A Sweet Canticos Themed Birthday Party

The Sweetest Canticos-Themed Birthday Party

By Nuria Santamaría Wolfe 

Birthdays are an excuse for parents to spoil their kids just a little more than on a typical day.  This is exactly what talented painter and baker, Cake Wars winner and Latina mom Alicia Becerra did when her daughter asked for a Canticos themed birthday party inspired by our ‘Las Manañitas’ book and bilingual song.

The celebration included a “Pin the Crown on Sammy” game, a handmade Solecito/Lunita piñata, hand painted cookies, as well as a party outfit inspired by Kiki Chickie.

The celebration featured Alicia’s famous hand painted cookies, which have been featured on the Food Network, Parents Magazine, BuzzFeed, and many others. 

Check out more beautiful photos from the sweet celebration here.

If you want to create your own Canticos-themed fiesta, check out our Birthday Kit, easy to download, print, and decorate for your perfect celebration of bilingualism

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Canticos Learning Talk with Little Mice/Ratoncitos

Canticos Learning Talk with Little Mice/Ratoncitos 

By Nuria Santamaría Wolfe 

Kids love to read and reread books. Why not take that opportunity to build-in other activities to make the most out of reading it each time? 

Here are some tips to help you maximize the bilingual benefits, learning and fun with the third book in the Canticos book series: Little Mice/Ratoncitos – Based on the popular nursery rhyme in Spanish, “Cinco Ratoncitos de Colita Gris” (Five Grey-Tailed Mice).  This book follows little mice on their mission to eat as much cheese as possible before they get caught by the cat. Kids will enjoy this easy-to-read book with colorful characters and fun lift-the-flap surprises that help them learn the names of shapes in English and Spanish.

  1. Talk

Use the book to talk about animals like mice, and have your little one explain to you what they eat. This is a great opportunity to discuss predators and prey.  

  1. Sing

The descriptive lyrics lend themselves to acting out the actions while the song is sung. Encourage children to shake their mouse ‘tail’ and ‘nose’ as they munch on all the imaginary cheese they can find. Want to keep practicing? Check out Canticos’s library of songs and videos on our Youtube education channel.

  1. Read

What’s more fun than reading a great story? Reading it twice, in two languages.

Novelty book: Read the story once in English. Flip the book and read it in Spanish. Open the book across to see all spreads at once and: 1. Lay it flat on the floor to see the whole story at once or 2. Stand it up and connect the ends into a circle to sit inside and be surrounded by the story.

Board book: Pick one language to read the story through. Start again in the second language. 

  1. Write

Depending on your child’s ability, practice drawing shapes or writing the names of them like “square” and “circle.” Lift the flaps to find the English/Spanish translations. 

  1. Play

This is a great book to teach little ones the names of basic shapes. Encourage your little one to look around the room and point out items with specific shapes. “I spy with my little eye…a triangle!” Have fun and know that they are strengthening their bilingualism through play.  

Make it a game! Award one point per correct item named. Award points generously and have fun!

Find more resources in our Parents resource center here.

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5 Tips To Develop Avid Bilingual Readers

ENGLISH | SPANISH

Top 5 Tips To Develop Avid Bilingual Readers

By Fabi Harb

Encouraging your kids to develop good reading habits will not only be beneficial for them academically, it will also provide them with a lifelong skill to be successful in their adult years. As parents, it’s up to us to make reading, in both English and Spanish, a fun part of their bilingual education. Today I will share 5 easy tips to help you raise bilingual children at home:

  1. Add reading to your everyday life

Instilling a passion for books goes beyond reading stories to and with them. Be the example! Let them see you reading a book, a magazine or an eBook every day. This will show them that reading is a powerful tool, especially if you alternate between English and Spanish books or only read books in your target language. 

Keep books everywhere at home and even in your car! If you make reading a part of your daily routine, your child will most likely look forward to this daily activity.

  1. Turn reading into an enjoyable experience

If reading seems like homework to your kids, they will most likely find it tedious and boring. However, if you turn reading into a game, the learning experience will become more enjoyable.

There are easy games you can play with them, in both languages, such as asking to guess a word you have in mind: “I’m thinking of a word that rhymes with _________. Can you guess the word?” You can also switch roles and your child can ask you the questions.

  1. Be encouraging and patient

Every child is unique and learns at a different pace. Some may pick up reading quickly while others may need more time. Calmly correct your children for missed words and praise them for how well they read a passage or a sentence. In this instance, consistency is key!

  1. Repeat the story, build vocabulary

There might be a story that your child loves and asks you to repeat time and time again. While it may seem tiring, take advantage of this opportunity to incorporate new words and help develop a greater vocabulary. Once your child knows the story, ask him to share it using his own words!

  1. Don’t forget about writing!

Reading and writing go hand-in-hand. Ask your child to create a list of various items around the house. Once the list is complete ask him to read the list back to you. Work on any misspelled words or mispronunciations while remembering to praise the effort!

To instill a love of reading, in both languages, among your children, you can find these and other tips on ReadConmigo.org. Read Conmigo, a bilingual literacy program sponsored by Infinity Insurance, provides several resources to help your child become a stronger reader. After signing up to our bilingual program, you’ll have access to dozens of free bilingual books as well as other educational apps in Spanish and fun activities for the little ones in the family.

