The most important thing you can do if you're raising bilingual kids is expose them to as much Spanish as possible as often as possible. The truth is that the more they hear the language, the more they'll pick up new vocabulary and pronunciation. While you may think that's only possible at home or at school, there are a few things you can do in your own neighborhood to expose your children to even more Spanish.
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1. Bodegas/mercados/Latino markets: Most neighborhoods have at least one of them. I'm talking about the small tienditas that sell Latino products, calling cards and where you can send money back to your loved ones in Latin America. If you visit them regularly, you know what I'm talking about. If not, I suggest you make your way to one of them with your kids, so they can be surrounded by a lot more Spanish than just at home.
2. Religious services: Because the Latino population keeps on growing throughout the country, many churches and places of worship have realized they need to offer their services in Spanish. I don't have any that close to my home, but in the last few years, I've been surprised by how more churches are catering to the Spanish-speaking Latino community.
3. Latin dance lessons: In cities with large Latino populations, it's not difficult to find dance studios that offer baile or ballet folklórico, which will not only connect your children to their Latino culture, but should also expose them to more Spanish.
4. Latino restaurants: I'm not talking small, family-owned restaurants here, not big chain restaurants that claim they serve Latin food. This should not be hard to do and it'll be a great experience for your children not only because they'll get to taste some really good food, but they'll get to use their Spanish with someone other than you.
Although this may not apply to every single barrio, the reality is that these days Latinos are everywhere. So, even if the following options are not available in your own neighborhood, I'm sure you can take a drive to the next town and take advantage of at least one of them.
