Cinco de Mayo History for Kindergarten

Parents and teachers! Discover engaging ways to introduce Cinco de Mayo to kindergarteners and preschoolers with these resources.

Introducing Cinco de Mayo to Kindergarteners

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. The holiday highlights the Battle of Puebla and its historical significance for the United States. This is a bit heavy for kindergarteners, so instead, as parents and teachers, we must view it as an opportunity to learn about cultural diversity and history in a fun way. 

I start by explaining the significance of the holiday in simple terms, focusing on themes like courage, unity, and celebrating differences. Remember, the goal is not for them to memorize the events of the Battle of Puebla. Instead it is to introduce the holiday in an age-appropriate way so that later when they learn about the history behind it, they will recognize the holiday and think to themselves, "Hey! I remember Cinco de Mayo! I learned about that...[last year0]."

Children's Books about Cinco de Mayo

Children's books are my go-to for introducing a new topic. They are a wonderful way to peak interest in little learners. Reading colorful and engaging books about Cinco de Mayo can captivate young minds and spark their curiosity. Here are some titles that are appropriate for early elementary kids. 

• Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo: with Fiestas, Music, and Dance by Carolyn Otto
  
  
• Cinco de Mayo (Holidays in Rhythm and Rhyme) by Emma Carlson Berne 
  
  
• Cinco De Mayo (Rookie Read-About Holidays) by Mary Dodson Wade 

Try to avoid books with stereotypical themes on the cover (i.e., sombreros) and instead look for books that truly celebrate the holiday.

 

Printable Resources

But of course, nothing engages young minds like hands-on activities. Printable activities offer hands-on learning experiences that reinforce key concepts. From coloring pages featuring traditional Mexican symbols to word searches and puzzles, there are resources to make learning about Cinco de Mayo interactive and enjoyable.

My youngest loves crafts or coloring pages. So here are a few of the printables I have created with young learners in mind:

And here are a few other printable resources for different ages to supplement classroom lessons or family celebrations at home.

The Importance of Avoiding Stereotypes and Teaching Age-Appropriate History

I look around at all the Cinco de Mayo printables that are available on TpT and the internet and I really cringe at all the stereotypical imagery I see: sombreros, piñatas, maracas, cactus. Oy. They have nothing to do with the holiday.

In my opinion, it's crucial to approach the teaching of Cinco de Mayo with sensitivity and accuracy, avoiding stereotypes and misconceptions. Emphasize the diverse and rich tapestry of Mexican culture, highlighting its contributions to art, music, cuisine, and more. Teach history in a way that honors the resilience and achievements of the Mexican people while acknowledging the complexities of their experiences.

Fostering Cultural Understanding

Cinco de Mayo is another opportunity for us as parents and educators to encourage open dialogue and curiosity about different cultures, fostering empathy and respect among kindergarteners. Use age-appropriate language to discuss historical events, emphasizing themes of courage, unity, and social justice. By teaching history through a lens of diversity and inclusion, you empower children to appreciate the beauty of cultural heritage and embrace differences.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• Cinco de Mayo Printable Resources
  
  
• Why the United States Should Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
  
  
• Cinco de Mayo Interactive Notebook or Lapbook

7 Alphabet Learning Toys

It's the time of year when I shift my attention to gift buying in preparation for the upcoming holiday season. I start thinking about what my kids want and what they need. And where they're concerned, I'm always thinking about fun educational products that will help them learn and grow. Over the past year, I have focused on alphabet toys for preschoolers and kindergartners to help my youngest. And I wanted to share some of the ones that we've used, and a few others that I think would be great tools in a child's pre-literacy journey.

Educational Insights and Learning Resources are my two go-to brands for this type of resource. They have so many excellent educational toys to help teach and reinforce basic skills. But there are a few other smaller, but wonderful companies creating learning magic. I've tried to list the resources below in order of complexity, beginning with uppercase letter recognition and ending with beginning sounds.

The following post contains affiliate links.

