. Apps, flashcards, books, etc. Somehow, that makes deciding where to start even more difficult.
Should I start with colors? Nouns? Verbs? Do I need to speak only in Spanish from now on? Enroll them in an immersion school? Sell everything and move to Costa Rica?!
Whether your child is eager to learn Spanish or you’re simply hoping to bring a second language into your home, I’ll show you where to begin and what to skip (for now).
This guide is what I wish I had had when I started. A clear, honest, practical way to make that very first Spanish lesson count.
And yes, you really can start today, right from your kitchen table (snacks optional, but highly encouraged).
Start Here: What the First Lesson Should Look Like
Need Help Teaching Spanish? 👉Get Homeschool Languages Level 1
Focus on Speaking, Not Memorizing
If I had a dollar for every time I thought, “Maybe we should start with colors and animals…” I’d have enough to buy plane tickets to Spain for the whole family. But here’s what I learned the hard way, kids don’t need vocab lists right out of the gate. They need language they can use right away.
Your child’s very first Spanish lesson should revolve around full, useful phrases.
“Quiero…” – I want…
“¿Puedo tener…?” – Can I have…?
“¡Vamos!” – Let’s go!
Why?
Because these are the phrases your child can immediately use with you, their siblings, or yes, even their favorite stuffed animal. When language feels functional, not academic, kids are hooked.
I like to mix the necessary phrases with words that my kids like. Their favorite color, their favorite dinosaur in Jurassic Park, etc.
When I swapped out the vocab drills for simple, high-frequency phrases, everything changed. My kids started speaking to me, not just repeating after me. It turned our lessons into conversations, not quizzes. And once they saw that Spanish helped them express what they wanted (Quiero una galleta = I want a cookie), they were all in.
Make It Relatable and Play-Based
If it feels like school, most young kids will tune out. But if it feels like play, they’re suddenly all ears.
When I started weaving Spanish into my kids’ pretend kitchen play and dollhouse adventures, I saw more smiles and more speaking.
One of our very first lessons involved setting the table in Spanish. We’d say “la cuchara” (spoon) and “la servilleta” (napkin) while placing each one. No flashcards. No worksheets. Just dinner prep… in Spanish.
Your first lesson doesn’t need to look like a classroom, it should look like your life.
Playing restaurant? Teach “Quiero pizza.”
Bath time? “¡Vamos al baño!”
Feeding stuffed animals? “¿Quieres más?”
You’re not “doing school.” You’re just layering Spanish into what your child already loves.
Use a Spanish-Only Puppet
Now, let me tell you about the secret weapon that transformed our Spanish lessons: Pepito the puppet.
Pepito doesn’t speak English. He’s adorable. And according to my four-year-old, he’s also very bossy about snack time. But here’s the thing, because Pepito “only understands Spanish,” my kids made an honest effort to speak to him from day one.
No fear of mistakes. No pressure. Just silly, magical play.
Any stuffed animal will do. The key is making it a character your child connects with. Someone who brings Spanish to life in a playful, low-stress way.
You don’t need perfect Spanish to make it work. Just put all the pressure on Pepito (Kinda kidding, haha!)
You can learn right alongside your child, script simple interactions, or use a curriculum (like the one we use) that gives you ready-made puppet dialogues.
Here’s what will happen. Your child isn’t just repeating words, they’re communicating. And they’re having fun doing it.
Do I Need to Speak Spanish First? (Spoiler: Nope.)
Let me say this louder for the mamas in the back. You do NOT need to speak Spanish to start teaching it.
When I began teaching my kids, I had the advantage of knowing the language, and I still felt stuck. That’s why we designed our early lessons to work for parents who don’t know a single Spanish word. Because here’s the truth: the most powerful thing you bring to the table isn’t perfect pronunciation, it’s your presence.
You Can Learn With Your Child
Kids don’t need a fluent teacher. They need a curious guide. Someone who’s willing to say “Let’s figure this out together.” That’s where scripted lessons come in.
When you have a simple, open-and-go script in your hand, you don’t have to stress about what to say or how to say it. You can focus on the moment—playing with your child, saying a few silly lines, laughing when you both mix it up.
I’ve seen it time and time again. When parents join the journey, kids rise to the moment. They don’t expect you to be perfect. They just want you to show up. And when you do? They start seeing Spanish as something you share—not something they have to master alone.
What if My Pronunciation Isn’t Perfect?
Ah, the fear of “messing them up.” I hear this from parents all the time. And honestly? It’s a valid concern. But here’s what gave me peace.
Kids are masters at learning pronunciation, especially when they’re regularly exposed to native speakers. You don’t have to be the perfect model. You just have to give them access to one.
That’s why any program worth its salt (like Homeschool Languages) includes native audio for every single phrase. My kids would hear a phrase from me, then hear it from the audio clip. It didn’t confuse them—it clarified things. They naturally self-corrected over time. No drama, no embarrassment.
✨ Worried you’ll pass on mistakes? That’s exactly why built-in audio and visual modeling matter. You become the facilitator, not the expert. And that’s enough.
