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Parents' Guide to

FabuLingua - Learn Spanish

By Ana Beltran, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Vivid interactive stories introduce kids to Spanish.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Mac , Android Free to try Education
FabuLingua - Learn Spanish Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • FabuLingua - Learn Spanish: Screenshot #1
  • FabuLingua - Learn Spanish: Screenshot #2
  • FabuLingua - Learn Spanish: Screenshot #3
  • FabuLingua - Learn Spanish: Screenshot #4
  • FabuLingua - Learn Spanish: Screenshot #5

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What’s It About?

FABULINGUA – LEARN SPANISH uses game-play and interactive stories to help kids learn Spanish. Upon launching, parents are asked a series of questions about the little one who's going to enjoy the app, including name, age, and how much Spanish they currently know. Once kids choose their avatar, they'll have the option of watching a tutorial to learn how to play. Using a guiding hand, it introduces kids to FabuLingua's magical land filled with different characters and how to use tap and drag motions to play. Each character has five levels that are progressively more challenging and designed to help little ones learn and practice Spanish. Each level is unlocked sequentially. Magical Translations introduces kids to a unique and colorful story. The app reads the Spanish story aloud and highlights each word in order for kids to follow along. It also provides an English translation to help them understand the story. Parents have the option of turning translations off for a Spanish-only experience. They can also adjust the reading speed to meet their kid's needs. Kids can interact by tapping the illustrations to animate objects or characters and to hear more Spanish vocabulary words or phrases. The next level, Copy Cat, offers another opportunity to hear the same story while encouraging kids to record themselves as they repeat what they hear. It plays the recording back so that they can see how close they are to matching the narrator's pronunciation. The Games level offers four different options: a game the reinforces vocabulary through matching, a game that allows kids to assign articles to nouns, a scrambled letter game that reinforces vocabulary and spelling, and a scrambled syllable game that promotes early reading skills by emphasizing syllables. The Spanish Only level allows kids to experience the same story without translations. In the final level, Read by Myself, kids become the narrator and read the story aloud while recording themselves. As kids experience the different levels, they earn stickers. These motivating rewards are added to the Magic Sticker Book where they can be used for open play and to illustrate and narrate their own story.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

These delightful little stories immerse kids in the Spanish language while captivating their imagination and keeping them engaged. Although little ones may need a grown up to help them flip through pages and enjoy the different components at first, navigating the app is simple and the process, repetitive, which helps build independence. The simple, yet supportive design, which includes an on-demand tutorial and clear verbal directions, empowers older kids to enjoy the app independently. The graphics are colorful and the interactive component adds an element of surprise. Will it be an animation, additional text, or a new Spanish vocabulary word? Some of the stories touch upon important themes, such as friendship, overcoming fears, and embracing differences, offering learning opportunities other than just Spanish language. The Magical Sticker Book encourages creativity, gives kids the space for open ended play, and the space to narrate and illustrate their own stories. The levels that involve listening to stories or repeating what they hear are developmentally appropriate and inviting for preschoolers as well as older kids who are already reading on their own. The experience leverages detailed images, repetition, intonation, and translation to help kids make sense of each story as well as the Spanish language. The option to record and hear oneself speaking Spanish isn't only fun, it helps kids see how far they've come. The games and Read by Myself level are appropriate for kids who already have a phonological foundation, understand the concept of spelling, and can read on their own. FabuLingua – Learn Spanish is designed to grow with kids and continue challenging them as they learn and grow.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the important lessons that surface while enjoying the stories in FabuLingua – Learn Spanish. Stories touch on age appropriate themes, like friendship, self-confidence, embracing differences, overcoming fears, and trying new things.

  • Explore stories and games together and encourage kids to apply newly learned Spanish words and expressions to new and real-life situations. For example, practice naming objects, describing objects by color, and naming different feelings.

  • Although the app is designed to be intuitive and offers a tutorial, little ones may need some support learning how to flip pages and use the tap and drag motions to navigate the app.

App Details

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