Alphabet Bingo

We began with this game and still play it today, even though my son knows his alphabet letters. This bingo game comes with six double-sided game boards, a bunch of counters, and 26 letter tokens with the capital on one side and an image on the other. Each image begins with the letter on the other side of the token. 

When we first started playing this game, my son always wanted to look for the picture which was easier, but I would always say the letter out loud instead of the name of the image. Or I would say, "R for rocket," emphasizing the r sound at the beginning of the word. This is a great first game for alphabet recognition.

This game is from Peaceable Kingdom.

Frida's Fruit Fiesta Alphabet Game

This is, hands down, my favorite alphabet toy. Technically, it's a 2- (or more) player game. But it's one that even I don't mind playing regularly with my 5 year old. He's old enough now to recognize all the letters, but we still play the game because it's fun and a good way to reinforce his letter recognition.

This game comes with four player boards, three (connected) spinners, 26 game pieces (fruit bowls with a letter), and Frida (a toucan-shaped tweezer tool). Instructions are also included, of course. 

The objective of the game is to get four in a row on your player board in a manner similar to bingo (left-right, up-down, or diagonally). You spin all three spinners and choose the letter of the alphabet you want to place on your player board. Then your child uses Frida to "collect" the fruit bowl that has the letter in question.

It's super fun for littles and great for helping them identify upper case letters. The only thing I would change about this game would be to add lowercase letters as well.

This game is by Educational Insights.

Alphabet Learning Locks

This is another great toy that we have. I noticed a long time ago that my son was fascinated by keys and locks. So whoever invented this was pretty brilliant. Kids have to find the right key to unlock the padlock - and the "key" is that they have to match the upper- and lowercase letters! 

This is a really fun toy set by Dinhon.

Alphabet Acorns Activity Set

I bought this set a few years ago for my son and he still plays with them. Alphabet Acorns comes with 78 pieces: 26 acorn bases, 26 acorn "caps" and 26 color-coded counters/figures. 

Each acorn has a capital letter displayed on the front, it's lowercase partner on the inside of the lid, and a surprise hidden inside that begins with the letter on the acorn. What a great way to help teach the alphabet! I really highly recommend this set. 

But parents be warned: It can be a challenge to keep up with the small figures inside the acorns if you don't keep an eye on your child while they are playing with the set.

This set is by Learning Resources.

ABC Cookies

This set is also on my list to purchase because it is the next level up. ABC Cookies comes with four different games that you can play to learn different concepts: 

• letter recognition
• upper and lowercase matching
• letter sequencing
• beginning sounds

Letter sequencing is, I think, often overlooked especially in homeschooling. So I really like this set from Learning Resources.

Alpha Pops

The focus of this set is to learn upper and lowercase letters. It comes with 26 double-sided pops, that are also color coded to help children learn which letters go together. All the popsicles will connect with each other, so they may also be used to build simple two-letter words, such as "go," "at," "me," etc.

This set is also by Learning Resources.

Alphabet Island

I haven't actually bought Alphabet Island, but it is on my list of games to get this year. It caught my eye because players are required to match upper and lowercase letters or beginning sounds with the corresponding pictures. My 5 yo definitely loves playing games, so this is high on my list this year for Christmas. And it's a treasure hunt theme, which I know he will enjoy. 

This game is by Learning Resources.

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• Learning Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers
  
  
• Blossom and Root Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Review
  
  
• New Bilingual Explore with Animals Series for PreK
  
  
• Bilingual Flash Cards for PreK & Kindergarten

New Bilingual Explore with Animals Series for PreK

The following is a sponsored book post with NicaGal.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

One of the most frequent requests I get is for elementary teaching materials in Spanish. So many parents  are looking for the materials that will support their children's bilingualism, especially those starting their homeschool journey. Today's post highlights the new bilingual Explore with Animals series from NicaGal.com.

Several years ago, there was the most excellent Spanish-language magazine available for children ages 8 to 12 called Iguana Magazine. The force behind that magazine was the talented Christianne Meneses Jacobs. She created that wonderful resource from scratch and eventually it was purchased by Cricket Magazines. (That's a story for another day.)

