There’s a joke in travel circles that goes something like this: What do you call a person who speaks three languages? Trilingual. How about two? Bilingual. And one? American.
As a lifelong traveler and barely bilingual US citizen (I eek by with elementary Spanish), that punchline cuts me to my core. Like many friends and colleagues, I didn’t study a second language until the seventh grade. It wasn’t until I visited Europe in my junior year of college that I realized what an anomaly this was. Most Europeans I met spoke at least two languages—and sometimes four or five. My meager command of Spanish, by comparison, was a source of embarrassment.
It’s unfortunate that more schools in America don’t require foreign language instruction from an early age. Research suggests that bilingual children are not only better communicators, they’re more adept at multitasking, decision making, and problem solving. There’s also the benefit of expanded global awareness: Because bilingual children are exposed to different cultures and ways of thinking, it can help them develop a broader worldview and greater appreciation for diversity.
My husband and I wanted to do better by our son. Since he was 10 weeks old, we have invested in an array of bilingual books and toys. His beloved caretaker is from Cuernavaca, Mexico, and speaks only Spanish with him; together they eat Morelos–style mole, shimmy to CantaJuego, and celebrate traditional holidays like Día de Muertos. Nearly 15 months into it, we’re starting to see the payoff. After “mama” and “dada” and a defiant “no!,” Julian’s fourth word was “agua.”
What follows are some of our favorite Spanish–language books and toys, plus other bilingual children's books and games organized by language.
- Spanish children's books and toys
- Chinese children's books and toys
- French children's books and toys
- German children's books and toys
- Arabic children's books and toys (and more languages)
Spanish
When our son was around three months old and hating every minute of tummy time, we bought him Baby Einstein’s Glow & Discover Light Bar. The blinking, singing activity station had three language settings (Spanish, English, and French), and while Julian loathed laying on his belly, he delighted at hearing the words pulpo, rana, and tigre followed by goofy sound effects anytime he smacked the cartoonish pictures of an octopus, frog, or tiger.
Julian can’t read yet, but he is capital-O obsessed with Coco Learns Spanish. There are three sing-along books in the series, each featuring six Spanish lullabies accompanied by English translations. Half of the ditties were familiar to us (“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “Row Row Row Your Boat”) and half are sourced from Spanish-speaking cultures (“Pin Pon,” “Naranja Dulce,” “De Colores”). Each one is sung twice through by Alba Ponce de León, whose voice is like silk. The books’ pages are thick and durable, too, which is good because my son wants to listen to each song at least 200 times a day.