About the author:

Fabi is a first generation college graduate who received degrees in Business from Pepperdine University and UCLA.  She is Infinity’s Multicultural Marketing Manager and Director of the National Read Conmigo bilingual book program which mails free bilingual books to families looking to encourage a love for culture and bilingualism in the home. As an immigrant, born and raised in Mexico, and a mom to three amazing kids, she believes in empowering our youth to grow and give back to our community while never forgetting the beauty of our roots and culture. 

Readers can find more tips at ReadConmigo.org and @readconmigo. For any questions or comments, you can email Fabi at [email protected].

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Canticos Learning with Little Elephants/Elefantitos

Canticos Learning with Little Elephants/Elefantitos

By: Nuria Santamaría Wolfe

Canticos books keep on giving. There are so many ways to learn and have fun with our bilingual books, while helping your child to become bilingual in Spanish and English.

Here are some tips to help you maximize the bilingual benefits, learning and fun with the second title in the Canticos book series:  Little Elephants/Elefantitos – Based on a traditional Spanish tune, this book features the popular song “Un Elefante Se Balanceaba…”.

In it, a growing number of elefantitos balance on a spiderweb, much to the annoyance of the spider. Counting with each additional elephant, children become familiar counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…until all the elephants fall down! Similar to “Monkeys Jumping on the Bed,” this song will have your little ones laughing along as they learn number association in this classic children’s song.

  1. Talk

Use the book to talk about animals like elephants and spiders (their sizes and weights, the sounds they make, etc.) and numbers (counting up to 5, 10, etc.). This is a great book to teach little ones to count. Lift the flaps to reveal the name of each number in English and Spanish.

  1. Sing

This song is so fun to sing! The repetitive lyrics lend themselves to singing faster and faster as more and more elephants climb onto the spider web and the anticipation grows. Will the spider web be able to hold one more elephant? The big ‘Oooops’ at the end is our big finale (and cue to start again). 

Not a Spanish speaker? Don’t know the tune? No problem! 

Check out the sing-along video here, part of Canticos’ larger Emmy-nominated YouTube cartoon series, to see the lyrics and to hear the correct pronunciation.

  1. Read

What’s more fun than reading a great story? Reading it twice in two languages.

Deluxe book: Read the story once in English. Flip the book and read it in Spanish. Open the book and stretch all pages open to see how the spider web connects across all spreads and: 1. Lay it flat on the floor to see the whole story at once or 2. Stand it up and connect the ends into a circle to sit inside and be surrounded by the story.

Board book: Pick one language to read the story through. Start again in the second language. 

  1. Write

Practice tracing or writing numbers, depending on your child’s ability, using the number (“1”) or word (“one”). Ask: If you were the spider and an elephant climbed on your web, what would you do? Have your child write or draw the answer.

  1. Play

Get little ones stomping their feet as if they were imitating elephants marching along to the beat of the song. As the song speeds up, they march faster and faster. Or ask them to practice their trumpeting as they raise one arm to the sky as if it were the long trunk of an elephant. Or practice building a spider web tapping the right index finger to the left thumb followed by the left index finger to the right thumb, switching them several times as in Itsy Bitsy Spider. Have fun and know that they are strengthening their bilingualism through play. 

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Canticos Learning with Little Chickies/Los Pollitos

Canticos Learning with Little Chickies/Los Pollitos  

By: Nuria Santamaría Wolfe

Learning is fun with Canticos! We design every book to help kids learn as much as possible while helping them to become bilingual in Spanish and English.

Here are some tips to help you maximize the bilingual benefits, learning and fun with the first title in the Canticos book series:  Little Chickies/Los Pollitos – the quintessential classic Spanish nursery rhyme that tells the story of three little chicks and their mother hen. The story serves as a metaphor for the demanding nature of babies and the unconditional love and care given to them by their parents.

  1. Talk

Use the book to talk about topics like farm animals (the sounds they make, what they eat, where they live, etc.) and babies (how they communicate their needs and how parents respond).

This is a great book to discuss springtime and to cover holidays like Easter and Mother’s Day.

  1. Sing

The simple lyrics and catchy tune sprinkled with the “pío pío pío” of the little chicks, will have you and your little ones singing in both English and Spanish. Not a Spanish speaker? Don’t know the tune? No problem! 

Check out the sing-along video, part of Canticos’ larger Emmy-nominated YouTube cartoon series, to see the lyrics and to hear the correct pronunciation.

  1. Read

Canticos books are available in two formats. 

Reversible board book: Read the story once in English. Flip the book and read it in Spanish. Open the book across to see all spreads and 1. Lay it flat on the floor to see the whole story at once or 2.Stand it up and connect the ends into a circle to sit inside and be surrounded by the story.

Little board book: Pick one language to read the story through to the end. Start again in the second language.

  1. Write

For your little ones that are just starting to learn their letters, they can practice tracing the shape of the letters in the book using their fingers. Older kids learning to write can practice writing simple words like ‘chick’ and ‘hen’ as well as onomatopoeic ones like ‘pío’ and ‘gulp’.

  1. Play

Get little ones saying “pío pío pío” as they open and close their hands imitating a chick opening and closing its beak. Or get them flapping their ‘wings’ as they bend their arms at their elbows and raise them up and down.

Find more resources in our Parents Learning Hub here.

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