If you are a parent in Jacksonville, Florida, chances are you’ve thought about Spanish for your child at least once.
And just as that thought crept into your mind, you may have quickly thought: I don’t speak Spanish, though. So how would I help Or… Is my child too young to start, or maybe already too old to start? And this… Is this even realistic for our family?
As a mom and a non-native Spanish teacher, let me be the one to tell you: Yes, it’s realistic, and no, you don’t need to speak Spanish to get started.
Top Two Myths About Learning Spanish
Myth No. 1: I have to speak Spanish myself. The first thing that we need to tackle is the number one myth: “I have to speak Spanish to raise a bilingual kid.”
Here is why you shouldn’t worry about this: Second language acquisition research is very clear in its findings: The only thing kids need is meaningful exposure and interaction on a consistent basis — and they have to produce the language, too, not just listen to it.
It’s the same way you learned and then taught your kid English. You don’t even remember doing it. It naturally happened through meaningful, consistent interactions in which both parties participated.
Most of the kids I’ve worked with — and that have reached fluency — come from homes where parents don’t speak Spanish at all. Just like a kid can become a baseball star, and the parents don’t play baseball at all. Parents don’t have to be a part of this equation.
Myth No. 2: The younger they learn, the better. Now, the next myth we need to tackle is age. And the fact of the matter is that Spanish learning can happen at any age. Our kiddos’ brains are wired for learning. Is it easier at 3? Yes. Is it impossible at 13? No, not at all. I actually learned Spanish at 26 — talk about late to the game.
Learning Spanish Can Be Fun
Teaching your child English didn’t feel like a task or homework; it was fun! Natural. No pressure. No intense studying. It was filled with songs and movement, stories and repetition, simple questions, routines, and most of all consistency.
You didn’t give up when grammar mistakes happened or when there was confusion around certain words. In fact, chances are, you thought they were kind of cute. And you carried on, day in and day out. Language should stay meaningful and connected to real life, not connected to an app or specific grammar rules.
Ready for Your Child to Learn Spanish? You Have Options!
Let’s say you are very serious about this bilingual thing and you want extra support. You are all in and ready to spend money on this language acquisition goal. There are a variety of options available:
A dual language school or a bilingual school. These can be wonderful when they are available, but they can be limited according to your location. They also often require a long-term commitment.
In-person tutors or classes. It can be highly effective but is often costly. And the scheduling and transportation bit… yikes! It can be challenging to maintain two or more times per week, unless that’s the only activity you do.
Community exposure. This is my personal favorite! I am referring to parks, libraries, cultural events, playdates, and restaurant outings. These are fantastic! And while they might not offer structured learning, they do offer real-life experiences with the target language, foster curiosity about the language, and heighten motivation, which helps with long-term commitment. Nothing makes you pick up a language faster than the motivation for wanting to talk to a new friend who only speaks Spanish!
Which brings me to our last option:
TruFluency Kids Spanish Online
When I decided to help other moms raise bilingual kids, I knew our classes would have to mirror community exposure and one-on-one time with our parents as much as possible. And most importantly, they couldn’t feel like actual classes.
Which is why I created TruFluency Kids — a program and a method that allows your kid to:
- Access learning with native speakers from day one, so they learn real Spanish.
- Build relationships with real Spanish speakers (two of our families have even gone to Mexico and met up with their teachers!)
- Learn through stories, songs, and conversations — just like they learned English.
- Conveniently take classes two times a week from your home. No carpool. No traffic. And you save money.
Worried that online classes won’t hold your kid’s attention? TruFluency Kids Spanish classes are designed to hold attention. Teachers talk with children, not at them. And all our classes have integrated into the curriculum movement, games, and storytelling that keep children engaged, eager to learn, and excited. Especially when they get to share stories with the class and talk about their lives and share their experiences!
We have created a program that is designed around how children acquire their first language, not traditional classroom memorization.
And the best part? We are a vendor with Step Up for Students Florida scholarship program. Eligibility and approved services vary, so parents should always check directly with Step Up for Students to understand their options. For Jacksonville families who qualify, this can make high-quality language learning much more accessible.
Whether you choose a school program, a tutor, or an online immersion class, the most important factor is consistency over time. Starting small is still starting, and that’s more than enough to open the door to bilingualism.
About the Author
Micah Bellieu loves Spanish. But it wasn’t easy getting fluent. She made a lot of mistakes and wasted eight years and tens of thousands of dollars trying to get fluent using a method that focuses on academics rather than actually using the language in real life. Through research in the field and getting fluent in Spanish, French, and Japanese, she created the Bellieu Method to truly get students speaking from class one. Her team has trained employees at Amazon, Samsung, and more. Now she’s bringing the Bellieu Method to your kids to get them TRU-ly fluent in Spanish. No wasted time or money.
