# Amor for Earth Day: Read, sing, and color! Canticos | Amor | What is love | Songs for learning Spanish - YouTube Tap to unmute [Canticos | Amor | What is love | Songs for learning Spanish](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke-yi4n3yL0) [Canticos - Bilingual Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFJJziTVsiIVSyRKvXHX37g) Canticos - Bilingual Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs 1.02M subscribers **SUPPLIES NEEDED** - printed activity sheets - crayons or colored pencils. **WHAT TO PRACTICE** Sing along with our video to show your love for planet earth and have your little ones color Sammy. Included in this lesson: **‘Amor’ coloring sheet** **‘Amor’ lyrics sheet** **NOTE TO GROWN UPS** This is your first chance to talk with your kids about amor for Earth Day! Discuss the ways in which your family already shows love for our planet. This week we will give you many new ideas for how to do so with fun, hands-on recycling projects. # Download Activity Sheet: \ Download PDF](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/60f5a89e108c2683c870592d/63dd33bcc39f253f1fc77307_CS_Sammy_Hearts.pdf) \ Download PDF](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/60f5a89e108c2683c870592d/63dd342002b87cdb28763beb_CS_Amor_Lyrics.pdf) \ Download PDF](https://www.encantosworld.com/resources/amor-for-earth-day-read-sing-and-color#) \ Download PDF](https://www.encantosworld.com/resources/amor-for-earth-day-read-sing-and-color#) TAGS Animals Art Customs Food Geography History Music & Dance # Ask a Bilingual Expert Raising a bilingual child? On this page, our very own Director of Learning Design and Efficacy, Sophia Espinoza, addresses some of the most common questions, concerns, and curiosities around the benefits of bilingualism. **Get the scoop below!** Sophia Espinoza is a career educator and curriculum designer with seven years of experience teaching in private and independent schools across the country. She is an expert in 21st-century education, including technologically-powered personalization, multilingual and multicultural curriculums, and social-emotional learning. Sophia began teaching in Chicago Public Schools through Chicago Teaching Fellows, learning to support both English Language Learners and students with neurodiverse needs. Among her proudest accomplishments is launching the AltSchool Spanish Immersion Program, with the mission of creating bilingual global citizens who are socially conscious and environmentally aware. Sophia holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and M.A.Ed. from Dominican University. # Benefits of Bilingualism (FAQs): # Any advice on managing two Spanish dialects in the household? Does this cause confusion for kids? Now that our world is more interconnected than ever, there are plenty of families where each parent could be from a different country in Latin America, with distinctive dialects, vocabulary, slang, and culture. And that’s totally ok for kids to be exposed to. Their perspectives are broadened and they learn to communicate cross-culturally, it’s a thing to be celebrated. Sometimes kids may switch vocabulary when talking to different parents, which is absolutely fine. They’re not confused, if anything this shows their flexibility. They could have as many as five words for one item, three in Spanish two in English, giving them a stronger sense of language in general. For parents that may feel the need to find a neutral ground with their native dialects, not to worry, all research says that you want to encourage and expose children to different languages. # What do you recommend if I’m not completely fluent and my child’s school doesn’t have an immersion class? I always encourage as much Spanish exposure as possible. Don’t worry about immersion classes availability or not being completely fluent as a parent. Use the Spanish you know, even if you may need to speak Spanglish... Try to find ways to fill the gaps in your language knowledge, through apps, books, and music. I recommend the Canticos Bilingual Preschool App, which gives kids so much exposure through stories, activities, and music, allowing them to learn in an authentic and engaging way... # Do you recommend teaching different subjects in different languages? For example, the solar system in English and the days of the week in Spanish? Or is it better for kids to try to learn in both languages all the time? Parents who live in an English-speaking country need to remember that children are always going to learn English; Their world is in English... However, though it can feel a little counterintuitive, it’s important to give kids as much education as possible in the home in Spanish. They will inevitably learn English, and it will be even better if they learn their native language first, a strong foundation in Spanish will help kids gain a stronger mastery of English. # We speak Spanish and English in our home but my child almost always answers or talks back in English. How can I go about encouraging her to respond and speak more in Spanish? Many kids may be in a classroom where they hear English all day, before going home and hearing Spanish... The biggest advice I can give is to ask your child in a very low-pressure way to try again in Spanish. Try to avoid saying things like “no, say it again in Spanish”... Even for kids who really do not want to speak Spanish, there may still be times when they need to communicate with a Spanish-speaking family member. If they choose to speak Spanish, give them positive feedback that lets them feel confident that they are saying things correctly. # Should I set aside time or create activities for each language or is it okay to mix them both together? It’s very important to provide authentic opportunities for children to speak both languages. While parents may feel inclined to set aside "Spanish time" and "English time", this often ends up making language learning seem like a chore to kids. Authentic learning opportunities, on the other hand, allow kids to organically find the things they really love in another language, whether through reading, entertainment, music, or movement... # Any advice for households where one parent speaks Spanish and the other English? Can this be confusing for children? It’s fine if there are two, or even three languages spoken in the household, what’s most important is that parents freely speak their native language around their kids... # How can my child learn language through play? Play-based learning in children aged PreK/K should take the form of pretend play. Pretend play, where prompts and props are used to spark an imaginative game or scenario, are crucial in not only developing social skills but cognitive skills too... # What are the social and cultural benefits of bilingualism? Learning a new language goes hand in hand with learning about that language’s culture. It’s an opportunity to tap into the food, customs, stories, and other aspects of culture new to your child. Additionally, children who are bilingual can communicate with more people, bridging a gap between their world and the world of others... # What are some of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism? By introducing your child to a second language early, you are giving them the chance to access the cognitive benefits to being bilingual. Research shows that bilingual brains have better executive functioning in the following areas: 1. Focus 2. Mental multitasking and self-control 3. [Working memory](https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/research/the-advantages-of-a-bilingual-brain/)