Just stick him in an enviroment that is heavy in Spanish influence, watch spanish TV, eat spanish foods, visit spanish languaged communities. Him being so young will be extremely helpful in absorbing the language like a sponge beause he doesn’t have the mental roadblocks we generate for ourselves when we get older and fixated on a language.
Immerse him in a Spanish speaking culture. I started out not being able to count to ten in Spanish in 5th grade, but when I started learning Spanish in 6th grade, I grew to love the language, and now I can speak Spanish very well.
The only thing is, don’t force him to learn Spanish if he doesn’t want to. You should tell him to learn whatever language he wants. Consider Japanese, as well. It’s a great language to learn.
Consider hiring a Spanish speaking nanny. My friend did that, and her nanny taught her Spanish (until she forgot all of it). She was then able to eat Mexican food, and she would learn more Spanish. Learn from her mistakes, though. Once you let the nanny go, keep your son studying Spanish in school.
Edit x1:
Wait… he’s your nephew? Then, instead of doing this, consider talking to his parents about that.
Edit x2:
Okay, then put him in a school that offers a strong Spanish course. He may be too young though, because Spanish grammar requires more memorization of verb conjugations than English grammar. There is a set for present, two sets for past, one for future, and there is a different mood called the subjunctive, but because we never learn the English subjunctive, he may be a little confused with it. I know I sure was when I first saw it. The thing is, Spanish may be hard for a five year old because Spanish has many “this-or-that” situations, like por or para, preterit or imperfect, ser or estar, indicative or subjunctive, and so forth. To this day, I still don’t know the difference between some of these. But I’m still learning. Get him in a structured Spanish course when he’s about 8 or 9 years old. He may get it better. Until then, do children’s books, podcasts, and be a teacher to him. You may not know Spanish now, but if you learn it and pass the knowledge on to him, then he should learn it. He seems very willing to learn new things, which is a great quality. Sorry this is so long!
immersion. sounds like you can’t really do that, but at least you could say that, for example, that 12-2 PM, only spanish will be spoken.
The idea that kids learn languages easily is bullshit. It seems that way because they speak English in school, all day long, and a different language at home, all night long.
I guess the best answer is the one that has been proven. I am 33. I grew up in rural Minnesota (not a large Latin American population, if any.), but the good news was there was 3 universities where I was raised.
My mom and dad hired a student who was studying education who was from Spain to “Tutor” me. It was kind of like piano lessons, 1 hour a week. When I turned 8, my parents sent me to an immersion language camp. You should check it out: They are excellent. I did this for 9 summers including my last summer, I spent one month at the camp and received a year of high school credit.
Since that time, I have chosen to get more involved in the Latin American culture. I now live in Costa Rica. I work with Lejos Learning, an online institute focused on learning Spanish with live teachers. if you want to check it out.
I would not suggest Lejos Learning for your nephew. For now, the Lejos Learning curriculum is designed for more of 15+ yr old student, with the focus being on adults 20+..
Remember, your nephew needs to have fun learning. He can’t feel like he is studying. For a young child, I would suggest that something you can do is try to expose him to latin american foods, games, things like that. You could check out recipes online that you could make with him.
Have fun with your nephew. You can create a passion for learning languages which is indispensable in today’s global world.
October 12th, 2009 | 
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Learn Language Center
Just stick him in an enviroment that is heavy in Spanish influence, watch spanish TV, eat spanish foods, visit spanish languaged communities. Him being so young will be extremely helpful in absorbing the language like a sponge beause he doesn’t have the mental roadblocks we generate for ourselves when we get older and fixated on a language.
LearnLanguageCenter.com
Take him to a construction site or a Wal*Mart for a day.
Language Course
Immerse him in a Spanish speaking culture. I started out not being able to count to ten in Spanish in 5th grade, but when I started learning Spanish in 6th grade, I grew to love the language, and now I can speak Spanish very well.
The only thing is, don’t force him to learn Spanish if he doesn’t want to. You should tell him to learn whatever language he wants. Consider Japanese, as well. It’s a great language to learn.
Consider hiring a Spanish speaking nanny. My friend did that, and her nanny taught her Spanish (until she forgot all of it). She was then able to eat Mexican food, and she would learn more Spanish. Learn from her mistakes, though. Once you let the nanny go, keep your son studying Spanish in school.
Edit x1:
Wait… he’s your nephew? Then, instead of doing this, consider talking to his parents about that.
Edit x2:
Okay, then put him in a school that offers a strong Spanish course. He may be too young though, because Spanish grammar requires more memorization of verb conjugations than English grammar. There is a set for present, two sets for past, one for future, and there is a different mood called the subjunctive, but because we never learn the English subjunctive, he may be a little confused with it. I know I sure was when I first saw it. The thing is, Spanish may be hard for a five year old because Spanish has many “this-or-that” situations, like por or para, preterit or imperfect, ser or estar, indicative or subjunctive, and so forth. To this day, I still don’t know the difference between some of these. But I’m still learning. Get him in a structured Spanish course when he’s about 8 or 9 years old. He may get it better. Until then, do children’s books, podcasts, and be a teacher to him. You may not know Spanish now, but if you learn it and pass the knowledge on to him, then he should learn it. He seems very willing to learn new things, which is a great quality. Sorry this is so long!
Language Courses
immersion. sounds like you can’t really do that, but at least you could say that, for example, that 12-2 PM, only spanish will be spoken.
The idea that kids learn languages easily is bullshit. It seems that way because they speak English in school, all day long, and a different language at home, all night long.
Language Training
I guess the best answer is the one that has been proven. I am 33. I grew up in rural Minnesota (not a large Latin American population, if any.), but the good news was there was 3 universities where I was raised.
My mom and dad hired a student who was studying education who was from Spain to “Tutor” me. It was kind of like piano lessons, 1 hour a week. When I turned 8, my parents sent me to an immersion language camp. You should check it out: They are excellent. I did this for 9 summers including my last summer, I spent one month at the camp and received a year of high school credit.
Since that time, I have chosen to get more involved in the Latin American culture. I now live in Costa Rica. I work with Lejos Learning, an online institute focused on learning Spanish with live teachers. if you want to check it out.
I would not suggest Lejos Learning for your nephew. For now, the Lejos Learning curriculum is designed for more of 15+ yr old student, with the focus being on adults 20+..
Remember, your nephew needs to have fun learning. He can’t feel like he is studying. For a young child, I would suggest that something you can do is try to expose him to latin american foods, games, things like that. You could check out recipes online that you could make with him.
Have fun with your nephew. You can create a passion for learning languages which is indispensable in today’s global world.
Good luck!
Language Tapes
Find a friend who teach you it… Good luck!