Mamá, Papá, Hermano, Hermana
Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister
📐 Standards alignment
ACTFL World-Readiness: Communication (interpersonal, interpretive, presentational) · Cultures (the wide, warm meaning of familia) · Comparisons (Spanish vs. English)
Can-Do targets (NCSSFL-ACTFL, Novice Low):
- I can name my mom, dad, brother, and sister in Spanish.
- I can say “my” with family words.
- I can present a person in a photo in Spanish.
Learning objectives
- Name four close family members in Spanish
- Say mi with each one: mi mamá, mi papá
- Present someone in a photo: Es mi hermana
Materials
A family photo (phone photos work great). Optional: paper for a family drawing.
Prior knowledge
Me llamo from Unit 1 — introductions are about to grow.
Key vocabulary
la mamá · el papá · el hermano · la hermana
Who lives at your house?
Look at a family photo together. Name everyone in English first, with love and silly stories. Now: the Spanish names for the people we love most.
Meet four 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!
Photo presentations
Point at the photo, person by person. Model: Es mi mamá. Your child repeats with THEIR family. No siblings? Cousins, pets, and stuffed animals happily stand in — es mi hermano works for a teddy bear too.
Memory game: ¡Encuentra el par!
Find the matching pairs — each Spanish word has its picture 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?
Family freeze dance
Play music and dance! When it stops, call a family word — everyone freezes in a pose that person would make: mamá pose, papá pose, hermano pose. Discuss and giggle at the poses between rounds.
One more flip-through
Scroll back up to the flashcards and let your child flip through them on their own, saying each word before checking the back. No help this time — just see what they remember!
Show what you know
1. “La hermana” means…
2. How do you say “my dad”?
¡Muy bien!
Your child can name their closest people — mamá, papá, hermano, hermana — and, bigger still, use mi to make it theirs: mi familia.
Take it home
My family portrait
Draw the people (and pets!) who live at your house. Label everyone with their Spanish family word — and teach the words to one person in the picture.
Name: Date:
Interview time
Ask your mamá or papá: what did YOU call your parents growing up? Every family has its own special names — draw or write one.
Note for teachers & parents
Pacing: this lesson runs on warmth. Let side stories about family happen; a lesson that dissolves into looking at photos together did its job.
Watch for: families come in every configuration. The vocabulary flexes — two mamás, an abuela raising the family, stuffed-animal hermanos — all perfect.