Learn About India: Let’s Practice Yoga!

Namaste, Tiny Travelers! This week we’re learning about yoga.

Yoga, which means ‘union’ in Sanskrit, is a spiritual and physical practice originating thousands of years ago in ancient India. It involves breathing, exercise and meditation, which aim to improve health and happiness. During a yoga session a person will move through a sequence of postures, or, ‘asanas.’ Since its creation, yoga has become popular all over the world and developed many different schools of practice. In this week’s lesson you will learn six beginner yoga poses.

Color in the poster, then see if you can do each pose one after the other!

Download Activity Sheet:

\Download PDF](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/60f5a89e108c2683c870592d/6142f2b01da263b8bc069a4c_TT_LearningHub_Lesson37.pdf)

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Benefits of Bilingualism (FAQs):

Any advice on managing two Spanish dialects in the household? Does this cause confusion for kids?

Now that our world is more interconnected than ever, there are plenty of families where each parent could be from a different country in Latin America, with distinctive dialects, vocabulary, slang, and culture. And that’s totally ok for kids to be exposed to. Their perspectives are broadened and they learn to communicate cross-culturally, it’s a thing to be celebrated. Sometimes kids may switch vocabulary when talking to different parents, which is absolutely fine. They’re not confused, if anything this shows their flexibility. They could have as many as five words for one item, three in Spanish two in English, giving them a stronger sense of language in general. For parents that may feel the need to find a neutral ground with their native dialects, not to worry, all research says that you want to encourage and expose children to different languages.

What do you recommend if I’m not completely fluent and my child’s school doesn’t have an immersion class?

I always encourage as much Spanish exposure as possible. Don’t worry about immersion classes availability or not being completely fluent as a parent. Use the Spanish you know, even if you may need to speak Spanglish, I sometimes only know a word in Spanish or vice versa, which is totally okay. This won’t be confusing to your child, in fact, you’re giving them more opportunities to practice Spanish. Try to find ways to fill the gaps in your language knowledge, through apps, books, and music. I recommend the Canticos Bilingual Preschool App, which gives kids so much exposure through stories, activities, and music, allowing them to learn in an authentic and engaging way, perfect for parents with limited fluency.

Do you recommend teaching different subjects in different languages? For example, the solar system in English and the days of the week in Spanish? Or is it better for kids to try to learn in both languages all the time?

Parents who live in an English-speaking country need to remember that children are always going to learn English; Their world is in English, their peers speak English, even if they’re doing dual immersion programs, they are still going to school in English. I know that many native Spanish-speaking parents want their children to learn English because they want them to do well in school and feel that it’s important for their future. However, though it can feel a little counterintuitive, it’s important to give kids as much education as possible in the home in Spanish. They will inevitably learn English, and it will be even better if they learn their native language first, a strong foundation in Spanish will help kids gain a stronger mastery of English.

If you want to teach something like the solar system to kids, you should teach it in their second language. They will most likely have the opportunity to learn everything in English at school, so by teaching them certain subjects in Spanish, they’ll learn new, specific topic vocabulary that they wouldn’t get the chance to learn in everyday conversation, or even in Spanish class.

We speak Spanish and English in our home but my child almost always answers or talks back in English. How can I go about encouraging her to respond and speak more in Spanish?

Many kids may be in a classroom where they hear English all day, before going home and hearing Spanish, and as often happens, they may begin responding in English, or Spanglish. While this might worry parents, the biggest advice I can give is to ask your child in a very low-pressure way to try again in Spanish. Try to avoid saying things like “no, say it again in Spanish” or “no, I can’t understand you when you speak English,” those strategies don’t work very well, and can often make kids feel forced. You want to encourage your child to show you what they do know, and if it’s a matter of them not knowing, then you can simply provide them with the info they need to communicate correctly.

For example, if you ask your child a question, and they replied in English even though they knew the answer in Spanish, try saying “can you tell me that in Spanish?”, framing it like a question and lightly encouraging your child as opposed to demanding. And if it’s clear that they replied in English because they didn’t know the word in Spanish, you can easily demonstrate the correct response or give them new vocabulary so that they know how to say it in Spanish going forward. And of course, it’s always important to be really excited and happy when they do things right.

Any advice for households where one parent speaks Spanish and the other English? Can this be confusing for children?

It’s fine if there are two, or even three languages spoken in the household, what’s most important is that parents freely speak their native language around their kids. It’s not confusing, in fact, you’re actually providing kids with a foundation in each language. Of course, they may mix languages at first, but that’s just because language learning is a heavy lift for any brain, young or old.

What are some of the social and cultural benefits of bilingualism?

Learning a new language goes hand in hand with learning about that language’s culture. It’s an opportunity to tap into the food, customs, stories, and other aspects of culture new to your child. Additionally, children who are bilingual can communicate with more people, bridging a gap between their world and the world of others. Hand in hand, these two things create children who, studies have shown, have increased empathy and are better at perspective-taking.

What are some common misconceptions about raising bilingual children?

1. Misconception: Learning two languages can be confusing for children. Reality: Because the brain activates all the languages a child knows at once, sometimes they speak in a jumbled-sounding way; but this doesn’t mean they are confused, they are simply still developing proficiency in each language.
2. Misconception: It’s easy to learn a second language simply by exposing it to your child. Reality: When children enter an English-dominant school, even if they grew up speaking another language, they need significant exposure to it to keep proficiency in their native language.
3. Misconception: Bilingual children struggle academically. Reality: This relates to the first point, which is that children are learning languages simultaneously. They may know a lot, but it is scattered across all their languages, so it might not be so clear if they are given an assessment in just one language.