Pimsleur Spanish Level 1 Review

In the past I have shared printables and reviews for products to teach your kids Spanish.  I haven't mentioned anything about how you can learn Spanish, until today! I recently had the opportunity to try out Pimsleur Spanish level 1.  The Pimsleur approach to language learning is:

• 100% Audio-based learning
• Based on Dr. Pimsleur's research
• No reading, writing or textbooks
• 30 minutes a day
• Downloadable to your mp3 player
• No Software to install

Pimsleur Spanish is designed to teach you Spanish by listening and speaking.  There isn't any reading or writing involved.  The reason for this is that Dr. Pimsleur found that learning to read and write a language while learning to speak it, resulted in students applying their native phonics rules to the language.  In order to promote proper pronunciation, the Pimsleur approach doesn't include reading and writing lessons.

I found the lessons to be effective and engaging.  Even C participated most of the time and picked up some new Spanish words!  I did notice that since there isn't anything to look at or do with my hands, I felt the need to multitask. Driving worked well but when I tried to do housework while listening to the lessons I found myself missing cues to repeat occasionally.  Of course, that could just be me. ;)

I like that the lessons are set in 30 minute increments.  It is enough to remember what I learned while not taking up too much of my day.  The case the disks come in is very nice.  However, I think I would have preferred a box set with a different case for each disk.  This way, I can easily grab the disk I need for the day and take it with me without worrying about it getting damaged.

If you are looking for a Spanish program for your older student or yourself, Pimsleur is an excellent option!  I would love to hear what programs you have used to learn a new language and what you though of it.  Leave a comment below!

Thank you so much for visiting Joy Focused Learning!

~Angela

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.