Being bilingual is a must in this global society – try to shoot even for trilingual or more if possible!  Experts agree, those with command of multiple languages will dominate the work force as we here in the U.S. continue to expand our global reaches.

Spanish is still the most requested language program in our country (with Mandarin coming in well behind it).  The reasons are evident as to why Spanish should be the language parents choose for their little ones to begin an introduction with:

1. More than 500 million people worldwide speak Spanish
2. More than 44 million people in our country alone (the U.S.) have Spanish as their native langauge
3. Speaking Spanish fluently enables a person to learn the other Romance languages in less time and more effectively
4. Spanish is one of the six official languages of the United Nations
5. Spanish is the second most used language in international communications …. be the first to comment back on what places first and win a cool language learning set from Boca Beth

So…… with summer upon us, and all parents are hoping to make it a great one where the minds of our youth do not stand still, do not lose that reported one month of lesson loss and do not succumb to summer boredom, I hope to provide you with yet another fun Boca Beth Blog full of activities – free and otherwise – that will bring Spanish to life for your little darling (whose mind is like a summer sponge!)

Click here for some way cool bilingual resources that cost nary a cent amigo mí0. 

Then read on for activities to do with  a fun Spanish & English song from the Boca Beth Program called There Are Ten Toys/Diez juguetes son.

When I wrote this song to be on our first CD called My First Songs in Spanish/Mis primeras canciones en inglés I knew I already had one counting song on this CD, but the teacher and mom in me knew that repetition of the concept of counting from 1 to 10 was not a bad thing.  In fact, it emphasized the true nature of my Boca Beth Program, that it is teacher-created and classroom-tested and not just some big company’s idea of slapping a CD on a shelf and hoping it makes millions based on its big name or commercial appeal.

I still – to this day – am proving our worth as a company, as a philosophy, as a brand.  I am told repeatedly by early childhood experts, teachers who work in the classrooms daily with children, moms who travel around town playing our bilingual CDs for children and bilingual educational field people that this Boca Beth stuff works!  I mean, they say it with such conviction that I too am beginning to believe we are the next Baby Einstein in the children’s multi-media market!

So, back to the song at hand.  Here are the lyrics:

Diez juguetes son/There Are Ten Toys” (Song #9 off our My First Songs in Spanish  music CD )
(sung to the tune of “Ten Little Indians”)

Uno, dos, tres juguetes,
Cuatro, cinco, seis juguetes,
Siete, ocho, nueve juguetes,
¡Diez juguetes son!

One, two, three toys,
Four, five, six toys,
Seven, eight, nine toys,
There are ten toys!

(repeat entire song one more time)

Want some cute ideas to do while singing this song? 

• Have the children use their fingers to count through this fun counting song (use regular hand counting for the first time around and then use sign language numbers fpr the second time around).  The visual learner thrives on this type of visual cue while learning the new language.  Remember what the latest research out of Texas suggested – children under the age of 5 can learn up to five languages simultaneously.  They will not be language delayed by any detrimental amount.  They will begin to code-switch which is the sign of a true linguist.  So incorporate the English, the Spanish, the sign language within this one song!  (And bring in French or Mandarin or Farsi or any other language you, the children or a helper might have knowledge of!)
• We sing in Spanish, then in English and repeat it all one more time! Remember – repetition is the key to success in any language learning program. You, as the adult, might get bored on the 20th time of this song, but the children love hearing it and need to hear it time & time & time again. 

• Use actual toys from the children’s environment – rattles, balls, action figures, dolls, whatever the child(ren) respond to.  Incorporate them into acting out the song – perhaps having one child hold one toy, two children hold up two toys and so on.  The kinesthetic learner finds himself more successful when activities involve movement, touching and a physical connection to the learning.
• Use color sheets to reinforce the counting words in English and Spanish.  Our 44-page book has many pages for Spanish fun activities along with simple line coloring.  On our Boca Beth web site you can get samples just like this for FREE!  I love FREE stuff and the dollar store – what mom doesn’t?!?!?!

Happy Educating!  ¡Sea feliz educando!

Boca Beth