Are you looking for fun, exciting, and hands-on activities to teach Spanish numbers 1-20 and more numbers? Are you stuck on ideas for your lesson plans? Below you’ll find numerous activities, just like the kinds included in my elementary school curriculum that can provide the practice students need and enjoy!
Learning numbers in Spanish can be complex, as they are easy to learn and most of the time are taught as the basics. However, without ongoing practice, students can easily forget them and not be able to skillfully use them. According to the US Foreign Service Institute research, it takes 480 hours to reach basic fluency in Spanish, and daily practice will move a student from elementary fluency to bilingual proficiency.
Numbers are everywhere, from the prices of products to phone numbers, dates on calendars, and talking about “how many” of anything to name just a few. Being able to correctly and fluently use numbers in Spanish is a must for the language learner. Just picture your students having to write down someone’s phone number in a hurry. They need to be able to get it right so they can make the phone connection later as intended. Proficiency in writing, reading, listening, and saying numbers in Spanish ensures they can do what they need and want to do.
Uno, dos, tres it’s time to learn our numbers in Spanish! Find some fun activities to practice numbers in Spanish below:
Spanish Numbers 1-20 Hands-on Lesson with Audio
My Hands-on Lesson for Spanish numbers 1-20 teaches students to understand, say, read and write the Spanish numbers. The lesson makes it really easy for you to teach the numbers and provide ongoing practice without having to plan anything yourself. It is specially designed for ages 8 and up, no experience needed, and provides a variety of games and activities with:
- Number Word Cards
- Numbers 1-20 Activity Cards
- Hands-on Numbers Activity Picture Cards
- I’m Becoming an Expert at Spanish Numbers Worksheets
- and MUCH MORE!
This step-by-step lesson plan provides complete pacing and activities for students to know their numbers in or out of order, write the Spanish number words from 1 to 20, and even use them in equations! Plus you can use this lesson as a guide for teaching Spanish numbers beyond 1-20.
Practice During Circle Time or the Morning Circle
Learning to use the numbers in Spanish 1-20 requires daily practice and modeling. In the classroom, counting the numbers on the calendar, the number of students, and doing some very simple addition equations orally during morning time can model the use of numbers. Students can take turns daily going up to the board and becoming the teacher in leading the entire class to count the numbers in Spanish. This will also help them become confident in using the language in front of others.
Race to the Number
Write the numbers 1-20 on the board, and divide your class in two or more teams. Have students line up far away from the board. Call out the numbers in Spanish, and the first student who touches the right number gets a point for their team. If you would like to add some outdoor time, you could also write the numbers on flashcards or blocks and scatter them around the field for them to race to the number. Students can also take turns calling out the number, becoming the announcer for the number.
Squirrels Find Their Home (Las ardillas buscan su casa)
This is another fun game played in Latin America that kids enjoy. To set up the game, you could use hula hoops or draw circles on the floor to make a visual representation of the home. The students are the squirrels, and the announcer yells out a number in Spanish. Students must make groups with the amount that was mentioned, if hula hoops or circles are available, that is the number of students that should step inside it. Music can be added between the numbers for them to walk around or hop, practicing other movements in Spanish before listening to a number.
Dramatic Play Centers
As mentioned before, becoming proficient with numbers in Spanish requires daily practice, and providing moments inside the classroom for students to use their knowledge will allow them to become confident in listening and understanding their numbers. Creating dramatic play centers ranging from pizza shops, and cafes, to supermarkets will enable students to use all their Spanish language knowledge and prepare them for real-life situations. Even if you are teaching older students, creating these real-world scenarios where they can play provides a greater opportunity for learning.
Conclusion
Although teaching the numbers 1-20 in Spanish might seem an easy task, the challenge begins with students being able to use their learning in real-life scenarios. Activities such as those mentioned above, ranging from worksheets to games to dramatic play centers allow ample opportunity for kids to enjoy and learn the numbers in Spanish. And if you’re looking for already done lessons to teach and practice higher Spanish numbers, check out my Numbers in the 20’s Lesson and Numbers in the 30’s and 40’s Lesson. Uno, dos, tres, have fun teaching your students Spanish numbers!