Essential English-Spanish Vocabulary for Educators & Parents
Essential English-Spanish Vocabulary for Educators
This resource provides a helpful list of common English words and their Spanish translations, useful for educators and parents involved in early childhood education.
Classroom Essentials
- Academic, academico: Everything related to education.
- Always, siempre: Story time is always at 6.
- Arrival, llegada: At the time of arrival, each child puts their coat on their hanger.
- Baby wipes, toallitas: Baby wipes are used to clean children when they need a diaper change or get dirty.
- Bulletin board, tablón de anuncios: A bulletin board is a board that hangs on a wall and displays announcements, pictures, or information.
- Calendar, calendario: A calendar is a set of pages that show the days, weeks, and months of a specific year.
- Cell phone, teléfono móvil: If you bring a cell phone to class, turn it off before entering so as not to disturb others.
- Chair, silla: A chair is a piece of furniture that people use to sit on.
- Check-in, entrada: At the time of check-in, all children come in line.
- Class webpage, pagina web: I can’t find the email where I put the class phone; maybe it’s on the website.
- Class letter, carta de clase: I received a class letter to have a conversation with your teacher next week.
- Classroom phone, teléfono de clase: I can’t find the email where I put the class phone; maybe it’s on the website.
- Classroom, clase: A classroom is a room where children learn.
- Collaborate, colaboración: They were looking for a collaboration with an NGO.
- Concern, precaucion: Parents have been very concerned about their child’s grades.
- Conference, conferencia: I have to give a conference with very important professionals.
- Construction paper, cartulina: On the materials table, there are construction paper, cotton balls, glitter, wooden sticks, tissue paper, etc., for children to develop their imagination.
- Conversation, conversación: I have received a class letter to have a conversation with your teacher next week.
- Cotton ball, bolas de algodón: On the materials table, there are construction paper, cotton balls, glitter, wooden sticks, tissue paper, etc., for children to develop their imagination.
- Craft table, mesa de actividades: A craft table is a piece of furniture with a lot of storage space, which children use to develop their ideas.
- Crayon, lápices de colores: A crayon is a wooden pencil that is used to color drawings.
- Daily, diariamente: The children have quiet time daily.
- Desk, escritorio: A desk is similar to a table, where boys and girls sit down to do their homework.
- Develop, desarrollar: They developed a project in class.
- Dialogue, dialogo: I had a dialogue between parents and teachers, and what parents like best is to praise their children.
- Dismissal, salida: At the time of dismissal, all children say goodbye by hand.
- Dry erase marker, borrador de pizarra: A dry erase marker is used to write on and erase whiteboards.
- Email: I can’t find the email where I put the class phone; maybe it’s on the website.
- Emotional, emocional: The most emotional thing about my profession is the laughter of the children.
- Eraser, borrador: An eraser is a piece of rubber that is used to erase pencil marks.
- Every, cada: The children wash their hands every day.
- Folder, carpeta: A folder is a utensil that is used to store loose papers.
- Glitter, purpurina: On the materials table, there are construction paper, cotton balls, glitter, wooden sticks, tissue paper, etc., for children to develop their imagination.
- Glue stick, pegamento: A glue stick is what people use to join two things.
- Incident report, informe de incidencias: Paco fell, and I had to make an incident report.
- Interact, interactuar: The interaction between children is very rewarding.
- Issue, problema: We solved the problem with my father’s help.
More Useful Terms
- Learn, aprender: Children learn very quickly the things they like.
- Lesson, lección: Children sometimes give adults great lessons.
- Lock, cerradura: Oh no! He left me the keys inside the house; now I can’t unlock the lock.
- Lunch, almuerzo: At lunch time, all children sit at the round table.
- Marker, rotulador: A marker is a tool that children use to draw and paint.
- Never, nunca: We must never keep people who hurt us.
- Occasionally, ocasionalmente: I would meet her occasionally for coffee.
- Often, a menudo: Children order class often.
- Open play, juego libre: After lunch, they have an hour of open play.
- Paper bag, bolsas de papel: Using paper bags is one of the solutions for pollution.
- Paper plate, plato de papel: A paper plate is a utensil to use and throw away.
- Paper towel, rollo de papel: The children have thrown the paper towel by the WC.
- Parent-teacher, padres-profesor: I had a dialogue between parents and teachers, and what parents like best is to praise their children.
- Peer, compañero: A peer is a person who helps you with your homework.
- Pencil, lápiz: An eraser is a piece of rubber that is used to erase pencil marks.
- Pipe cleaner, limpiador: I need a new pipe cleaner; this one has broken.
- Popsicle stick, palo madera: On the materials table, there are construction paper, cotton balls, glitter, wooden sticks, tissue paper, etc., for children to develop their imagination.
- Practice, practica: The more you practice something, the better it will come out.
- Praise, alagar: I had a dialogue between parents and teachers, and what parents like best is to praise their children.
- Problem-solving, resolver problemas: Solving problems is something very important for a good relationship.
- Quiet time, siesta: Before quiet time, the children relax with story time.
- Rarely, raramente: Children rarely fight each other; they are almost always very calm.
- Recess, recreo: Recess is a short time where children go outside to play.
- Resolve, resolver: We had to resolve the problem quickly.
- Review, repaso: The teacher reviewed the syllabus for exams.
- Safety scissors, tijeras: Safety scissors are round-pointed scissors that children use.
- Schedule, horario: If children change the schedule very quickly, they get disoriented.
- Self-esteem, autoestima: If observing someone with low self-esteem, try to help.
- Sink, lavabo: Children wash their hands in the sink after playing at the craft table.
- Snack, aperitivo: At snack time, all children sit at the round table.
- Social, social: Being a social person is very important to have many friends.
- Sometimes, a veces: Sometimes children ignore the first.
- Stay in touch, mantener el contacto: I stay in touch with parents by text message.
- Steptool, taburete: A stool is similar to a chair but without the back.
- Story time, hora del cuento: Before quiet time, the children relax with story time.
- Successful, exitoso: We did a successful teamwork.
- Support, apoyo: Children who have problems with a subject are taken to support classes.
- Text message, mensaje de texto: I stay in touch with parents by text message.
- Tissue paper, papel de seda: On the materials table, there are construction paper, cotton balls, glitter, wooden sticks, tissue paper, etc., for children to develop their imagination.
- Update, actualiza: I carry a notebook where I update the children’s progress.
- Usually, usualmente: Usually, there is a sick child.
- Washable, pinturas lavables: If something is washable, it can be easily removed from a surface with water.
- Watercolors, acuarelas: Watercolors are a type of paint that mixes with water.
- Weekly, semanalmente: Weekly, the children take the bibs home.
- Whiteboard, pizarra blanca: A whiteboard is where teachers write to explain to their students.
- Window, ventana: A window is an object that allows us to see through it.