Kid-Friendly Spanish-Language Stuff to Watch This Summer?
June 14, 2022 1:07 PM Subscribe
My kids (11 and 13) are interested in keeping/developing their Spanish over summer break. What are some (generally) age-appropriate ideas for stuff they can stream?
When I lived abroad, I got hooked on a telenovela that really helped me learn Spanish. I know that some telenovelas (particularly some of the ones produced in the last 5-10 years) might be a little on the racy side for middle-schoolers (although these are pretty firmly PG-13 kids we're talking about), but are there any out there that folks would recommend?
More broadly, I think the ideal thing would tick these boxes:
- Available in digestible chunks (20-30 minute episodes)
- Kid-approachable in terms of general themes/plots (not necessarily made for children but not stuff with sex/drugs/violence as the key themes)
- Not dependent on understanding the dialog word-for-word in order to follow plots
- Streamable (we've got access to most platforms).
I'm not necessarily devoted to the idea that things should have been originally created in Spanish - dubbed versions of US (or another country's) programming could work (I think the telenovela I got into was originally Brazilian). Also doesn't need to be plot-focused-fiction-series kind of stuff necessarily; I could imagine documentaries or something else fitting the bill. I think Sesame-street type programming is probably not what we're looking for as the kids are well beyond that in terms of both age and their level of Spanish proficiency. English subtitle availability is fine but honestly not a major factor.
When I lived abroad, I got hooked on a telenovela that really helped me learn Spanish. I know that some telenovelas (particularly some of the ones produced in the last 5-10 years) might be a little on the racy side for middle-schoolers (although these are pretty firmly PG-13 kids we're talking about), but are there any out there that folks would recommend?
More broadly, I think the ideal thing would tick these boxes:
- Available in digestible chunks (20-30 minute episodes)
- Kid-approachable in terms of general themes/plots (not necessarily made for children but not stuff with sex/drugs/violence as the key themes)
- Not dependent on understanding the dialog word-for-word in order to follow plots
- Streamable (we've got access to most platforms).
I'm not necessarily devoted to the idea that things should have been originally created in Spanish - dubbed versions of US (or another country's) programming could work (I think the telenovela I got into was originally Brazilian). Also doesn't need to be plot-focused-fiction-series kind of stuff necessarily; I could imagine documentaries or something else fitting the bill. I think Sesame-street type programming is probably not what we're looking for as the kids are well beyond that in terms of both age and their level of Spanish proficiency. English subtitle availability is fine but honestly not a major factor.
Guerra de Vecinos is a very funny Mexican sitcom about a working-class family who moves into an affluent neighborhood and their feud with their new next-door neighbors, streaming on US Netflix. Occasional sexual situations but nothing graphic and it's not the focus. I watched it with my then 15-year-old, I would have been fine with my younger kid watching it, PG-13 is a good description. English subtitles available.
posted by escabeche at 2:21 PM on June 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by escabeche at 2:21 PM on June 14, 2022 [2 favorites]
As cosmicbandito says, dubbed stuff is probably the way to go. I've seen the Spanish dubbed versions of the Terminator films, and the first several Batman films on buses. (I guess violence is a big theme in both. But, in general, any big budget film is likely to have a Spanish track.) The Spanish language version of Coco is lovely.
Betty, la Fea is fun, mostly good, and feels very contemporary 20 some years later, at least to me. Sex is involved, but isn't really the main plot.
posted by eotvos at 2:27 PM on June 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
Betty, la Fea is fun, mostly good, and feels very contemporary 20 some years later, at least to me. Sex is involved, but isn't really the main plot.
posted by eotvos at 2:27 PM on June 14, 2022 [1 favorite]
There are some Spanish-language channels on the Pluto TV app. There's one that is all Star Trek:TNG in Spanish, and another called "Foodies" that has created-in-Spanish and translated/dubbed shows. There's a particular show on Foodies called "Todo Un Chef" that struck me and my Spanish-student kid as an excellent way to practice Spanish. The host speaks very clearly and a little slowly, and since he's presenting recipes it's fairly easy to follow the dialog.
posted by Janta at 3:02 PM on June 14, 2022
posted by Janta at 3:02 PM on June 14, 2022
Netflix often shoots versions of their own reality shows in other languages. The big one I can think of, off the top of my head, is Nailed It Mexico, a Spanish-language version of the very silly terrible baking show. They have commentary groups in like 6 different languages for their show Ultimate Beastmaster, I think you can access them via audio tracks.
If you have HBO Max and like Gravity Falls, Victor And Valentino hits a lot of the same vibes and is set in Mexico. We watched it in English but there is a lot of Spanish (and some Spanglish) and Mexican culture in the show.
posted by sleeping bear at 3:42 PM on June 14, 2022
If you have HBO Max and like Gravity Falls, Victor And Valentino hits a lot of the same vibes and is set in Mexico. We watched it in English but there is a lot of Spanish (and some Spanglish) and Mexican culture in the show.
posted by sleeping bear at 3:42 PM on June 14, 2022
Something from this list of Spanish language Reality TV?
Searching for foreign language content on Netflix is surprisingly difficult, but once you tap into it there is a lot there.
posted by EllaEm at 4:33 PM on June 14, 2022
Searching for foreign language content on Netflix is surprisingly difficult, but once you tap into it there is a lot there.
posted by EllaEm at 4:33 PM on June 14, 2022
I'd also recommend leaning into whatever else they are interested in. So for instance, if they are into swimming, look for youtube channels, books, podcasts, or documentaries that are on that topic. I'm doing this with my younger kiddo, to keep his bilingual skills up over the summer. He loves Dogman, so we read the Hombre Perro version. He watches Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles over and over, but in Spanish.
posted by EllaEm at 4:44 PM on June 14, 2022
posted by EllaEm at 4:44 PM on June 14, 2022
My kids go to a Spanish immersion school and Nailed It! Mexico and Nailed It! España were reliable hits. You don't really have to understand all the words to follow what's going on. Any Netflix or Disney comedy game type show like The Floor Is Lava or Flinch! would also be good watched with the Spanish dub because there's a lot of repetition and generally the complexity of the thoughts being expressed is not high.
The miniseries Maya and the Three was also really good, has Mesoamerican cultural references, short episodes, and is not really dependent on language to follow the plot although it's definitely at a higher level than Nailed It!
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 3:27 PM on June 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
The miniseries Maya and the Three was also really good, has Mesoamerican cultural references, short episodes, and is not really dependent on language to follow the plot although it's definitely at a higher level than Nailed It!
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 3:27 PM on June 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by cosmicbandito at 2:01 PM on June 14, 2022 [2 favorites]