# Moon Coloring Sheets

**SUPPLIES NEEDED**

- printed activity sheets
- crayons or colored pencils
- pencil

**WHAT TO PRACTICE**

Get in the holiday spirit by singing along with the Canticos Jingle Bells video. See what new holiday-inspired words your child can identify as they color; tree, star, ornament.

**NOTE TO GROWN UPS**

Encourage your kids to explore different colors as they shade in their activity sheets. Can they name each of the colors they’re using in English and Spanish? Use the Canticos video “All the Colors / De Colores” to help with vocabulary.

# Download Activity Sheet:

\
Download PDF](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/60f5a89e108c2683c870592d/6142e7689291f51ae5bcdf2a_Moon-Coloring-Sheet.pdf)

TAGS

- Animals
- Art
- Customs
- Food
- Geography
- History
- Music & Dance

# Ask a Bilingual Expert

Raising a bilingual child? On this page, our very own Director of Learning Design and Efficacy, Sophia Espinoza, addresses some of the most common questions, concerns, and curiosities around the benefits of bilingualism.

### Benefits of Bilingualism (FAQs):

### Any advice on managing two Spanish dialects in the household?

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.

### 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.

### Do you recommend teaching different subjects in different languages?

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. However, it’s important to give kids as much education as possible in the home in Spanish.

### 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. The biggest advice I can give is to ask your child in a very low-pressure way to try again in Spanish. Try framing it like a question and lightly encouraging your child as opposed to demanding.

### Should I set aside time or create activities for each language or is it okay to mix them both together?

It’s important to provide authentic opportunities for children to speak both languages. Authentic learning opportunities allow kids to organically find the things they really love in another language.

### 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, it’s not confusing. What’s most important is that parents freely speak their native language around their kids.

### How can my child learn language through play?

Play-based learning in children aged PreK/K should take the form of pretend play. When combined with learning a new language, children are eager and excited to communicate in their new vocabulary.

### What are 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.

### What are some of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism?

By introducing your child to a second language early, you are giving them the chance to access the cognitive benefits of being bilingual. Research shows that bilingual brains have better executive functioning in focus, mental multitasking, and self-control.