Teaching Spanish to a 12-year-old comes with its own unique set of challenges—and joys. At this age, kids are in that curious in-between phase: not quite little children anymore, but not fully teenagers either. They’re developing opinions, growing more independent, and (let’s be honest) they can spot a boring worksheet from a mile away. They want learning to feel relevant, a bit fun, and maybe even cool. And when it doesn’t? Cue the eye-rolls and half-hearted sighs of “Do I really have to do this?” So how do we teach grammar and vocabulary in a way that actually engages them—and helps it stick?
Here are three tried-and-tested, age-appropriate methods that make Spanish come alive for 12-year-olds. These ideas are practical, creative, and most importantly… fun.
Let’s dive in.
1. Make It a Game: Grammar & Vocab with a Competitive Twist
Let’s face it – 12-year-olds love a bit of friendly competition. Add a scoreboard or a buzzer and suddenly verb conjugation is a lot more exciting than it sounds.
Here are a few game-based ideas to try:
- Kahoot or Quizizz: Create fast-paced quizzes on verbs, sentence building, or themed vocab (food, hobbies, holidays).
- Grammar Battleships: Grid-style game with subject pronouns on one side and verbs on the other. To hit a square, they have to conjugate correctly. Miss? Their partner gets a go.
- Memory Match or Snap: Match infinitives to their conjugated forms, or Spanish words to their English meaning. Make it tactile with printable cards or go digital.
Why it works: Repetition disguised as fun = grammar that actually sticks. 🎉
2. Story-Building & Silly Sentences: Learning Through Creativity
At this age, kids are just starting to flex their creative writing muscles. And what better way to lock in grammar and vocab than by letting them use it in a story?
Try this:
- Give them a set of sentence starters or themed vocabulary (e.g. verbs in the present tense, adjectives, and nouns).
- Ask them to build short, silly stories — solo or in pairs.
- Try Spanish Mad Libs: they fill in the gaps with the right verb or noun (great for revising tenses or agreement).
Example:
“Mi familia ____ (comer) churros en la playa cada domingo. Después, nosotros ____ (bailar) salsa con un perro muy feliz.”
Why it works: It shows them how grammar actually functions in sentences – not just as isolated rules, but as tools for communication (and storytelling).
3. Real-Life Role-Plays: Learning That Feels Useful
Twelve-year-olds love pretending to be grown-ups (ordering coffee, booking a hotel room, navigating the metro in Madrid…). Role-playing real-life situations gives grammar a purpose and vocabulary a context.
Some favourite scenarios:
- Ordering at a café: Practise food vocabulary, polite phrases like “quiero” or “me gustaría”.
- Asking for directions: Learn prepositions, places in town, and question structures.
- Holiday planning: Use numbers, dates, prices, and travel-related vocab.
You can scaffold it with a script at first, and slowly remove the training wheels as their confidence grows.
Why it works: It answers that all-too-common question: “When am I ever going to use this?” Right here, kids. Right here.
Teaching grammar and vocabulary doesn’t have to be dry or dull – not when you weave it into games, stories, and real-life situations that 12-year-olds actually care about.
So whether your child is home-educated, world-schooled, or just learning Spanish for the love of it – these activities will help them build skills, boost confidence, and (most importantly) enjoy the journey.
Because when Spanish is fun, it sticks. And when it sticks? Well… ¡vamos!
