But the preschoolers in the weekly Parent & Me Spanish class at Ahwatukee's Brilliant Sky Toys and Books seem much more concerned about having fun than any future benefits.
Five-year-old Elise Gasson sings a song in Spanish, looking at her mother Carol to make sure she's singing too.
"My daughter is a little shy so it took some time for her to get into it,
but she's participating pretty strongly now," said Gasson, a stay-at-home
Chandler mom who believes children should learn about other languages and
cultures.
"I think this format is very kid-friendly and the teacher, Miss Yolanda,
does a great job of incorporating a lot of activities to keep the kids
involved."
Instructor Yolanda Leon is an Ahwatukee mother of three currently working on
her Ph.D. in Hispanic Culture at Arizona State University. She teaches
Spanish at the Tempe Dayspring Preschool and Kindergarten, as well as other
after-school programs.
"They don't know they're learning Spanish, they're playing. Its fun for
them," Leon said. "It's a very interactive class, with the parents also
involved."
The Parent & Me program was developed by Ahwatukee resident Martha Silva.
She teaches adult classes throughout the Southeast Valley, including a
Spanish Conversation Group that meets twice monthly at Tempe's Changing
Hands bookstore.
Silva was born in Mexicali, the capital of Baja California, Mexico, to a
Chinese father and a Chinese/Mexican mother. Although Spanish was the main
language spoken at home, she also heard English and a smattering of Chinese.
Her 11-year old daughter Stephanie, who is bilingual in English and Spanish,
is now learning Chinese.
"There are a lot of advantages for children to start learning another
language at an early age," she said.
For more information classes offered by Silva's Language Synergy Spanish
Instruction, visit www.languagesynergy.com or call (480) 231-5649.