Spanish playgroups on Saturdays in Twickenham/Richmond area?

[Judez99]

I'm sure there must be some and I think I read about one in Kew but does anyone know of a Spanish-speaking playgroup in the Twick/Richmond/Kew area on saturdays? DH is Colombian and only speaks to DS, almost 2, in Spanish but isn't at home very much (works outside London) so DS isn't having much exposure to Spanish. I work full-time so can't take him to any during the week. I speak Spanish too (bit rusty)!

Any suggestions gratefully received! Thanks.

Hi! I don't know of any playgroup, but I am currently developing a project to help spanish speaking children-living in Spain- to get a very solid base in english from an early age, so I am very much into this. There are a few things you can do. Disney DVDs. Use the spanish audio- never the subtitles, even now!-. He needs to hear spanish. Mind you, HEAR IT. When your child starts learning to read, only read english. Keep him well away from writen spanish or he will get the phonetic wrong. Trust me in this. When he speaks spanish fluently, then he will learn to read it and write it in a flash.
Check the Spanish tv online. Something like "TVE a la carta" . As long as I remember, there are kids programs. These are unvaluable tools. Another idea is for daddy to speak to him in spanish, but not you. It becomes a game, a secret code between them. Play along, like you cannot understand what they say. See how it goes. He has a magnificent chance to be fluent in 2 languages. It is important not to let it go. My son is a teen now and he is perfectly bilingual. Everybody thinks that he has lived in Spain for years and he has never lived there. He has a perfect castilian accent without a shadow of english in it. And he is a gifted writer in both languages. Be consistent now and you will see the results in a few years. Once they have it, is theirs for the rest of their lives. Good luck!

Hi Lady of Castile and many thanks for your tips. I have started with the DVDs actually and will look into the Spanish TV progs for kids. I only speak to him in English so he hears Spanish from his dad already, just not enough. He has to be able to grow up speaking/understanding (preferably both!) Spanish, otherwise he won't be able to communicate with half his family, who don't speak any English!