One of the most important things when you’re raising bilingual kids is to make the process fun! I’m always sharing ways to do just that—songs, games, movies, DVDs, stories, books… and of course in today’s world where kids know how to use a tablet better than their abuelos, APPs! I was super excited to review Mundo Lanugo’s Juega y Aprende app. It is much more than a Spanish app for kids—it is an app that not only helps kids practice vocabulary in Spanish, but it has a huge cultural component to it. Kids can learn about different music from Latin American countries, food from Latin America, toys and more!
The app has 10 different stations including dressing up Gloria (the adorable lamb) in costumes, shopping for fruits and veggies (many traditional Hispanic foods included like plátanos and yuca), and even cleaning up their toys!
The thing I love most about this app (and I’m not sure if the creators did this on purpose or not) is that it breaks gender stereotypes: Gloria dresses up as Don Quixote and Chuy (a chanchito) likes to cook. This is teaching boys and girls that girls can be explorers and boys can be in the kitchen and love to cook!
There are other ways the app creates opportunities to discuss culture: it features art from artists like Friday Kahlo and Salvador Dali, so parents can build from the app and create opportnites for learning and engagement, for example, by taking kids to see an exhibit or reading a book about the painters they see in the app.
I also really loved the use of music and kids learning about different musical instruments and sounds endemic to Latin America and the Caribbean as well as popular Hispanic children’s songs.
The app also contains the short videos that Mundo Lanugo released this summer. The videos are refranes that are popular in Hispanic culture, like “Lo cortés no quita lo valiente.” The dichos show the richness of our culture and language and they also have a meaning behind them, for example, it’s good to be polite.
The great news is that the app is FREE during Hispanic Heritage Month and it is available on Iphones and Androids! Another great feature? There are no ads and kids will not be asked to buy anything in order to play the app! So head over and download it for free! Also, check out the other Mundo Lanugo videos on YouTube. My son’s favorite is Burrito Sabanero which he sings year round.
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