Since then, Christianne has been developing her NicaGal line which includes her podcast, Latino Book Chat, and now her bilingual book series for preschoolers.

Bilingual Preschool Skills Books

There is a list of fundamental skills and specific concepts that every preschooler should learn before entering kindergarten. Among these concepts are the ability to recognize numbers 1 through 10 or higher and to identify colors. Many preschoolers also begin learning alphabet recognition in preparation for learning to read in kindergarten. 

NicaGal's new bilingual and Spanish animal-themed books focus on these three concepts and are a wonderful addition to any home library. 

Bilingual & Spanish Book of Colors

These books are absolutely fabulous. Los colores / Colors includes vibrant images that really help to teach young children their colors. And using animals is a great way to engage preschoolers who are fascinated by them. I love the simplicity and focus of the text which directs children to learn.

Parents and children can ask each other additional questions about the images, or point out things that they notice or like. In addition, the back of the book includes a few ideas for easy activities that parents can do with their children that reinforces color recognition. 

This book is available in a bilingual format (shown above), as well as Spanish-only. 

Spanish or English Book of Numbers

123 Animales or 123 Animals is another sweet counting book that helps children learn numbers 1 though 20. Again, they are colorful and simple with two opportunities for children to count: on one page, count the shapes under the text box, and on the other page count the animals. 

This book is available in two formats: English-only and Spanish-only.

Spanish Alphabet Book

And finally, the book ABC Animales, is a fun way to learn the alphabet. Each letter is associated with a type of animal and includes text with a brief description of the animal and some interesting facts about it.  Again, great pictures and a section at the back for additional activities. This particular abecedario is only available in Spanish. 

If you have a bilingual elementary student who is learning many of these concepts or needs some materials to reinforce their learning, consider adding this series from NicaGal to your child's lessons. 

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• The Importance of Preschool
  
  
• Q & A: Should I Homeschool My Preschooler In Spanish, English, or Both?
  
  
• 7 Alphabet Learning Toys
  
  
• Bilingual Preschool Planner {Free Download}

Blossom and Root Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Review

The following review is a guest post by Latina mom, Vanessa Ruiz. All thoughts and opinions are her own.

When you are looking to homeschool your child, you want to make sure that he or she is learning absolutely everything necessary for success. To ensure we cover all the necessities, many of us look to pre-made curricula to avoid the overwhelming task of planning a year of learning. However, choosing the right curriculum is no small feat. Here is a review of the Blossom and Root Kindergarten Curriculum to help you decide if this homeschool curriculum is the best choice for your child.

Note: We used the Blossom and Root Kindergarten Curriculum for the 2020-2021 school year. A huge update was released in the Summer of 2021. Although we did not get to use the updated materials during our school year, I looked over the new materials to give you the most current review possible.

This post contains affiliate links.

The Pros of the Blossom and Root Kindergarten Curriculum

Nature- and Play-Based

Anytime you can do school outdoors, it’s a good day. With Blossom and Root, you are encouraged to go outside as often as you can. The curriculum is based upon the Charlotte Mason principles, which means that time in nature is a huge component of learning.

My son loved doing school at the park or in the woods and I loved the special memories we got to create together. We often spent more time playing than doing the actual school work, and that is exactly how it should be for the early years.

We chose to homeschool because of the COVID-19 pandemic and due to unfortunate previous experiences that had shattered my son’s self-confidence. This curriculum was the perfect springboard to help him re-encounter a love of learning and confidence in himself. We got to be creative, go at our own pace, and explore his interests together.

Secular Curriculum

Although I am a person of faith, I want my child to have a well-rounded education that introduces him to the world, not just one point of view.

Therefore, I love that Blossom and Root is a secular curriculum that doesn’t mention faith but does introduce figures of different faith backgrounds and points of view.

Science

We absolutely loved the way science is presented as an adventure into outer space. The 2021 update even includes a list of recommended texts to help expand the exploration.

