Friends that Speak Spanish

It has been a challenge to keep speaking Spanish with my children.  As they get older, English is more accessible: more books are in English and all of their friends only speak English.  In our family, each time we have had a new baby, we usually abandon Spanish days to help our family adjust.  Sometimes, it has made me so sad and disappointed in myself that we have just become another family that does not speak Spanish to our children when my husband and I can and should speak to them in Spanish.  I have finally decided that life always has its trade-off's.  We have traded some time that could have been spent speaking Spanish with  amazing field trips with friends.  Also, as we homeschool, I have found it more important to learn in English most of the core subjects, instead of trying to teach them in Spanish.

As we have stopped speaking as much Spanish at home, I have not stopped looking for opportunities for my kids to practice speaking in Spanish.  I was at the park and found a sweet mom with her son.  I started to speak with her in Spanish and get to know her.  I was really impressed with her and I told her how I hoped to find someone to speak more Spanish with my kids.  She was very interested in helping me out.  I pay her to come play with my kids only in Spanish for an hour a week.  She brings books and games or they play with activities I have at home.  In the summer, she brought her Kindergarten son with her and told him to only speak Spanish.  It was amazing to see how much motivation my children had to learn and speak in Spanish since we have had these playdates. 

I strongly suggest trying to find someone that your kids can play with in Spanish.  It is hard to find the right situation.  We have had Spanish-speaking babysitters, but when we find a great one, they move away to go to college or become too busy.  It is also hard to find someone who will really only speak in Spanish. They may switch to English because it is hard for my kids to understand sometimes.  But, it is totally worth the effort to find someone.  It has been a blessing in our life and helped our family to continue learning Spanish.