Students learn best when they're

having fun!

Our variety of creative teaching aids, accelerates the learning process

Awards & Reviews

Parent And Teacher Choice Award

From the minute our Parent and Teacher Choice team reviewed the Spanish for Kids Homeschool Program online course, we knew it would be perfect for anyone who wants their kids to learn Spanish! What an awesome and comprehensive program, utilizing the Total Physical Response method we know that is best for teaching and learning any language.

First thing we love is that it uses a multi-modality learning styles approach so that your child can learn by looking, listening and doing! Any language learning expert will tell you that using physical practice, combined with auditory and visual, is the hallmark of the best language learning programs.

The title (English translation) of this extraordinary Spanish for Kids Homeschool Program is precisely what every parent wants when teaching their child – laughter and smiles!


The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

When I first opened the package, I was overwhelmed with the amount of materials included in the Risas y Sonrisas Homeschool Program for Kids. Thankfully, everything was contained in a reinforced zippered carrying case! (I like having all the included materials in one place.)

I have really enjoyed using this program with my children. It isn’t a dull and boring workbook program. There is always some kind of fun activity for the children to do. Learning Spanish is fun with this program, not a chore. I think Risas y Sonrisas is an easy and fun way to learn Spanish.

The Risas y Sonrisas program is so easy to teach. To teach a lesson, all you need is the Student Book, a computer, and the CD-ROM. You are prompted in the book when it is time to listen to a particular word, phrase, or song on the CD-ROM.

The CD-ROM is so helpful because your child has the opportunity to hear all the words pronounced by Leticia.

Cognates (words that have the same root in Spanish and English) are used throughout the book to give children an easy way to learn and practice their pronunciation skills.

Students are also given examples of conversational questions and answers in Spanish, which makes for a fun activity to practice with family members and friends. Cultural tidbits and historical facts are intermingled in the text of the book.


Mommy Maestra

I have to start off by saying that it is obvious that a LOT of thought and hard work has gone into crafting this program. Leticia Smith has been teaching Spanish to K-5 students for the last 14 years and has developed and tested all of the materials with her classes.

Although there are a lot of materials included in this program, they are not overwhelming. There is a strong emphasis on engaging students in a variety of ways – with auditory, visual and kinesthetic lessons – and each lesson includes a variety of materials and activities to teach Spanish vocabulary and concepts.

I love that the lesson manual is organized to tell me the objective of the lesson of the day, then is broken up into four “sections” that tell me what materials I need for that lesson.


Only Passionate Curiousity

Once your materials are assembled, and you are familiar with the layout of the program, teaching is easy! The lesson combines almost all of the above resources. I tend to spread out one lesson during the week, so we do just a bit here or there (15 minutes, 5 days a week).

Each lesson contains about an hour worth of material. You’ll read something in the textbook, using the audio CD to ensure correct pronunciation. You will watch a video on the sign language DVD to aid in memorization of the vocabulary, and sing the vocabulary songs.

Each lesson includes helpful conversational questions and answers, which are easily used as stepping stones for further conversation. You will play games, and complete the associated worksheets to give additional reading and writing practice.

This program is fabulously thorough, and effective.


Cathy Duffy Reviews

This is a true multi-sensory program.

Children learn through music, play, listening to and watching practical conversations, movement (including sign language), the use of color, pictures, reading, speaking, drawing, and writing.

Lessons cover the basics such as numbers, colors, shapes, family, seasons, weather, time, and greetings, as well as themes including the human body, school, food, the house, opposites, verbs, animals, occupations, places, and clothing.

Each chapter includes a skit that combines vocabulary with conversation and a “cultural point” such as a page that tells about piñatas.


Spanish Playground

Risas y Sonrisas is fun, fun, fun! The activities are varied, entertaining and create a dynamic class.

There are games, card activities, skits, music and more. The dozens of interactive, picture-based games encourage children to use Spanish and provide enough structure to keep them from becoming frustrated.

I so appreciate that the games take almost no teacher preparation time! Risas and Sonrisas has everything you need.

All of the activities keep kids actively engaged with Spanish. Children learn vocabulary with actions, use sentence-building cards to create complete and correct sentences, sing and act out simple scenes.

The quick pace is designed to keep kids laughing and learning.


Family Review Center

A great beginning in the world of second language learning. This is a program designed with a young audience / pupil in mind.

Children, grades K-6 will enjoy this program, and learn by it quickly, as it is great at combining visual aids along with audio, making it a rich and culminating experience that children learn well by.

This is a great set, that is well priced and will lend itself nicely to a world of discovery for your child.


10 Best Educational Products

100 Best Award Winner
Dr. Toy Product Reviews and Awards

The Risas y Sonrisas Spanish Program for Kids is a complete multi-grade, simple to use instructional program that introduces Spanish to children(K-6) using powerful techniques that greatly accelerate learning a second language. There is a classroom program available for schools, a self study program for homeschoolers, and a variety of separate products.

The Student Book is a hardcover 140 page book with a colorful visual presentation of pronunciation skills, vocabulary, simple grammar concepts and practical conversations. For each vocabulary unit there is a song with lyrics, vocabulary pictures following the song, Q&A, skit for conversation and cultural points. The book includes Interactive CD-ROM and Skits DVD. This audiovisual presentation helps children learn at their own pace. Children can hear the correct Spanish pronunciation spoken by native speakers. They can read and repeat the lyrics while they listen to the songs. Many of the elements are appropriate for younger children because they can look at pictures or songs and learn the words. The Interactive CD-ROM is divided into five areas: Pronunciation, Songs, Vocabulary, Q&A, and Verb Conjugations.


Smart Book Award Winner

Academics’ Choice Awards™ 2014

Academics’ Choice Awards™ help parents and educators validate claims such as “critical thinking” and “educational toy” with a qualified, scientific and objective approach to evaluation. Academics’ Choice Awards™ bring recognition to the best thinking-based products in the industry.

Our mission: to help buyers find the best brain-boosting material on the market. We help parents and teachers distinguish between “class-time fillers” and genuinely effective learning tools that stimulate the mind, and provide potential for the student to fully develop higher order thinking skills.


Time Warner Cable Education Award Winner

Greater Austin Business Awards 2009, Austin Chamber of Commerce

Stacy Schmitt, Time Warner Cable Inc.‘s vice-president of communications in Texas, endorses Risas y Sonrisas Spanish programs.

Twenty-four Austin-area businesses were recognized for outstanding accomplishments during the Ninth-Annual Greater Austin Business Awards held August 26, 2009 at the Hilton Austin Hotel. The year’s theme, “Heavyweights of Business”, recognized the hard-hitting impact that the efforts made by Austin businesses have had on our city over the past year.

The Greater Austin Business Awards is a competition organized by the Austin Chamber of Commerce to honor excellence in business in the Greater Austin region. The Awards recognize businesses and organizations for achievements, community contributions and milestones.