This was the one subject matter that my son begged to do each day. We ended up far ahead in science because he just couldn’t wait to go visit his friend Zoola in space. He told everyone he met about his trip and even built a cardboard box space ship big enough for the whole family.

History

I also loved how history was presented in such a child-friendly way. You begin by exploring your child’s own history, their family and community. The year ends with a section to study influential people of your choice. Therefore, you can cater this subject to your family’s own heritage and background.

Well-Rounded

What amazed me about this curriculum is that you could sufficiently explore all the subject matters in a very small amount of time. I remember never having enough time for art or history as a classroom teacher. Yet, in our few hours each day of homeschool, we were able to fit in all the subjects.

I love the artist and musician selections in the updated version. We didn’t love the choices in the first version because they were lacking diversity. However, the updates have done a beautiful job of selecting artists of diverse backgrounds.

Small Time Commitment

This was a catch-22 for us but for most people it is a huge perk. Sometimes we would get through all the material for the day in an hour or less. The curriculum recommends free play after structured school time is done, which sounds wonderful.

Unfortunately, my son didn’t do well with free play at first because he was used to constant structure and always having other kids around. To make matters worse, I was still working from home full time and needed to keep my son busy eight hours a day. So, I quickly learned to have a busy book full of supplemental activities on hand for the days we zoomed through it all.

You Can Mix and Match

As I mentioned before, my son’s previous educational experiences had left him ill-equipped for Kindergarten in many ways. He was not quite at the Kindergarten level in some subject areas and far beyond in others. Luckily, you can choose to purchase additional curriculum pieces by subject. They are sold separately on the website for most grade levels.

I could have purchased both the Early Years Curriculum and Kindergarten bundle to help supplement our Kindergarten curriculum in the areas where he was lacking.

The Optional Book Lists

This first edition had very little literature guidance beyond the language arts section. I love that the update includes optional literature recommendations for each topic. That would have saved me so much planning time!

The Cons of the Blossom and Root Kindergarten Curriculum

Print Your Own Curriculum

I personally didn’t mind this aspect but I have heard others mention that they don’t like having to print the curriculum on their own.

Blossom and Root does recommend a vendor you can use in order to print and bind your curriculum but that is not a purchase option offered directly through the Blossom and Root website.

We just printed it all out on regular paper and put it in three ring binders with divider tabs and it worked out wonderfully. I think I actually prefer that to having several smaller books for each subject.

The Planning Process

For me, the draw of a curriculum is that it is planned out for you. Therefore, I want you to hand me a lesson plan grid with everything I need to do each day so that I can just jump in and get started.


The Blossom and Root Kindergarten Curriculum does provide a chart with everything you will go over during the week within each subject. However, I would have loved all that information together on one page so that I didn’t have to keep flipping back and forth throughout the week, or make my own lesson plan, to stay on track.

There is, however, a master supply list and a master book list so that you can at least get everything you need at once.

Outdated literature (before Summer of 2021)

When we first began using Blossom and Root in the Fall of 2020, the literature used in the language arts section felt sorely outdated. I found myself doing the necessary reading but supplementing with diverse authors and more modern texts.

However, in June of 2021 an updated version was released and it almost made me want to go back and redo Kindergarten. The curriculum now contains a beautifully diverse list of titles from all walks of life.

I chose to still mention this aspect because the creator of Blossom and Root is updating one grade level at a time. Therefore, if you are looking for a grade level other than Kindergarten, you may want to check the expected update timeline before purchasing, or just plan to supplement in order to add more diversity to your literature.

The Nature Study Readings

We loved, loved the projects that took us outside into nature to explore. We both abhorred the readings from The Burgess Animal Book for Children.

The chapters are long and dry and left my active five year old frustrated and tired. We tried splitting them up into a page a day, letting him play or bounce while I read, asking questions as we read and stopping frequently but nothing overcame the boredom.

Eventually, we skipped the readings completely and used supplemental books or videos to learn about the animals or topics in the nature studies.

