This academic year has seen students studying from home more than ever before. With a subject like Spanish this can be particularly challenging. Parents often do not know the language and struggle to assist children with developing their Spanish skills at home.
If this is your situation, you are in the right place! In this article I have brought together the best free online resources for helping children of all ages to learn Spanish.
Encouraging your children to practice their Spanish little and often, using these resources, will allow them to retain confidence in their existing knowledge and build upon it.
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1. SpanishDict
SpanishDict is a fantastic website with lots of very user-friendly Spanish revision materials. From practising pronunciation, to building vocabulary and even verb conjugation drills, it has everything. It would be mostly suited to learners of secondary age and above.
The helpful games website is a great way to get your children engaged with Spanish. It offers interactive games for all ages. These are mainly aimed at students who are at beginner’s level. The games cover topics such as colours, animals, numbers, and the family among others.
3. Rockalingua
This is the go-to website for people seeking to teach younger children Spanish. To access much of the content, a subscription is required. However, there is still a lot available for free. Resources include: songs, games, short stories, videos, worksheets, picture dictionaries, crafts and tutorials.
Learning Spanish by YouTube alone is not a recommended method. That said, in conjunction with other resources, songs and videos can really aid learning, especially in younger students. The Simple Songs channel has some brilliant short animations that will get your child singing in Spanish in no time!
Another YouTube channel that I like to use as a supplement in my online lessons for younger children is Pingfong. There are some great songs for teaching vocabulary like animals, food, colours or transport.
This website, also available as an app, is great for students that love music. Students watch music videos in Spanish and are asked to fill in the blanks for specific lyrics. Options range from beginner level right through to expert. A great way to embed and boost vocabulary.
7. BBC Bitesize
The BBC bitesize website may very well already be on your radar. It offers a comprehensive range of revision materials. There is content for KS1 right through to GCSE. The revision materials are split into the different GCSE exam boards so you can be sure you are studying in a targeted way. The listening exercises are particularly useful on this site. This is a skill which is harder to practice at home and which students often find more difficult.
8. Quizlet
Quizlet offers a range of free online revision resources. Students can improve their knowledge and prepare for Spanish exams with online flashcards, diagrams, study guides and practice tests. There is a dedicated Spanish GCSE section on the website which is really helpful for students planning to take this exam.
9. Seneca
Seneca offers a dedicated GCSE e-learning package, some of which is available for free. There is also a KS3 section. I haven’t been able to find any audio on the site which is a downside. That said, the available exercises are really helpful in terms of revising for reading and writing skills in Spanish.
10. Apps
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There are a number of apps which can help to learn Spanish. They tend to be best suited for beginners but can still be useful to build and embed vocabulary and assist pronunciation for those with more knowledge. The main free apps are: Duolingo, Memrise, LingQ and ConjuGato. These work best for students of secondary school age.
I hope you found this a helpful guide to the free resources available. Practising Spanish little and often, with a range of resources, is the best way to gain a good foundation in the language.
An online Spanish tutor can help to take this learning to the next level by providing opportunities for conversation and listening practice as well as teaching on more complex grammar concepts. To learn more about the Spanish tuition I offer please contact me via email or phone.
For more advice on revising for Spanish GCSE, take a look at this article.
For parents seeking to teach their children Spanish at home, this article may help.
Hi, I am Karen, an online Spanish tutor and blogger. I offer online tuition for students across the UK. I live in Tonbridge, in Kent, with my husband and my son. For me learning Spanish has meant fun, adventure, friendship and fulfilling work. I love sharing all that I have learnt with my students and via my blog. You can sign up for a free trial meeting here.
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