Customer Reviews

Spanish for Kids: Los Animales

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a foreign language teacher and believe strongly that foreign language learning should begin as early as possible. I bought this video for my niece and nephew, ages 5 and 3, because I wanted them to have an immersion experience. Even without any prior knowledge of Spanish, they easily followed the storyline. I believe that this is due to the effective use of repetition, graphics, animation, and fun songs. My niece and nephew loved watching the puppets and repeating the words, and we all had fun singing the songs as a family. In fact, the adults enjoyed the video (and learned some Spanish, too) as much as the kids. I highly recommend this video for anyone who wants their children to begin learning Spanish.

I bought this for my 2 year old, who loved it! For a long time she asked to see it over and over every day. It's entirely in Spanish but it's pretty easy to understand what's being said. It's very different to hear native speakers speaking full sentences than single word translations as in some children's shows. The kids and puppets keep the video entertaining. Very pleased with the product.

This DVD was recommended to me as an introduction to Spanish language for young children. My 6 year old has had some introductory Spanish and found the songs and action easy to follow. He liked the puppets, the kids, songs and graphics. I liked the immersion techniques used because it reinforced the listening skills needed to learn any language. The video is fun, entertaining and educational. Even grandma learned some Spanish when she watched the show!

Los Animales (Animals): Beginning Spanish for Kids (Award Winning version) is a great way to introduce kids to Spanish. It is a mixture of live action (a story teller and kids) along with puppets. They are silly and cute and grab the attention of younger kids (we had a 2 year old who did NOT want us to turn it off!). As it is all in Spanish, it is a great alternative to Dora, Diego, and Dragon Tails. It comes with a guide to help with translations.

I speak Spanish, but my husband doesn't. We speak English at home, and I didn't start teaching our daughter Spanish until she was already 2 years old. She resisted everything - music, books, talking, etc. She is now 2 1/2, and I bought this DVD a few weeks ago based on the excellent reviews. It really is as great as the other reviews say. My daughter loves it, and she's finally showing interest in the language.

It's entirely in Spanish, which I really like, but it's simple enough that anyone can understand what is going on. That's a rare thing, as most Spanish-language DVDs (like Plaza Sesamo) are made for kids who are native speakers and they're too complicated for beginners. This DVD really is for beginners and is an excellent introduction to the language. I'm going to buy the other DVD, and I hope Whistlefritz makes more DVDs.

I love the songs and I find myself singing them throughout the day, especially Los Ninos Cuando Bailan. I plan on buying the companion CD "A Bailar!" so that we can listen to the music in the car.

Los Animales (Animals): Beginning Spanish for Kids is a great way to introduce kids to Spanish. It is a mixture of live action (a story teller and kids) along with puppets. They are silly and cute and grab the attention of younger kids (we had a 2 year old who did NOT want us to turn it off!). As it is all in Spanish, it is a great alternative to Dora. It comes with a guide to help with translations.

My wife and I were always impressed with how my cousin's children had excelled with picking up Spanish as a second language at such a young age. We were eager to get our son started but did not know where to begin. My cousin gave us copies of "Los Animales" and "Vamos a Jugar". He was immediately captivated. My wife and I were amazed at how quickly he seemed to be picking up Spanish while singing along and having fun. It even helped us to remember what we had learned years back in school. As soon as the DVD ends he claps, yells Yeah! and then asks for "Mo Whitlefrit".

I have tried several Spanish language DVDs for my two kids ages 1 and 2 and this is by far the best I have ever seen. They are immediately captivated by it and laugh and sign along even though they don't understand the words. My 2 year old is already using a few Spanish words after watching this only a couple of times. The colors are bright, the songs are catchy and the hand puppets are very cute. Even though it is expensive, it is well worth the money.

I really like WhistleFritz! It doesn't go too fast in speech, it uses mostly real pictures rather than just cartoons, and the narrator, a native speaker, is well-spoken and enthusiastic. As a Spanish teacher, I'm always looking for good tools to encourage my students and families to get more practice at home. Their music CD's are excellent as well!

So why only 4 stars? I felt that the amount of practice and vocabulary presented in the DVD was a bit limited, and the 25 minutes didn't do justice for the price of the DVD, though it's very professionally done. That's almost a dollar per minute, and about that per word as well. For a classroom, daycare, or another Spanish program, or a tool that you can show to many students, this is a good purchase - or if you have several children. But for a family with one child or two, I think I'd be a bit disappointed that they "just learn animals" as my four year old complained. He wanted a bit more, so I think that could be improved upon.

Enjoy this purchase and rest assured that your children will enjoy it, and most likely learn from it, my 19 month old all the way to my 6 year old tolerated the DVD (that's three boys, one girl), and they do not usually watch much TV at all, so that's something. The three younger ones were happy to watch again on another day, the 6 year old (admittedly basically bilingual) said he had "some reading to do."

Over all, great product!
Sra. Gose
Author of Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 1 & Spanish Fun Activity Calendar

Spanish for Beginners: Los Animales (Animals)

I speak as much Spanish to my child as possible. This is a fabulous, educational and entertaining Spanish video for my 18-month-old child. She absolutely loves it and enjoys participating with the video.