Spanish for Kids: Speekee Review and Giveaway

My son, Carter, is a fast learner with a brilliant mind. Since the age of 3, he's known his primary colors and the numbers one through ten in Spanish. Needless to say, he takes a keen interest in foreign language. Recently, I was able to check out a new online Spanish-learning program for kids, called Speekee.

* Product and/or service provided for review without cost. Read Disclosure.

Speekee is a fully-online Spanish language learning program, recommended for children between the ages of 2 and 11 years old. The program utilizes videos, games, hands-on activities, printable worksheets, flash cards, and a plethora of other tools to help children learn to speak and write Spanish.

Signing Up and Subscriptions on Speekee

The sign-up process on Speekee was a breeze. There was a little door to click on, and then an option to sign up. All of the basic information was required, such as a desired username for your child, as well as my email address. I then activated the account, which is as easy as a click of the mouse.

Speekee offers a free membership, although the free membership is very limited. There are only a few available videos, and the limited memberships have no access to the Speekee Fast Track program, a structured learning plan to help optimize the Spanish-learning experience.

However, there are several subscription plans available that allow you full-access of the program. The prices for the subscriptions are as follows (and are accurate as of July 2014):

• 1 Month - $7.50 per month
• 6 Months - $5.99 per month
• 1 Year - $4.49 per month

You'll also have the chance to win a 3-month subscription to Speekee, over a $22 value (giveaway at the end of this post)! Contest also listed on Contest Heat!

Exploring Speekee

I explored Speekee with Carter, who is now 7-years-old. Our first impression of Speekee was that it was colorful and aesthetically pleasing. It looked interesting and exciting, and this piqued my son's interest.

As I explored a bit more, my opinion was that the website was a bit difficult to navigate. Everything is labeled in Spanish, so going in with only basic knowledge was challenging. It was also hard to see where the videos were, as they are nestled along the right side in a window that slides out when you click on it. I also had some difficulty finding the Fast Track program, which was located near the bottom of the screen. I didn't even see the map, but luckily, my son is more technologically inclined than I.

When I let Carter take the reigns, he figured out quite a bit more than I had. He located the map with ease, and found that he could use it to travel to different areas. He found that you can "walk" with the arrow keys, and that the stars found throughout the "world" are questions that earn you points, when answered correctly. Carter even made the High Score Board on July 17th and the second high scorer of the day on the 18th! That really got him going!

Although Speekee was a bit difficult to navigate at first (for me), the more I watched Carter play and figure things out, the more I understood. I'd also like to add that Speekee is constantly improving. It's nice to know that they take constructive criticism seriously, and are able to put it to good use.

Speekee is a Comprehensive Program

What I found to be the most comprehensive were the videos. While they're completely in Spanish, you can gather what they're saying based on their body language, hand gestures, as well as the pictures and images that are shared. Many of the phrases are repeated, which also allows your child to hear something again, if he or she missed it the first time around. This is also great for retaining knowledge.

Besides the videos and games, Speekee has a Fast Track program, a weekly program, that utilizes not only the videos and games, but also worksheets, flash cards, and hands-on activities. This is an excellent way to help what your child has learned stay fresh in his or her mind. Carter seemed to pick up more when we started the Fast Track program as opposed to only watching the videos. He also liked that the worksheets allowed him to draw a picture of the Spanish word he was writing.

His favorite part of the program overall were the "missions," found by clicking on the bell icon next to the map. Here, he completed various tasks, from watching video clips to visiting places on the map, and then answered questions. Once he completed all of the tasks, he earned a reward. The reward was then transported to his room, where he used it to decorate. Check out his room so far!

What We've Learned with Speekee

I encourage Carter to use Speekee for at least 30 minutes a day, at least 3 times per week. We also utilized the Fast Track program. Carter was able to work at a comfortable pace, and it was clear that he was taking things in fairly well.

He has learned more conversational Spanish, including an informal way to ask how someone is doing (¿Què tal?), as well as some basic words, such as "el parque," which means "park." He wrote "el parque" as well, on one of his worksheets, and drew a picture to go along with it. He has a great time clicking on random objects throughout the Speekee world and telling me the way to say the words in Spanish.

Carter seems to enjoy Speekee, and he's gotten the hang of it quite a bit since his first day checking it out. I'm fairly certain that over the next few months, he'll gain more knowledge of the Spanish language, and have new Spanish words to share with me.

Bottom Line

Overall, I believe that Speekee is a program that you have to fully immerse your child in on a regular basis, if you intend to get the most out of it. If you're watching one video per day every week, it's highly unlikely that your child will learn as much as the program aims to teach. I would recommend at least 30 minutes per day, three times a week, no less, for brilliant minds, and a little more for average learners. If your child has difficulty with the program, take it up a notch and help them understand by getting involved with them.

If you're interested in Speekee, enter to win a three-month subscription to the program below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway









I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.