Keep in mind that there are surely kids out there who love this text and listen with enthusiasm. Mine is just not one of those kids.

Light on the Math

My son loves math and science. Therefore, one math lesson a week embedded into our space exploration was not enough for him. However, looking back onto my own childhood, I personally would have loved having math hidden within an adventure.

They do have a list of recommended math curricula on their FAQ page, I was just hoping the Blossom and Root Kindergarten Curriculum would have everything I needed included.

Doesn’t Always Align With State Standards

If you are homeschooling for a short period of time and want your child to be able to jump into public school without missing a beat, you will want to double check your state’s learning standards to make sure you are covering everything necessary. However, this is true with most curricula, not an issue with Blossom and Root itself.

In my opinion, Blossom and Root is a wonderful, well-rounded curriculum for kids and families who enjoy nature and lots of playtime. It has just enough freedom within the structure to allow you to modify things depending on your child’s needs and explore topics that are important to you.

Books and Toys that Pair Well

Learning Resources Alphabet Acorns

Nature Bound Bug Catcher Vacuum with Light Up Critter Habitat Case

Kenley Counting Ladybugs

The Essential Guide to Forest School and Nature Pedagogy

Life Cycle Figures

Globe 3-D Geography Puzzle

GeoSafari Jr. Talking Kids Microscope

Other Posts That May Interest You

• Niños and Nature: Bilingual Nature Studies
  
  
• Igniting Wonder for World Cultures with Picture Books (Beautiful Feet Books Review)
  
  
• 7 Alphabet Learning Toys
  
  
• New Bilingual Explore with Animals Series for PreK

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Vanessa Ruiz is a mother of two bilingual boys, former Spanish teacher and early childhood educator turned writer. She also runs the website, Families Embracing Diversity, a resource to help families learn to embrace our differences today in order to give our children a better tomorrow.

In her spare time she enjoys reading books on diversity and culture, traveling when possible with her family and friends, and spending time outdoors.

Niños and Nature: Bilingual Nature Studies

After being cooped up for a long pandemic year, families are embracing nature studies - especially in their homeschool lessons. But finding nature-based programs have been difficult in the past. Which is why Niños and Nature is so fantastic! 

The Back-to-School Fiesta only has a few giveaways left this month, and I sure love this one! I have seen SO MANY bilingual homeschoolers searching for a nature-based curriculum. So when I saw this one, I was ecstatic! 

Read on and enter the giveaway if this sounds like a good fit for your familia...

Screen free Spanish learning for nature lovers

Niños and Nature is a series of play-based, nature-inspired Spanish courses for children ages 1½ to 6. They currently offer two courses:

Con mi Familia

A play-based Spanish course and preschool curriculum for nature lovers! These Spanish courses are designed for families who want to grow their language skills, while creating a bilingual learning environment for their children right at home. This is the perfect Spanish preschool curriculum for families that love nature, play and connecting with each other! For children 2-6

Spanish in the Wild

These seasonal bilingual nature study courses are designed for families who want to immerse themselves in Spanish, while learning more about the world around them. This is the perfect blended curriculum for language and nature study for your children and teens. This course helps you learn Spanish in every season, and encourages you to get outside for all of your language learning. Whether you are studying the anatomy of a mushroom, the lifecycle of a butterfly, or learning more about gemstones and crystals: this course helps bring Spanish to life with real world context and experiential learning. For children 5+ (even teens!)

If you'd like to see samples, click here. 

Other Posts that May Interest You

• 7 Alphabet Learning Toys
  
  
• New Bilingual Explore with Animals Series for PreK
  
  
• Learning Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers
  
  
• Blossom and Root Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum Review
  
  
• Bilingual Flash Cards for PreK & Kindergarten

Igniting Wonder for World Cultures with Picture Books

The following is a sponsored post in collaboration with Beautiful Feet Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I'm a planner. And when it comes to homeschooling, few things excite me as much as discovering new curricula that I think will delight my kids while teaching them valuable lessons. So while I currently have a preschooler, I'm already looking forward to Kindergarten curricula. And my most exciting discovery at the moment, is the Around the World with Picture Books literature pack from Beautiful Feet Books.