What Tools and Materials Do I Need?
When I first dipped my toes into teaching Spanish at home, I did what most of us do, I hoarded printables, downloaded five different apps, bookmarked YouTube songs, and tried to stitch something together.
Would I call all of that a complete waste? No. But I would do things a lot differently where I to start over.
I’ve now come to realize that I don’t need more. I needed something that actually worked.
Skip the Subscriptions, Grab a Box
Subscriptions sound great until you forget to cancel, your kid loses interest, or you’re left trying to print out 17 pages while your toddler climbs the bookshelf.
What we needed was an “open-and-go” solution. Something I could pull off the shelf right now without prepping, printing, or pretending I had a Pinterest-worthy plan.
That’s why we love Homeschool Languages (humble brag). Everything comes in one tidy box (or a simple downloadable PDF if you prefer). No endless scrolling. No wondering if you’re missing something. Just open, read the short script, hit play on the audio, and boom, you’re doing your first lesson.
What the First Lesson Should Include
So what does that magical first lesson actually look like? Here’s what worked best for us (and what I now recommend to every parent starting out):
🎶 A short greeting song – something catchy that sets the tone (and gets stuck in your head in the best way).
💬 1–2 new phrases in context – like “¿Puedo tener jugo?” (Can I have juice?) used during snack time.
🎲 A repeatable game or story – puppets, guessing games, or role play make it stick.
💬 Simple prompts for you – like “Now ask Mommy if she wants more!” or “Tell your doll ‘let’s go!’”
✅ And yes, Homeschool Languages includes all of that. No prep. No stress. Just language that lives in your home from the very first lesson.
What If My Child Isn’t Interested?
Ah ye, —the great enthusiasm gap.
You’re ready. You’ve carved out the time. You’ve got your lesson in hand. And your child? They’re under the table pretending to be a taco.
I’ve been there. More than once.
Fun fact. Kids don’t always show interest the way we expect. That doesn’t mean the lesson is a failure, it means we need to shift how we approach it.
Don’t Force It—Spark Curiosity
One of my sons couldn’t care less about the Spanish word for “apple” until I let him teach it to his dinosaur. Suddenly, "manzana" was the most exciting word he’d ever learned.
The key?
Tie the lesson to what they already love. Whether it’s unicorns, trucks, snacks, or space aliens, there’s always a way to weave Spanish into their world. Here are a few examples that have worked like magic in our home:
🦕 “¿Dónde está el dinosaurio?” (Where’s the dinosaur?)
🧁 “¿Quieres más pastel?” (Do you want more cake?)
🦄 “Vamos al castillo” (Let’s go to the castle)
When your child feels like they are driving the language bus, their resistance melts. Instead of
How Often Should I Do Spanish Lessons?
Here’s something that would’ve saved me a whole lot of stress early on. You don’t need a daily Spanish block on your homeschool schedule. You don’t need to “catch up” if you miss a day. You don’t even need to call it a lesson.
You just need consistency—and a little creativity.
Best Practices: 2x/Week + Sprinkles of Real Life
In our house, we formally sit down to “do Spanish” maybe twice a week for 20–30 minutes. That’s it. But here’s the kicker: we use Spanish all the time.
When I hand my daughter a snack: “¿Quieres más?”
When my son runs to the door: “¿A dónde vas?”
When the dog barks (again): “¡Perro loco!”
It’s those tiny, real-life sprinkles that make the biggest difference.
Use Your Child’s Rhythm, Not a Rigid Calendar
If Monday is meltdown city and Tuesday is packed with co-op… skip it. Spanish won’t disappear if you don’t force it into your week like a math lesson.
Instead, read the room. If your child is in a silly mood, bring out the puppet. If they’re feeling mellow, do a quiet story in Spanish. No pressure, just presence.
✨ Worried about doing it “enough”? One parent asked, “Can I only do this once or twice a week?” ✅ Absolutely. Language is sticky when it’s real—not when it’s rigid. Just show up, even in small ways, and your child will carry it forward.
Your Child’s First Spanish Lesson
You don’t need a degree in linguistics, a shelf full of flashcards, or an immersion school across town to raise a bilingual child. What you do need is a simple, joy-filled way to start.
One phrase. One silly puppet. One snack-time
All it takes is one of these for your kid to realize, “Hey—I can say that in Spanish!” That’s how it begins. Not with pressure or perfection, but with connection. And when the first lesson is rooted in real life, your child won’t just remember the words, they’ll use them.
That’s why we created Homeschool Languages.
To help parents like you skip the overwhelm and bring Spanish into your home in a way that works. Whether you’re fluent or fumbling, our open-and-go kits guide you step by step, giving your child the phrases they’ll use and the confidence to use them.
If you’re ready to make that first lesson count, and watch your child light up when they speak their first Spanish words—I’d love for you to try our free starter lessons. Because the best time to start? Isn’t when you feel “ready.” It’s today.
Comments