Experiencias en talleres de cuentos

Maria´s experience in Diana’s story reading workshop in Spanish. By, Grace (Maria´s mom).

Maria is 7 years old; she came to the United States a year ago. Her native language is Spanish, she was able to learn this language at home, while the world was experiencing the COVID19 pandemic. A few months after our arrival in New York, Diana invited us to participate in a story reading workshop in Spanish. As parents we did not think twice, because one of María’s favorite activities in life has been reading stories and taking advantage of all the activities related to literature. Diana’s workshop reminds us of one of our favorite places in Bogotá, her hometown, the Virgilio Barco Library, because the space designed for children includes reading, theater, puppets, music and art.

Since we are going through a transitional time in our lives, it is important to provide Maria with activities that build her confidence, and reading is one of them. In addition, we had the opportunity to join a small group of girls of Hispanic origin, whose families have been struggling to maintain the Spanish language, since unlike María, they learned English as their mother tongue.

Sharing with a new group of friends helps her realize that while she is trying to learn a new language, English, other children are also trying to learn another language, Spanish. In this space they can support each other, while they discover a world of possibilities through reading.

In addition, the energy of the space that Diana has cemented is very special, the love with which each of the readings is chosen and shared is notorious, since it does not stop at learning a language, we see it as a mindfulness strategy to develop skills such as compassion, resilience, and acceptance of difference, while children read and have a lot of fun.