You all know, I am always on the hunt for Christians Kids resources in Spanish. So when I learned about the new bilingual show on Minno, Guillermo and Will, I had to check it out.
Guillermo and Will
Guillermo and Will is a new preschool show on Minno, helping kids learn Spanish and English vocabulary while exploring God’s world.
Guillermo and Will are little worms, Guillermo a native Spanish speaker, Will a native English Speaker. And together they go on adventures learning new words in both languages, and thanking God in both languages.
This is maybe the only fully bilingual show I have seen. Every single line is said in both Spanish and English, setting it apart in the world of bilingual kids programming.
What We Like
Guillermo and Will is such a cute show. These little worms capture young kids’ attention with their shenanigans. My little guy (3.5) is so engaged watching these brightly-colored worms explore the world.
Watch a sample episode here:
As mentioned above, the show is fully bilingual in both English and Spanish. Every line said by Will in English is repeated by Guillermo in Spanish, and vice versa. For example:
Will: Thank you, God!
Guillermo: ¡Gracias a Dios!
And the dialog is so smooth! They glide between the languages effortlessly, both worms using both languages. That sounds like a small detail, but it adds a lot of depth to the show. When Guillermo speaks in English he has a Spanish accent. And when Will speaks Spanish he speaks like he is from the United States. I love this because it shows both worms engaging with and using both languages, making it less foreign and more familiar.
The dialog is also very simple, focusing more on repetition so that the words actually stick. Your kid could actually learn and speak a little Spanish from watching this show.
I also appreciate that this show is SLOW. So many kids programs are fast-paced, leaving kids over-stimulated, and grumpy. This one uses puppets, and naturally lends itself to a slow, calm pace. I definitely recommend this one for parents looking for less-stimulating, but still engaging media.
The team that created the show includes the talents of Emmy-nominated Donna Kimball. Bilingual/bicultural educator, Paty Abril-Gonzalez. And Cheryl Gotthelf who has consulted for several shows on both PBS Kids and Noggin.
What could be different?
We absolutely love this show! The colors, the language…everything about it is beautiful and so well done. For typically-developing children, I’d give this one a 10 out of 10. If I’d been asked to review this when my older kids were the target market, I would have had zero critiques.
But now that I’m raising a non-verbal bilingual child, I just see some things a little different now. Our little guy struggles with speech due to issues with motor-planning. He has to really think about how to make his muscles move to form words. Which also means he needs to have that muscle movement modeled. That’s just not something puppets can do. All their words are formed the same. For a typically-developing child this is generally a non-issue. Puppets are fantastic! What kid doesn’t love a puppet?
However, because it’s a show aimed at helping kids learn how to say new words, and I’m watching with a little guy who needs to have that muscle movement modeled I little bit wish real people were incorporated in the show to some capacity. People can model speech in a way puppets can’t.
Rating: 9/10
We absolutely love this one. As far as bilingual kids programming goes, Guillermo and Will is filling a huge gap in the industry. I highly recommend this one for Christian families seeking slower-paced, bilingual shows for their littles.
Baby Devotions 