The new year is a natural time to plan meaningful goals, including language learning achievements, starting from taking realistic steps. Instead of big and vague resolutions (“my child will be fluent”), pick short, measurable, and enjoyable goals which your child can achieve throughout 2026. Here’s a simple framework to help parents set realistic Spanish goals and keep motivation high.
The power of 10 minute habits
Taking long language sessions is hard to keep and reminds children of school. Instead, 15 minutes a day (or three 30-minute sessions a week) add up quickly and feel doable. Consistent short practice builds confidence and prevents burnout. We have compiled here some ideas divided into age groups:
- Age 6–9: 10 minutes of storytime, a song, or a sticker-based vocabulary game.
- Age 10–13: 15 minutes of app practice + 1 weekly short conversation prompt.
- Teens: 15 minutes of a Spanish podcast/video + one 15-minute chat with an assistant.
Use smart goals
Turn wishes into actions by setting specific and measurables achievements. Some examples of smart goals are “By March 1, my child will learn and use 50 common Spanish words related to food and school” or “Each week in January, our family will watch one 10-minute Spanish cartoon and list three new words.”
Here is a template that parents can use as guidance:
- Specific: what skill? (vocabulary, speaking, listening)
- Measurable: how many words or minutes per week?
- Achievable: is it realistic for their age and schedule?
- Relevant: does it relate to camp needs (introductions, mealtimes)?
- Time-bound: set a 4–8 week mini-deadline.
Combine skills
Don’t focus on only one thing. The idea is balancing speaking, listening and cultural input. By rotating skills you will keep practice fun and useful. Some activities that can be planned according to the different skills are:
- Listening: 10 mins/day of Spanish songs or short videos.
- Speaking: simple daily phrases and a weekly 5-minute conversation practice or saying camp-specific phrases (hello, please, thank you, food names).
- Cultural input: read bilingual picture books and try one Spanish recipe.
Make it social and celebrate success
Kids practice more when it feels shared and rewarded. You can add momentum with family challenges which involve several members, international research or curiosity projects or achieving mini certificates after reaching a goal.
Track their progress
A small visual chart or jar of stickers makes progress visible and motivating. Any kind of format works, but the most common and visual ones are sticker charts (after 20 stickers there is a small reward), progress journals (for children above 10) and voice diary (recording a 30-second clip every 2 weeks to hear the improvements).
Use the camp as motivator
Linking the goals to the summer experience will increase the desire to learn. Try framing short-term goals as steps toward a fun end: an immersive Spanish camp. For example: “If you reach 50 words by June, we’ll create a camp care package together.”
All of these tips come in handy when motivating children to learn a language. Working with tiny steps makes progress clearer and more visible, hence increasing children’s confidence. Then, an immersive summer camp in Spain will exponentially reinforce all the learning achievements covered during the last months. If you want to know how we foster language practice, our team will be happy to explain you that.
