Teach Kids Spanish Successfully With McKee
Our preschool uses the McKee Language system, a program for teaching children second languages in an atmosphere of play.
Children are functionally fluent in Spanish in less than 500 hours. Dr. McKee has proven, that with developmentally appropriate activities, modeled in an atmosphere of play, love and excitement, kids learn the language and are completely unaware that they are being “taught” Spanish. In this natural learning environment children develop the skills of a second language in our Spanish language preschool.
Give us a call today (801-831-2290) to schedule a free trial in the classroom.
Why Teach Kids Spanish?
A child’s brain is twice as active as an adult’s brain and still in development as they grow to adulthood. In this developmental stage a child can learn a second language 8 times faster than an adult. The research concludes that the brain changes, as the child gets older. It becomes more difficult to learn foreign pronunciation and hear the different sounds in the foreign language. As we get older our own language patterns interference with the new language being learned. A child (particularly one in preschool) doesn’t encounter these same roadblocks as they learn a second language.
Another reason is that becoming fluent in another language takes time. Your children will have less time as they get older and they become involved in school, arts, sports, community, and other extra-curricular activities. Why not have them speaking before they get involved with those other activities? There’s a huge benefit to teach kids Spanish while they are young.
Read more about the benefits of learning Spanish, here.
Haz nuevos amigos
Our Preschool Spanish Curriculum
Children at McKee Language Schools learn Spanish in an atmosphere of play. The preschool learning environment is similar to a birthday party: the children learn without ever really thinking that they are being taught Spanish.
In a day at McKee, children will rotate through 25-30 minute hands-on language-rich activities in six centers taught in a 100% Spanish immersion setting. We teach kids Spanish by having children prepare and eat a snack in Kitchen activities, play “cat and mouse” in Games activities, build a toy catapult in Shop activities, make a piñata in Art activities, play kickball in Gym activities, and act out Jack and the Beanstalk in Drama. Each activity center provides a different setting needed for children to learn a wide variety of vocabulary and grammar through practice without even being aware that they are learning it.
Unlike other Spanish language immersion schools, there are no language exercises, memorization drills, worksheets, or dialogues.
Our Story
Through many years of research and experimenting with different methods, coupled with an advanced degree in human development and psycholinguistics Dr. Trevor McKee was able to formulate the best process for children to learn a foreign language in. From his achievement, he was able to develop the McKee Language System, a method for successfully teaching children a second language starting in preschool, as young as age three.
"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may
remember, involve me and I learn.”
Benjamin Franklin