Teaching Spanish to Toddlers & Preschoolers {mini-Lesson 13}

We’re in the States, so we’re not meeting for our weekly Spanish lesson. However, I am still offering some mini-lessons for those interested in keeping up the routine.  ;)  Don’t forget to check out my Spanish page for the previous 12 lessons.

el 23 de noviembre

This is Thanksgiving week, so I thought we would learn how to give thanks to God for our blessings.  Thanksgiving is “el día de dar gracias.”  However, to actually thank God, we have a complicated little grammatical structure.

(Yo) le doy gracias a Dios por _________.= (I) give thanks to God for_________.

Here are some go-to’s for giving thanks:

• mi familia= my family
• mi hermano/a= my brother/sister
• mis juegos= my games
• mis juguetes= my toys
• mi casa= my house/home

Thankful Hands Wreath

I also thought we could do a little craft to hold it all together.  All you need to do is trace around your little one’s hands a couple times.  Cut out a circle (the bigger you make it the more hands you’ll need to fill it) that can serve as the form for the wreath.  Ask your child what (s)he is thankful for, modeling Spanish by reinforcing what we just learned: “Le doy gracias a Dios por ___”.  That’s a mouthful so maybe you can say everything but the blank and have them fill in the blank, or at least say it all first so they can repeat.  It’s up to you.  You can also write the things they’re thankful for in English and Spanish so you’ll remember throughout the week and be able to review it at breakfast.

Here’s another variation where you trace little one’s feet and use them as the body.  Then trace his/her hands for feathers and just add facial details to your turkey.  You can still write what you’re thankful for on the feathers.

{The plus side to both crafts is that they’re hands-on (literally), easy to do, holiday-themed, and will serve as sweet reminders of the size of their hands (and feet!)}

Hand & Foot Turkeys

Related posts:

1. Teaching Spanish to Toddlers & Preschoolers {mini-Lesson 14}
2. Teaching Spanish to Toddlers & Preschoolers {mini-Lesson 17}
3. Teaching Spanish to Toddlers & Preschoolers {mini-Lesson 15}
4. Teaching Spanish to Toddlers & Preschoolers {mini-Lesson 16}
5. Teaching Spanish to Toddlers & Preschoolers {Lesson 1}