Product Description

Recent child development research indicates children are most receptive to learning languages at a young age. JumpStart Spanish gives kids the benefit of exposure to a second language while they are still learning their native tongue. Simple, age-appropriate activities introduce Spanish basics, including words, phrases, numbers, and songs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #469 in Software
• Brand: Vivendi Universal
• Model: 3590
• Platforms: Windows 95, Mac, Windows 98, Windows Me
• Format: CD-ROM

Amazon.com Review
You've probably heard that children have a much higher propensity and retention rate for language learning than adults. Some studies say that if you learn multiple languages at a very young age, you have a much better chance of remembering them over the long term. Programs like JumpStart Spanish are designed especially for children in preschool, kindergarten, and the first grade to make the most of this aptitude.

JumpStart Spanish is easy to install, and it installs Apple QuickTime for the animation features of the program. As JumpStart Spanish can also be used for learning English, learners choose the language they want to learn and the language in which they want their lessons conducted. Once finished, JumpStart Spanish starts itself and students are introduced to the spunky animated rabbit who serves as guide through the lessons.

The main page of this program is a "clubhouse" that includes doorways into the fun, colorful, and musical lessons contained in the program. Kids can click on different rooms in a dollhouse, for example, and then learn the words for all the articles inside. Children can also click on the television and watch different conversational videotapes that teach them how to say "What time is it?" and other useful phrases.

JumpStart Spanish will teach this vocabulary and these phrases in both English and Spanish, helping children recognize words they already know and what they sound like in this new language. Children can learn at their own pace and, when ready, increase the difficulty level of the lessons.

JumpStart Spanish uses music, friendly cartoon characters, and familiar items and situations to relate to small children and teach them a new language. Moreover, if you're not happy with JumpStart Spanish, Knowledge Adventure offers a 90-day 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. So, if you're looking to turn your child on to foreign language and make it fun and alive, JumpStart Spanish is an excellent choice. --Kendra Hayden

Amazon.com Product Description
In JumpStart Spanish, children, ages 3-6, join Mr. Hopsalot from JumpStart Kindergarten on a special visit to his clubhouse, high atop a large oak tree. When kids arrive in the tree house, they realize Mr. Hopsalot's affinity for the Spanish language and its cultures. As they explore the many items Mr. Hopsalot has in his hangout, children are exposed to Spanish and English translations of common words and phrases and learn about Spanish culture in a fun and educational way. The product also includes a toggle that allows Spanish-speaking families to use JumpStart Spanish to introduce their child to the English language.

From Parents' Choice®
If exposing your little ones to beginning Spanish is the point, this is a good starting point. Using JumpStart-type animations and activities to deliver the goods, this preschool software introduces the most basic of Spanish words and phrases, as well as a little of Spanish culture and music. From Mr. Hopsalot's tree-top clubhouse, kids click on various objects to visit activities that instruct by written word and pronunciation. Go into the doll house kitchen, for instance, and it enlarges into a fully equipped kitchen where clicking on any item pronounces its name in Spanish and displays the word. Besides the various rooms of the house, other options include exploring the neighborhood, colors, numbers and counting, clothing, and music. All are instantly translated, though parents need to encourage children to repeat the words they hear and re-click until they get them right. Phrase work includes the basics, such as "What is your name?" and "How are you today?" Once through the explore mode, kids can switch to the game mode where they're tested in fun fashion on what they're learning. Another plus is that this program can be used to introduce English as a second language: Choose to learn English or Spanish from the outset and choose the instruction in English, Spanish, German or French! (Don Oldenburg, Parents' Choice®)

Customer Reviews

Brilliant software for young kids.
This was the first program I bought for my daughter (then nearly 4) to start teaching her some Spanish. I was impressed even from the beginning, but did not truly appreciate it until I tried to branch out into additional programs for her. I have bought a number of other kids' Spanish programs and been hideously disappointed by all of them. Nothing even comes close to Jumpstart's.

Jumpstart Spanish is bright and lively. The best thing about it is its continual rewards. Kids get immediate rewards for correct choices in the form of cute actions on screen. They are rewarded again with stars for completing sections, and are motivated to keep collecting stars because they can use them to put fish in an aquarium. If they don't get the right answer, the program is very gentle in telling them, and if they miss repeatedly it lights up the correct choice for them to pick. [...,] I see it as a great feature. It lets kids jump in and play without undue frustration or negativity, and lets them learn as they go. Yes, they can guess their way to a star, but I think being shown the answer lets them learn that answer better than it would to let them get more confused with endless wrong choices. This is after all software for young children!

The main drawback to this program is that it really only teaches nouns. Kids learn colors, days of the week, household items, articles of clothing, body parts, and things around the neighborhood. They may pick up some phrases from the directions and praises given, but they really don't learn and grammar or sentences (hence my search for more programs). Here's hoping Jumpstart is working on "Spanish 2"...

Good beginner game
My daughter has this software and she loves it. It basically teaches the names of objects we see and use each day. It also teaches some basic phrases like, "My name is...., and What time is it...etc.". It doesn't get into any type of grammer or sentence structures. You can set it so the directions are given in English or other different languages. You can also switch the game and have it all play in English first, then switch it to SPanish. My daughter is 3-1/2 and she can do this herself, so that should say how easy it is for a preschooler to use. It uses songs and music to learn the days of the week, months of the year, numbers, etc. I would definitely recommend this for both English-speaking children who want to learn Spanish, and for Spanish-speaking children whose parents want a good learning game in their own language to help speech development and learning the basics in their own language.

My kids love it!
I read one review from Oakland and she said the sound was muffled. Well it must be your hardware because my kids who are 3, 5, and 7ys old can understand and repeat everything. They just love it. They spend hours on the computer listening to Spanish. I really like the vocabulary as well as the fact that they ask questions in spanish so they can also learn how to ask a question as well as answer it. It is great. I've tried many spanish tapes and software and this is the only one that they were really interested in using.