A witch, Spider-Man, a princess, a dragon… Halloween at The Spanish Schoolhouse gave us plenty to talk about! Our students arrived in costume, teachers dressed up too, and little pumpkins were ready for decorating.
In the photos below, you’ll see children adding stickers to their pumpkins, sharing their costumes and gathering with their teachers and classmates. Thank you to our families for helping make it such a fun day.
If your child is still talking about their costume, you already have a starting point for a little Spanish at home. Here are a few easy ways to use that excitement, even if you don’t speak Spanish yourself.
Play “Veo, veo” with our Halloween photos
Open one of the class photos and play a simple version of “I spy”. Start with “Veo…”, which means “I see…”, then name something you can both find.
- Veo una bruja. — I see a witch.
- Veo una princesa. — I see a princess.
- Veo un dragón. — I see a dragon.
- Veo una calabaza. — I see a pumpkin.
Take turns choosing what to find. Your child can point, say one word or try the whole phrase. If they answer in English, you can keep playing and offer the Spanish word: “Yes, a pumpkin! Una calabaza.” There’s no need to ask them to repeat every word.
Turn pumpkin decorating into a little conversation
Our pumpkin photos are full of eyes, faces and colourful stickers. If you have a pumpkin left at home, try decorating it together. A pumpkin drawn on paper works just as well.
Choose just two or three words to use while you decorate:
- Los ojos — the eyes
- La boca — the mouth
- La nariz — the nose
- Naranja, negro y verde — orange, black and green
You could point to the face and ask, “¿Dónde están los ojos?” — “Where are the eyes?” Or count the stickers together: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco. Use the same few words as you go, without stopping the activity for a vocabulary test.
Let them tell you about their costume
Ask “¿De qué te disfrazaste?” — “What did you dress up as?” Looking at a photo together gives your child something to point to if they aren’t sure how to answer.
For a child who wants to try a sentence, offer “Me disfracé de…” — “I dressed up as…” They might say “Me disfracé de Spider-Man” or “Me disfracé de princesa”. Let them choose how much they want to say. You can also ask what costume they would pick for you!
If you don’t speak Spanish at home
You can join in with the words on this page. Pick one phrase, keep it where you can see it and try it while you look through the photos together. It’s fine to use English for the rest of the conversation.
If your child doesn’t feel like speaking, try giving them the job of finding things while you say the words. You can come back to it another day. Five relaxed minutes together is a manageable place to start.
And these ideas don’t have to end with Halloween. “Veo…” works with a picture book, toys on the floor or things you spot on a walk. Choose something your child is interested in and start there.
Our Halloween photo album
Can your child find themselves, their teacher or a friend? Have a look together and see how many costumes you can name in Spanish.
Thank you, TSSH families!
We loved seeing the costumes and the care the children put into their pumpkins. Thank you to everyone who helped with outfits, joined in and made time for the celebration. ¡Gracias!
Want to find out more about Spanish at TSSH? Explore our children’s classes, see our programs and pricing, or book a trial class to meet us.