(Psst! Don't miss the GREAT giveaway and freebie at the end of this post!)

Quick Overview

Program: Around the World with Picture Books Part 1 from Beautiful Feet Books
Subject(s): literacy, literature, world cultures, geography
Religious Perspective: Christian
Format: Books
Grades: K - 3rd
Language: English 
Price: $27.95 for the Teacher Guide up to $205.95 for all the materials (books included)

Charlotte Mason's Good Books

Beautiful Feet Books is a Charlotte Mason-inspired history and literature curriculum for homeschool families. (If you are new to homeschooling and don't know about the Charlotte Mason method, here's a post I wrote for a quick overview.)

I consider us to be an eclectic homeschool family drawing from various methods those aspects that inspire and engage us the most. What I love best about the Charlotte Mason approach is the use of living books instead of text books. Living books are those written by authors who are knowledgeable and passionate about a particular subject. They make history come alive for the reader and capture their imagination. I used these extensively with my older children and am now looking forward to using them with my youngest.

I also am striving to raise global citizens who can interact with any person of any background from anywhere in the world. So when I discovered that Beautiful Feet Books has several literature packs that explore world cultures, I was ecstatic! 

A Literature Approach

My favorite way to teach young children is through reading, reading, and reading more great books. And that's exactly what Beautiful Feet Books provides. 

I chose to receive Around the World with Picture Books Part 1, which covers Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. The Asian books dive into China, Japan, Thailand, and India. And the African books explore Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ghana.

The complete set comes with 17 books, a teacher's guide, and a composition book. Included in the 17 books is an atlas that I've been dying to buy for years, but my big kids were just too old for it. I'm so excited to have my hands on it. More about it below...

BUT if you are on a budget, you can also purchase JUST the teacher's guide ($27.95) and then request all the books from your local library. They probably already have most of them, and if not, would surely be happy to order them for you.

The Teacher's Guide

Oh. My. 

That's exactly what I thought when I saw the teacher's guide. Seriously, it's remarkable. It's beautifully done. The full-color guide walks you through each of the 70 lessons and provides lots of extra activities and resources to explore, including artworks, nature connections, recipes, and more.

The guide goes from one country to the next until all 11 countries have been explored. As your student completes the art assignments, they should cut and paste them into the notebook (which, by the way, is imported from Japan and specifically designed for beginning writers). Many of these will be the reproducible maps and drawings found in the back of the guide that your child will color in with colored pencils or watercolors. So the pages of the notebook will mostly contain these pieces of art, with minimal writing. Instead, the lesson encourage oral presentations and dialogue with your children to foster a deep connection both with the subject matter and between parent and child.

The Books

And the picture books have been carefully curated to best represent each country. I love the authenticity of each one and the glimpses of culture that they contain. Some have no words, such as Anno's China, which has only illustrations (the back of the book has descriptions of each scene). Each page is full of activity, a collection of snapshots of daily life in China.

Personally, I love that someone has done all the legwork for me and that I don't have to take time to go and search for books for each country and then try to find them in my library, bookstore, or online. Having it all put together saves me time, which I simply don't have to spare. And the guide makes it possible for me to simply open and teach. I can grab it, look it over, then sit down with my youngest and the book(s) of the day.

What You'll Need

As I mentioned above, this is a literature-based program. The box that arrives supplies almost everything, but you'll also need the following:

• colored pencils
• set of watercolors
• paintbrushes
• watercolor paper

You may have all of these already. But I really appreciate that there's not a ton of stuff I have to buy to use this program. 

There's also ingredients for the recipes, but that's certainly up to you if you want to make your own, buy it (if you live near restaurants that serve the dishes), or decide to skip some all together. 

One of the great things about this program is that it very flexible and the guide simply provides you with ways to explore and build on the books being read.

