In the early days, I felt like my head was going to explode with all the new information that came with living in a different country and I particularly found it tough adjusting to the Spanish education system. While there are many benefits for a child to be bilingual, the amount of hard work needed to get to a point of ‘adequacy’ is lengthy and frustrating, especially if you have to work with several languages.
In time, I have adapted some techniques and found resources that worked for us. It’s also helpful to have a good relationship with the school. Don’t be afraid to ask, no matter how stupid you might feel!
We also have some great friends who have helped us if we ever get stuck with Valenciano. I really can’t thank them enough. So in some respect, I’m quite lucky to have the help if I needed it. But of course, most of the time we have to go it alone!
Thankfully, my son is now at a stage where he can complete tasks with minimal help. His oral and writing skills on Castellano and Valenciano have improved greatly over the past years. During this time I have encountered numerous learning tools, some I still continue to use today and I would like to share my top five with you.
My Top 5 Valenciano and Castellano Learning Resources
1. Valenciano Translator
This handy Valenciano translator was recommended to me by a friend and it’s a GODSEND! It translates Valenciano to Castellano and vice versa (in an ideal world I’d love it to translate Valenciano to English too!) but we can’t have it all! The web version is very basic and you can also download the app from iTunes and Google.
2. Rubio
Rubio notebooks and apps are great for reinforcing writing, mathematics, intellectual and motor development for children aged 3 to 12 years old. There are over 80 notebooks available including Maths, Alphabets, English, German and cognitive stimulation. My son is currently practising his division which is illustrated in a simple way without distractions.
3. Twinkl
Twinkl is a learning resource based in the UK. Here you can find printables and planners for every level and capabilities. Twinkl had recently made Spanish resources available to download and print which is great. Some printables are free but most of their content are available on subscription only.
4. Idioma Valenciano
This online Valenciano learning reference is great for finding out basic and advanced Valenciano. The course consists of five files. It teaches Valenciano grammar and official rules of the of the Valencian language.
5. Anaya Portal
Anaya is Spain’s leading educational publisher and their books are widely used by students across Spain including my sons’ school. If the you have purchased your children’s books from Anaya, you should be entitled to access to their learning portal by registering and entering your book codes. While inside the portal you have the options to download the materials.
Are you an expatriate adjusting to a new schooling system or even learning new languages?! How do you help your child with school work? Do you rely on online information like I do? I would love to hear your suggestions and stories. 🙂
