# Canticos Little Chickies/Los Pollitos Ornaments

**Materials needed:**
- Crayons or colored pencils
- Scissors
- String, thread, or ornament hangers
- Cardstock or cardboard (optional)
- Glue (optional)

**Instructions:**
Let’s decorate the tree!
1. Use your favorite colors to fill in the little chickies.
2. Cut out each ornament, using a pencil to gently punch through the tiny hole on top.
3. Thread a bit of string or thread through the hole and tie a knot with the ends to make a loop.
4. Hang your new Canticos ornaments on the tree!

**Tip:** To make your ornaments more sturdy, try printing on cardstock or cutting out cardboard in the same shapes and gluing to the back of each ornament.

# Download Activity Sheet:
\
Download PDF](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/60f5a89e108c2683c870592d/61af764e95c74e3cc0d9c0b5_2112_Resources_Ornaments_ActivitySheet.pdf)

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### 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.

#### 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, I sometimes only know a word in Spanish or vice versa, which is totally okay.

#### Do you recommend teaching different subjects in different languages?
Parents who live in an English-speaking country need to remember that children are always going to learn English; Their world is in English, their peers speak English, even if they’re doing dual immersion programs, they are still going to school in English. However, it’s important to give kids as much education as possible in the home in Spanish.

#### 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. When combined with learning a new language, children are eager and excited to communicate in their new vocabulary.

#### 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 strategies for raising bilingual children?
1. **Start early**: Babies’ brains are sponges; Their rapidly forming neural connections allow them to learn everything, including languages, much easier.
2. **Stick with it**: If children start to speak their second language instead of their native language at home, don’t give in and start speaking to them in their native language too; keep at it, it will pay off in the end.
3. **Make it Joyful**: The best antidote to resistance or lack of motivation around practicing their native language is to make it fun!

#### What are some common misconceptions about raising bilingual children?
1. **Misconception:** Learning two languages can be confusing for children.
   **Reality**: Because the brain activates all the languages a child knows at once, sometimes they speak in a jumbled-sounding way; but this doesn’t mean they are confused.
2. **Misconception**: It’s easy to learn a second language simply by exposing it to your child.
   **Reality**: Children need significant exposure to it to keep proficiency in their native language.
3. **Misconception**: Bilingual children struggle academically.
   **Reality**: Keep in mind that though things like vocabulary and reading are slow to start, eventually they are much better off because they become proficient in two whole languages.