My youngest was there for the unboxing and immediately grabbed the book Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski. He was enthralled (to my delight!) by all the illustrations. And we've even read some of the books already at his insistence. Totally okay. We read the same books over and over again. So it'll be fun when we add the activities from the guide - that will give the books a fresh slant. 

If this sounds like type of program you're interested in using with your elementary student, go take a look at their product page for more information!

The Freebie

Beautiful Feet Books is giving away the free eBook, 5 Ways to Know If A Book Is Worth Sharing With Your Kids by Josh Berg. To get your copy, sign up here.

Want to find this post again? Pin it!

Other Posts that May Interest You

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• New Bilingual Explore with Animals Series for PreK
  
  
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• Bilingual Flash Cards for PreK & Kindergarten

Bilingual Flash Cards for PreK & Kindergarten

The following is a sponsored post with Beau & Blaze Creations. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

I absolutely love it when moms come up with a great idea or product, decide to market it to share with other families, AND work hard to make it good quality.

That's what Puerto Rican mama of 2, Jackie Palaualelo, has done. She's starting a line of bilingual products for kids and her first product is now available on Amazon and Etsy. 

This post contains affiliate links.

Bilingual Toddler Flash Cards has 93(!) dry erase bilingual flash cards, 4 binder (book) rings, and two dry erase markers. The cards are grouped into 4 sets:

• English Alphabet, 
• Spanish Alphabet, 
• numbers 1-20, 
• and 20 sight word cards

The cards are simple but colorful and eye-catching to keep your child engaged. Each set comes with a binder ring so you can keep them together. Crazy enough, this simple design of adding a ring, intrigues little kids. I gave them to my 3yo and he so enjoyed flipping through them. It makes the cards more interactive, less static.

I also love that the cards come with writing spaces and traceable number and letters. So for little ones learning letter recognition, this is a major plus. The cards themselves are laminated and waterproof making them extra durable. My youngest loves tracing and then erasing and then tracing and then erasing. I appreciate all the pincer/grasping skills he's developing by holding the pens and "writing."

These bilingual cards will help children develop a foundation in both English and Spanish. Go and follow them on IG! Why? Because you'll find great ideas for different educational ways to use these excellent flash cards.

Off the top of my own head, they are great for letter and number recognition, finger tracing, counting, spelling, reading, writing, memory game (Spanish & English taken off the ring), and more.

You can buy them here on etsy. 

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• Learning Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers
  
  
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Martín y Pepe - Spanish Beginning Reader Books

 

Friends, I'm excited about today's giveaway! (I know, I'm excited about ALL of them!) But this one is special to me because this series of books is loved by my 3yo. 

Last year, I shared these books with you in a sponsored post. Not only did I fall in love with the simple storylines and the beautiful illustrations, but so did my youngest. 

THEN, when I was hosting the Migrant Children's Book Drive last year, Dana Ryan - the author of this series - reached out to me and donated 40 copies (10 of each book). Y'all, I just really love this series and both the author and the illustrator. 

Rosa C. Lopez is the artist. She's brilliant. I actually had her create some art for me for a current project I'm working on and it was remarkable the choices she gave me. I had such a hard time narrowing it down and had to ask my own children to help me choose. And they had a hard time, too. Rosa is THAT good. 

Here's a time-lapse video of her working on the most recent book released in this series. Watch her brilliance in action... 

The Giveaway

Dana has SO kindly offered to give away one complete set of these beginning readers to one MommyMaestra reader! 

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter below. 

Good luck, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nacho Books

One of the things that I see coming up a LOT these days from parents raising bilingual children is a request for materials that teach children how to read in Spanish. Especially from parents who had children in immersion PreK and are now homeschooling them for Kindergarten.

A few years ago, I reviewed the Nacho (lectura) books from Susaeta. They have been SO POPULAR! So many parents have said that these were the books they used to learn to read. 

But the biggest hangup was that they are published in Latin America. Fortunately, there is one place here in the States where you can order them: Cultural Bytes. 

