TOS Crew Review - Speekee

Speekee is a Spanish instruction course designed specifically for children ages 2-10. Developed in the UK and focusing on the "immersion" style of teaching, Speekee has been called "The World's Number One Spanish Course for Young Children".

The immersion approach to teaching a language is based on the way that young children naturally learn their native language - simply by hearing it spoken day after day. Speekee's program does this through videos of Spanish-speaking children, adults, and puppets who interact and do day-to-day activities, speaking Spanish the entire time. While English subtitles are available, the point is to have the viewer seeing and hearing Spanish spoken naturally in familiar and friendly contexts.

The episodes include easy to remember songs, familiar locations and activities (such as playing at the park, shopping for fruits and vegetables, etc), and humorous interaction between human and puppet characters. Here's the star of the show, Speekee!

Also on the program, there are various points at which the viewer is asked to interact, as well, through repeating words or answering questions.

My children enjoyed Speekee - especially my youngest three (ages 22 months, almost 4, and 6 years old). My older two (ages 8 and 10) would watch it, but it didn't captivate their interest like it did for the younger set. Just after watching the first two episodes, my younger guys were singing the songs, and asking what certain words meant (such as adios and amigo), and begging for more!

I was curious to see what they would think of it since they couldn't understand what was being said, but they didn't mind at all. I can see how the immersion approach is very effective, because even without totally understanding every word that was said, the children very quickly picked up on main ideas and main words presented! Very cool, and easy!

This review is specifically for the new Online Version of the Speekee Program - there is a DVD program available, however, since the program is produced in the UK, there is a chance that certain DVD players will not support the DVD format offered. The Online Version contains everything that the DVD program does, and has advantages such as a monthly subscription ($7.95 a month), that users can cancel at any time (there's no minimum usage requirement), and also the ability to watch wherever and whenever a computer and internet access is available - it is even Wii compatible! Also, if you sign up for a subscription, the first 2 weeks are free! If you'd rather have a one-time payment, there is also a 1-year subscription available for $75 (which is 12 months for the price of 10!).

There are 10 episodes available, each one ranging from about 15-25 minutes each, as well as printable worksheets and other fun activities to go along with each episode. While 10 episodes may not seem like a lot at first thought, one of the main essentials of learning a new language is repetition, so the more frequently a child watches each episode, the faster they will begin to comprehend Spanish!

I think Speekee is a gentle and fun introduction to Spanish, and one that can be of benefit to a family with younger children. It definitely takes the intimidation out of teaching foreign language! Be sure to check out what the other Crew Members thought at the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog!

Disclaimer: I was given this product specifically for the purpose of reviewing here on my blog as a member of TOS Homeschool Crew. I received no other compensation in regards to this review.