How to teach your toddler English when you speak Spanish at home

If you speak Spanish at home, you might wonder whether you can really teach your toddler English. Maybe your own English feels shaky, or you worry that your accent will get in the way. Here is the cozy truth: you can start today, right in your kitchen, with the English you already have.

This post is for Spanish-speaking parents who want their little one to grow up with both languages. Below you’ll find ways to keep Spanish as the heart of your home, add English at home in small, predictable moments, and get help when you’re not sure how a word sounds.

Spanish stays the heart language

Your Spanish is a gift. It is the language of your hugs, your jokes, your abuela’s stories and the songs you sing when your child can’t sleep. Keep it. You don’t need to swap it for English to raise a bilingual toddler.

When you speak Spanish at home with warmth and lots of words, your child learns how language works: things have names, questions get answers, stories have a beginning and an end. All of that comes along into English later. A child who knows “perro” well already knows what a dog is. Learning “dog” is just giving an old friend a second name.

Think of English as a friendly guest, not a replacement: one who visits at the same times every day with a few new words in their pocket.

You don’t need perfect English

Many parents tell themselves, “My English isn’t good enough to teach anyone.” If that sounds like you, take a deep breath. Your toddler is not grading you. They want your attention, your smile and your silly voices far more than a perfect accent.

To teach your toddler English, you need small and simple words first: hello, bye-bye, water, more, ball, red, all done. You probably know most of them already. If you’d like more ideas, our starter list of first English words for toddlers groups them by everyday moments.

How to teach your toddler English in small moments

The secret is not more English. It’s predictable English. Toddlers love knowing what comes next, and a little routine makes a new language feel safe.

One routine, one language

Pick one everyday routine and make it the English moment. Everything else stays in Spanish. For example:

• Breakfast in English. “Milk? More milk? All done!”
• Bath in English. Name the hands, the feet, the tummy and the little duck.
• Getting dressed in English. “Shoes on. Hat on. Let’s go!”
• Bedtime stays in Spanish. Your cuddly words, your lullabies, your “te quiero.”

Keep the same routine for a week or two before adding another. Little by little, English at breakfast becomes as ordinary as the spoon. That rhythm makes English at home feel natural.

Use the same few phrases

Repeat the same short phrases every time: “Good morning!,” “Wash your hands,” “Where’s the ball?” Say them slowly, with a little pause after, so your child has room to try. When the words stay the same, your little one can focus on the sounds.

A few happy minutes every day do more than one long session on Sunday. We explain why in our post on why five minutes a day works for toddlers.

Songs and picture talk

Songs are the easiest way to bring English into your day, even if you feel shy speaking it. Music slows words down, repeats them and makes them fun. Pick one short English song with a few simple words and sing it at the same time every day. You can also make up your own: sing “wash, wash, wash your hands” to any tune you already know.

Picture talk is just as easy. Open any picture book or look at family photos on your phone and point:

• “Look, a cat! Cat.” Then wait a moment.
• “Where is the dog?” Let your child point.
• “What’s this?” If they answer in Spanish, celebrate and add the English: “Yes, gato! Cat!”

You don’t need to read the words on the page. Just name what you see together.

When you’re not sure how a word sounds

Many Spanish-speaking parents share this worry: “What if I say it wrong and my child learns it wrong?” Some English sounds, like the short “i” in “fish” or the “th” in “three,” can feel tricky when you grew up with Spanish.

Here is a gentle approach. Keep using your English in your routines, because your warmth matters more than any single sound. Then add a few minutes a day with a clear, calm voice that says each word the same way every time. Short spoken lessons work well for this: your toddler hears the word and says it, and you hear it too.

That is exactly how Tatako lessons work. Each lesson takes about five minutes and follows the same calm rhythm:

1. Hear it, say it. Each word is spoken three times, with a pause for your child to say it out loud.
2. Touch it. Two pictures appear, and your child touches the one they hear.
3. Name it. The picture comes back without the word, and your child names it first.

A Spanish guide voice can explain what to do, so you always know the next step. When you feel ready, switch it off and let the lesson run in English only. There is nothing to read. After each lesson you spend about two minutes marking how every word went, so the next lesson knows which words to bring back first.

Mixing languages is part of the journey

Your bilingual toddler may say “more agua” or “mamá, look!” That’s not confusion. It’s a little person using every word they have to get the message across. Answer warmly and say the English back: “More water? Here you go!”

Some children also go quiet in English for a while. They listen, they understand, and then one day they surprise you with a word at the park. If you have any worry about how your child’s speech is developing, in either language, talk to your child’s pediatrician. You’ll find more in our post on common worries about raising a bilingual toddler.

You don’t have to choose between your language and your child’s English. Keep Spanish at the center of your home, invite English in for a few small moments, and let the routines do the heavy lifting. If you’d like a clear voice to help with the English part, try a Tatako lesson with your little one: about five minutes a day on any phone or tablet, with the Spanish guide voice on until you’re ready to turn it off.