When my two youngest granddaughters, ages 8 and 9, finished distance learning five days a week and started their summer vacation, I decided to ask them if they might like to learn Spanish. They said “Sí!” and we set aside around 40 minutos each día to video chat our lecciones. They took to it like peces to agua!

We started off by learning the alfabeto en español. This would teach them the sounds of the various letras. This would also make it easier for them to read listas of words since Spanish is pretty fonético.

Every día we would choose a new topic like colores or números. The próximo día we would review and move on to a new categoría. I would hold up an objeto like a sombrero or pen or things of a certain color and they would pronounce the objeto or color.

When it came time to learn names of miembros of the familia, they would finish a sentence by offering the correct palabra. Here’s an ejemplo: I would say “Mema (their pet name for me) es mi …” They would then offer the word “abuela.” Sometimes I would reverse the order — ”Mi abuelo se llama …” and they would supply his name.

In this way they could practicar both passive and active skills.

A veces we would have one-on-one sessions. Each niña could then request a personalized lección. I would ask each one what she wanted to learn to say. I got some funny answers. “My sister has a pig nose,” por ejemplo. They also wanted to know how to say their favorite foods so that they could go to their padres and tell them they wanted only helado (ice cream) and papas fritas (french fries) for dinner. I have to admit I often had to stifle a laugh.

They went on to learn to tell time, weather expressions, days of the week, months, animals, polite phrases, rooms and items in the house and mucho más.

What was really precious about the entire experience was the daily contact. We had been apart for so long, only seeing one another through the front storm door or blowing kisses from the driveway. Learning Spanish kept us connected and we had fun doing it!

I will remember this as the highlight of the summer of 2020. Hopefully, next year, we can do this again but in person and with the ability to hug goodbye at the end of the day.

Judy Pyne lives in Frankfort, Illinois.