Hola y Adiós
Hello and Goodbye
📐 Standards alignment
ACTFL World-Readiness: Communication (interpersonal, interpretive, presentational) · Cultures (greeting practices across the Spanish-speaking world) · Comparisons (greeting customs vs. English)
Can-Do targets (NCSSFL-ACTFL, Novice Low):
- I can greet someone and say goodbye.
- I can thank someone and say please.
- I can repeat new words with good pronunciation.
Learning objectives
- Recognize and repeat six Spanish greeting words
- Use Hola and Adiós with a gesture, at the right moment
- Greet a partner using simple Spanish phrases
Materials
None required. Optional: a soft ball or stuffed animal to pass during the greeting game.
Prior knowledge
None — this is the very first lesson!
Key vocabulary
Hola · Adiós · Buenos días · Buenas noches · Por favor · Gracias
Where have you heard “Hola” before?
Ask your child: have they heard anyone say Hola before — in a song, a show, or from a friend? There’s no wrong answer. This is just a fun way to notice that Spanish is already all around us.
Meet six new words
Tap each card to flip it and hear how it sounds. Look at the picture, say the Spanish word out loud, then check the back for the English meaning.
Say it three times
Go back through the cards above. For each word: the grown-up (or the 🔊 listen button) says it once, then your child repeats it three times, nice and loud. Silly voices are encouraged — a big goofy “¡HOLA!” is easier to remember than a quiet one.
Words with gestures
Add a movement to each word — it helps young learners remember. Try: wave for Hola and Adiós, stretch arms up like the sun for Buenos días, rest your head on folded hands for Buenas noches, press hands together for Por favor, and pat your heart for Gracias.
Memory game: ¡Encuentra el par!
Find the matching pairs — each Spanish word has its English meaning hiding somewhere in the grid.
Find the matching pairs!
Escucha y elige — Listen and choose
Press each play button and choose what you heard.
1. Press play. What did you hear?
2. Press play. What did you hear?
3. Press play. What did you hear?
The Greeting Circle
Stand up! Walk around the room (or living room) and greet three different people — family members, stuffed animals, even the family pet all count. For each one: say ¡Hola! and wave, then when it’s time to move on, say ¡Adiós! and wave again. With a group or class, pass a soft ball: whoever holds it says Hola to the room before passing it on.
One more flip-through
Scroll back up to the flashcards and let your child flip through all six on their own, saying each word before checking the back. No help this time — just see what they remember!
Show what you know
1. How do you say “please” in Spanish?
2. What do you say when you meet a new friend?
Great work, amigos!
Today your child learned six ways to greet people in Spanish: Hola, Adiós, Buenos días, Buenas noches, Por favor, and Gracias. These words will come back again and again in every unit this year — there’s no need for them to be perfect yet.
Take it home
Teach someone at home
Teach a family member how to say Hola and Adiós. Then draw a picture of you greeting them below, and write their name underneath (ask a grown-up to help with the spelling).
Name: Date:
A is for Adiós
Can you find three things at home that start with the letter A, just like Adiós? Draw them here.
Note for teachers & parents
Pacing: if 20 minutes feels long for your group, split this into two 10-minute sessions — vocabulary + pronunciation on day one, the game and homework on day two.
Watch for: children mixing up Hola and Adiós is completely normal at this stage. The gestures in step 4 help more than correction does.