The Giveaway

But I'm very happy to announce that our friends at Cultural Bytes are offering a set of these awesome books for one lucky family.

This set includes (all shown above):
1- Nacho Lectura Inicial De Lectura (estados unidos)
1- Leo y Escribo 1
1- El Gran Nacho

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¡Buena suerte!

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Spanish Alphabet Books for PreK & Kindergarten

So many families raising young bilingual children are searching for resources right now to help their preschoolers and kindergartners learn to read in Spanish.

We are lucky to have Spanglish Schoolhouse participating in this year's Back-to-School Fiesta! They have generously offered their Spanish Alphabet Books Bundle. And what I love about it is that parents don't have to be native speakers to help their children learn!

Why? Because this set comes with QR codes . And although the student resources are 100% Spanish, the teacher instruction pages are in English.

This DIGITAL DOWNLOAD bundle is fantastic for practicing letter identification, syllable counting, and beginning sounds in Spanish (or sonidos iniciales).

Every consonant book has all five vowels represented. (The exception is c & g, because there are two versions for those letters: hard and soft.)

Each letter comes with five resources:

Flipbook with QR Code

A printable book children can color, cut, staple, and read to practice beginning sounds in the context of a predictable sentence. These have QR codes, so children can scan and read along with the flipbook using any QR code reader on a phone, tablet, or computer.

Video

This is a full-color version of the above flipbook being read. NOTE: The QR code connects children to files in Google Drive. You will want to be sure your district does not block Google Drive files. 

 

Trace & Match

Trace the word and match it to the correct picture.

Word Puzzle & Syllable Count

Children use the word bank to match the word to the correct picture, then count and circle the correct number of syllables.

Word & Picture Puzzles

Use these to introduce the vocabulary for each letter, as matching puzzles, or to play memory or Go Fish.

What a FABULOUS resource, no?!?

Visit Spanglish Schoolhouse to learn more and watch the video. 

The Giveaway

Spanglish Schoolhouse is offering their Digital Download Spanish Alphabet Book Bundle to one MommyMaestra reader.

To enter to win, simply use the Rafflecopter below.

¡Buena suerte!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanksgiving Activity Pack for Preschoolers in English & Spanish

I've been on a creative roll the last couple of weeks. Thanksgiving is possibly my favorite holiday, so I've been digging out all of my Thanksgiving decorations for the house. And although I can't stand to be cold (and, oh, has the wind been so bitterly cold!), I love autumn: the colors, the scents, the images!

My thoughts have been on that early Thanksgiving between the Native Americans and the English settlers. I think about how dreary life might have been for the English without reliable heat, with the loss of loved ones, with illness and starvation. I think about the wives and mothers who braved the long trip at sea to come to this unknown (to them) land and how much courage that must have taken...and how much fear probably accompanied it. Starting over is hard. I've done it several times now. Most recently a year ago when we moved, I hope for the final time, back to Texas.

I think about the generosity of Squanto and his tribe toward these new immigrants who were so very, very different. Even though the relationship between settlers and the indigenous people swiftly deteriorated and led to a complete conquering of several Indian nations, for this brief moment, things were peaceable and life was good between the two. This is the thought that I cling to these days: that people can be good if they choose to be. People can let go of fear and embrace love for themselves and others. Greed can be vanquished, because really, what good is it? We can't take anything with us when we die, except our soul. And, I sure hope that mine is good and reflects love.

Anyway, these thoughts and my creativity have spilled forth into new printables. The first is this Thanksgiving Activity Pack for Pre-K and Kindergarten. It focuses, of course, on those basic skills that our little ones must learn: counting, beginning sounds, letter recognition, new vocabulary, writing skills, and more. But it also quietly reflects friendship, working together, and generosity. I wish my baby boy was old enough to enjoy it now, but he still has a few years to go.

I know that there are quite a few of these available online, but how many are available in both English and Spanish?

I'll tell you about my other fun activity next time. For now, you can find this print-and-go download in my TpT store and MommyMaestra shop.

Enjoy!