Customer Reviews

Spanish for Kids: Learn Spanish Beginner Level 1

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

There's a lot packed into this DVD. The DVD is split into 5 chapters with a specific learning theme. After each scene, the characters review what was taught and then follow up with a song or a DVD game. My kids enjoyed the games, the music and the kooky animated Chihuahua that jumps in with the human characters. In the past, I had a difficult time getting them to study Spanish with books and CDs but this DVD really had them interested in learning more.

Uses a birthday party event to teach some basic words and phrases. The context is easy to understand. The simple songs help reinforce the learning. My 2 year old watches this and we will probably both learn some Spanish from it. I like that I have the option to just play the video and skip the exercises because my child isn't old enough for the exercises. My complaints are 1) sometimes the accompanying instrumental music is so loud that its hard to hear the words clearly. 2) It would help if they would put the Spanish text up on the screen (as well as the English, maybe English in smaller text). That would help when its hard to hear the pronunciation clearly. 3) The acting is awkward. I'm not sorry I bought it and will probably buy more in the series, but I do wish that the creators of these things would look at the product a little more closely before production because it wouldn't have been much more work to make it much much better.

My 2 1/2 years old loves it - I think a little more than Professor parrot speaks Spanish. [I must also mention that she has several Spanish language tools like books, classroom style charts with English and Spanish numbers, colors, and shapes and and other DVD/CDs] We call the time we spend viewing this DVD our "Spanish Lesson" and I notice that when many of the words appear on the screen in Spanish she will shout it out before the narrator says it. I think that it is a good complement to the other tools that we use and I look forward to the other volumns.

I started summer school to learn Spanish and I've been feeling behind compared to the other kids even in a beginner class. We purchased Spanish for Kids and it has been a huge help. I learned basic phrases for meeting and greeting, as well as primary colors and couting to 10 in no time. The best part is I find it cute and funny. It's much more interesting to learn this way than using work books. I'm feeling much more confident in my class and actually feel ahead of the curve now.

We own this DVD and Professor Parrot Speaks Spanish.

Here's the bad: I prefer Professor Parrot by far. This DVD is much cheesier. The guy who is the tree is annoying and does not know how to act. I agree with the other post that says the sound is of poor quality. I couldn't understand the words of the songs, so I had to pull out the booklet to read them. My son can't read yet, so he doesn't have the added benefit of reading the words.

Professor Parrot is much more stylistically interesting. The acting isn't so cheesy. And I love the warmth of the lady who tells the story of the Three Bears to the children. I would give this DVD a definite 5 stars.

Now for the good: My son does enjoy this Spanish for Kids DVD. He says he doesn't like the tree guy either, but he loves the dog. He thinks the dog is funny and he likes the balloons too. He was catching on to the colors because it's repetitive. He enjoyed the "test" questions at the end. He says he likes this DVD as much as Professor Parrot. So I guess from a kids point of view, cheesy and sound problems aren't a big deal if it's fun.

I recently bought this DVD for my close friend's 6 and 8 year old kids. They are just starting to introduce Spanish to their kids who are 6 and 8 years old. They already had several Spanish learning videos and found that most were geared towards very young children and they just weren't learning the language the way they had wanted. In the other videos, the narrator talks down to the audience, and for entertainment value, they rely on hand puppets and simple songs. Kids are fairly sophisticated nowadays and these products did not interest the kids at all.

However, the kids enjoy watching this Spanish for Kids dvd. I saw this in action when I was visiting them early this year. They get a kick out of the 3D animated dog character and the songs are catchy and modern. The music is pretty good and my husband and I and their parents even got into the music and danced around with the kids! None of the actors have American accents which I found annoying in the other videos. To help parents, the DVD includes a useful learning guide and offers subtitles in English/Spanish that can be turned off. It also contains games which were a fun way for the kids to test out what they learned. These games can be skipped for younger children.

The best part is that while the kids are watching something on TV they are essentially learning something useful. It is great that they are beginning to use what they learned outside of the home. They always get a big smile from Spanish speakers when they say a few words in Spanish.

Overall, I highly recommend this product.

I was very impressed with this DVD. It is obviously professionally done, with great lessons. My children work through the Flip Flop Spanish workbook that I authored, and they enjoy the drawing and exercises, and listening to the CD, so I didn't know if sitting and watching a DVD would be too helpful, but it goes great with the workbook, and adds to it with reinforcement (and someone other than Mom speaking Spanish is a big plus!)

Great addition to any Spanish curriculum up to age 6 or so, I'd say.

Sra. Gose
Author of Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 1 & Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 2

Based on the reviews, I bought this dvd thinking it would reinforce the Spanish my two year already knows. However, this is a very low quality production, and the host does not even seem to know how to speak Spanish. Then there is the instance when-while supposedly teaching the kids how to count slices of cake- the narrator jumps from cinco (5) to siete (7). Ridiculous! If you have abosolutely no idea of how to speak/read the Spanish language, and just want to mildly amuse your child for five minutes, this is the product for you. But if you are seriously interested in your child learning a second language, this is not for you. Take it from someone who is fluent in Spanish, this is a total waste of your time and money.

This is an excellent DVD. We are trying to learn Spanish since moving from Missouri to Miami Florida. My three children ages 9, 8, 7 are having an easy time learning Spanish because of this DVD. Easy to understand, fun, and subtitles really help. Highly recommended. Also recommended: "My First Spanish Word Book". This book has GREAT pictures of everyday items each one labeled in English and Spanish. A MUST HAVE for any children learning spanish, or learning Spanish to English.

I really like this DVD. The pronounciation overall is superb, and it's fun and interative. As for age levels - it works well with my 5 year old... I would say this is for preschool+ children. My daughter is just learning Spanish, so I think this is still a bit advanced (it doesn't break down the phrases or allow for much repitition), but it definitely serves a purpose and is something she can grow into. Love it. :)
Thanks!
Spanish Professor