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Spanish for kids: start with family and everyday life
By the Parler team · Updated · Read-aloud voices: Spain, Latin America
The short answer
Start with your child's everyday life and the people in it. Say good morning in Spanish, name the food at dinner, and use the same short phrases every day. Talk about what happened at school or at Grandma's house. Parler turns your child's story about their day into an illustrated Spanish book that reads aloud with each word lighting up.
Spanish is spoken in Spain, Mexico, most of Central and South America and parts of the Caribbean, and it is widely spoken in the United States. Hundreds of millions of people speak it, so your child will hear it in many places.
Kids learn Spanish to talk with grandparents and cousins, to keep up in a dual-language school, or to get ready for a family trip. The words they need first are the everyday ones: family, food, school and play.
Spanish is friendly for beginners. It is spelled the way it sounds, and many words are close to English (familia, animal, chocolate). The tricky parts come later: the rolled r, verb endings that change with each person, and two different verbs for to be.
What’s different
What to know about Spanish for a young learner
- Spelling matches the soundOnce your child knows how each letter sounds, they can read almost any Spanish word out loud. Each vowel has one sound: a as in father, e as in bet, i as in see, o as in go, u as in food.
- Play with the rolled rA single r between vowels is a quick tap, like the tt in butter. rr, as in perro, is a rolled r. It takes practice, so turn it into a game: purr like a cat or rev like a motor.
- Learn nouns with el or laSpanish nouns are masculine or feminine. Many masculine words end in -o and feminine words in -a, as in el gato and la casa, but not all. Learning the article with the word saves trouble later.
- Save ser and estar for laterSpanish has two verbs for to be. Kids don't need the rule at first. Fixed phrases like estoy cansado (I'm tired) and es mi mamá (it's my mom) teach the difference by example.
- Questions start with ¿Written questions and exclamations open with an upside-down mark, as in ¿Quieres jugar? Kids enjoy spotting them, and it shows them a question is coming before they read it.
First words
Spanish words for everyday life
Start with the words for their own day: home, family, school and play. They come up every day, so they stick.
| Spanish | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| la casa | the house | lah KAH-sah |
| el gato | the cat | el GAH-toh |
| el perro | the dog | el PEH-rroh |
| la cocina | the kitchen | lah koh-SEE-nah |
| la cama | the bed | lah KAH-mah |
| la mesa | the table | lah MEH-sah |
| la puerta | the door | lah PWEHR-tah |
| el jardín | the garden, the yard | el har-DEEN |
| Spanish | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| la mamá | mom | lah mah-MAH |
| el papá | dad | el pah-PAH |
| el hermano | the brother | el ehr-MAH-noh |
| la hermana | the sister | lah ehr-MAH-nah |
| la abuela | grandma | lah ah-BWEH-lah |
| el abuelo | grandpa | el ah-BWEH-loh |
| el bebé | the baby | el beh-BEH |
| la familia | the family | lah fah-MEE-lyah |
| Spanish | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| la escuela | the school | lah ehs-KWEH-lah |
| el libro | the book | el LEE-broh |
| el lápiz | the pencil | el LAH-pees |
| la maestra | the teacher (woman) | lah mah-EHS-trah |
| el amigo | the friend (boy) | el ah-MEE-goh |
| la mochila | the backpack | lah moh-CHEE-lah |
| el recreo | recess | el reh-KREH-oh |
| el dibujo | the drawing | el dee-BOO-hoh |
| Spanish | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| feliz | happy | feh-LEES |
| triste | sad | TREES-teh |
| cansado | tired (boy) | kahn-SAH-doh |
| jugar | to play | hoo-GAHR |
| la pelota | the ball | lah peh-LOH-tah |
| el juguete | the toy | el hoo-GEH-teh |
| reír | to laugh | reh-EER |
| tengo miedo | I'm scared | TEN-goh MYEH-doh |
Family phrases
Spanish phrases to use at home today
| Spanish | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Buenos días | Good morning | BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs |
| Te quiero | I love you | teh KYEH-roh |
| ¿Me das…? | Can I have…? | meh DAHS |
| Es hora de dormir | Time for bed | ehs OH-rah deh dor-MEER |
| ¡Muy bien! | Well done | mwee BYEN |
| Buenas noches | Good night | BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs |
| Gracias | Thank you | GRAH-syahs |
| Por favor | Please | por fah-VOR |
| ¡A comer! | Time to eat | ah koh-MEHR |
| ¿Quieres jugar? | Do you want to play? | KYEH-rehs hoo-GAHR |
Hoy hice un pastel con la abuela.
Today I made a cake with Grandma.
Questions
Spanish for kids: questions
Short answers. The help center has more on using Parler.
Visit helpWhat age should my child start Spanish?
Any age is a good age. Toddlers soak up sounds, and school-age kids can read along because Spanish is spelled the way it sounds. Start when you can fit a little Spanish into each day.
Which Spanish does Parler use, Spain or Latin America?
Parler has Spanish read-aloud voices from both Spain and Latin America. Pick the one that matches your family, your school or the place you plan to visit.
Is Parler free?
Yes, the First Page plan is free with 5 pictures a month for one learner. You can also try Storybook free for 14 days with 30 pictures and no card. Words, translations, voices and reading scores are always free.
Can my child learn Spanish if we don't speak it at home?
Yes. Your child can hear Spanish read aloud by a Spanish voice while following each word on the page, so you don't have to be the model. Learning a few phrases together makes it more fun.
How long does it take a child to learn Spanish?
It depends on how often your child hears and uses Spanish. Short daily practice tends to work better than long, rare sessions, and simple everyday words come first.
Keep reading
- Going to Spain or Latin America? The Spanish phrases to learn for a family tripThe Spanish phrases a family needs on a trip, with tables by situation, easy pronunciation, a 2-week plan and the differences between Spain and Latin America.
- How do I raise a bilingual child?How to raise a bilingual child: one parent one language, minority language at home, time and place, English-only answers, and why mixing languages is normal.
- How do I keep a family language alive when my child is losing it?How to keep a heritage language alive when your child is losing it: daily routines, grandparents on video calls, family stories and real reasons to use it.
