Family Spanish Immersion Program

Family & Kids Spanish Program

Kids & teens from 8 to 17 learn Spanish in activity-based classes designed especially for younger learners, while parents participate in separate adult classes on the same schedule.

Kids cooking class in Spanish at our Heredia City Campus.

Year-round available at both campus locations: Heredia City & Sámara Beach

Designed for students aged

 8 -12 OR 13-17

Schedule: 4 hours/ day, Mon – Fr (children are on the same schedule as their parent(s) if parents are enrolled in classes)

Parents participate in our adult group classes, while their children will take our customized Spanish program for kids.

A combination of in-class learning and outdoor activities based on the group level.

What is included:

Sports, arts & crafts, storytelling, beach games, treasure hunts, environmental hikes and more.

All materials

What is not included:

No in-water activities if you choose our Samara Beach Campus.

Costs for special field trips with transport and entry fee, in which case parents will cover any additional costs.

Kids practicing their Spanish with teacher Darihana during a fun beach walk.

Kids fully concentrated during their outdoor classes at our beachfront campus.

Multi-age classrooms similar to Montessori

In our Spanish program for kids Students will be placed in a group based on their age, maturity and Spanish level during the placement evaluation here on site. Middleschool and Highschool grade levels are not used as a placement factor.
Course content is based on the language levels of each student, and as such, ages within each classroom may vary, and we expect both kids and parents to be flexible and respectful of age and any other differences (ethnicities, native languages, religion, disabilities, gender expression, etc).
We believe that student diversity in all areas can only enhance the linguistic, social and cultural experiences that children are exposed to at our camp.
Our teachers are skilled at managing multi-age classrooms, with units and activities suitable for each age group, similar to many Montessori classrooms. If, however, you want your child to be only with children their, we recommend exploring standard elementary or high school options, which we can help arrange.

Class schedules are 20 hours per week:

Monday to Friday 8:30am to 12:30 pm daily OR 1:30pm to 5:30pm daily – Heredia City Campus
Monday to Friday 8:00am to 12:00pm AND 1:00pm to 5:00pm (alternates daily) – Sámara Beach Campus

PRICES 2026 – SPANISH IMMERSION FOR KIDS

Heredia City Campus

Starting at

$345

/Week

SAMARA BEACH CAMPUS

Starting at

$365

/Week

Do you have any questions?

LODGING FOR YOUR SPANISH IMMERSION FAMILY VACATION

HOMESTAY ACCOMMODATION

We have a limited selection of homestay families in Sámara who can accommodate families, as houses are small and have little space for hosting another family. The host families that have enough space to host an entire family is because they no longer have their own children living with them. But often they have grandchildren visiting the house with whom the children can play and practice the language.

Please inquire about availability before enrolling. For families who are travelling with children of 8 years or older we usually recommend homestay lodging . This limitation does not apply for a single parent travelling with just one child. In that case parent and child can be assigned to any homestay family and will share a room, in consideration of preferences and availability.

STUDENT RESIDENCE & APARTMENTS

We also offer rooms with AC and private bathroom, shared kitchen and social areas, in our lovely student residence right next to the beach campus, or fully equipped student apartments diagonal opposite the Heredia school.

There are also many hotel and Airbnb options in both Samara and Heredia, and we are happy to help with suggestions.

FAMILY FEEDBACK ON OUR SPANISH PROGRAM FOR KIDS

“I want to take this time to express my deep gratitude for being awarded the ACTFL scholarship that enabled me to take classes with my family in Samara this April. The experience was amazing and what I learned to deepen my own practices as an education administrator was unforgettable. The curriculum was spot on and the evaluation at the beginning of the school week was very accurate. By the end of the first week, I started to think in Spanish. My teacher Dari was fantastic! The program for children was just as impressive. My boys loved attending class as it was fun and interesting. Upon arrival we were a little surprised when we saw ants in the room as this is not common in New York City. I thought my son Christopher would not adjust. Within one day we learned to live among the insects, birds, and beauty of nature (the ants also understood that they needed to leave since we had arrived in the apartment). My son Christopher also overcame his fear of the feeling of sand, and he now loves the beach! The only problem with our trip is that it was too short. We look forward to coming back soon to one of the campuses for at least 2-3 weeks. At the end of our next trip, I will try my best to write a summary of our trip in Spanish. Thank You.”

Rosalind Valenza, Spanish Professor, USA

Sámara Beach Campus, visited in April 2024

A TRIP ADVISOR REVIEW

“This is our second year in a row studying Spanish in Intercultura schools. We had such an unbelievable experience and today, our last day here for this year, we are going kayaking/ snorkeling. The weather is beautiful, the school is right at the beach. My son took surfing lessons and played soccer with other kids at the school. So many lovely families come here, a great relief after our winter in NYC public middle school. My older son did the teen program again and had a great time. So many activities and being away from home for 2 weeks gave him a little sense of independence ( the group is highly supervised and very well cared for by the counselors from the time they arrive until they return home). We’re planning for my younger son to do the teen program next year when he’ll be 13. He’s already looking forward to it.”

Sámara Beach Campus, visited 2022 and 2023

More feedback

“Super program! My kids learned sooooo much. Just today, I was reviewing verb conjugation with Patrick (aged 8) and he not only remembered what he learned, he asked me to teach him how to conjugate verbs para tuteo. I am also teaching him how to conjugate verbs in the preterito, infinitivo y futuro. Que magnifico!” Heredia City Campus, visited 2019 and 2020, [email protected]

MIKE DUGAS & FAMILY

“My daughters (ages 11 and 8) and I visited Costa Rica in June 2017 (along with a friend and her 9-year-old daughter). We stayed in the country for 3 weeks and attended Intercultura at Samara for a week. We had such a wonderful time at the school, with our host family, enjoying the beach, and exploring the area. We rode bikes from the homestay to the school most days, passing horses and cows who were meandering in the road. When the tide was out, we were able to get off the road and bike on the beach to the school. We played at the beach right at the school most afternoons. After our week in Samara, we went to the Heredia campus and attended school there for a week. From Heredia, we took several excursions through the school, all of which exceeded our expectations. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and all that Intercultural as to offer.”

WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR OUR FAMILY!

“I’m so glad that Intercultura offers the family program. I think that doing and learning things together as a family is important. Our daily lives are separated by work and school, so being able to have family experiences like these are important to strengthen family bonds.

We love to visit other countries to learn about different cultures and languages. And being at Intercultura we met so many nice people from other parts of the world. We want our children to be worldwide citizens, so this is a great way to enrich the kids.

Costa Rica is such a wonderful country and the people are so kind and welcoming. The Samara campus is nice and quaint, and it’s right in front of the beach! We will definitely be coming back.” Samara Beach Campus, visited June 2017, [email protected]

JEANETTE ADAMS & FAMILY

“I cannot express the depth of our thanks to you and your wonderful team for the amazing experience we are having in Costa Rica and with Intercultura Costa Rica!” Heredia City Campus, visited April 2017, [email protected]

CAMILLE CUMBERBATCH & FAMILY

Describe your family experience in one to three words: “Unforgettable, excellent awesome”
“The different extra curricular activities that were available after classes such as the tea time and especially the cooking and dance classes were very fun to participate in and a great way to be introduced into the culture.” Heredia Campus, [email protected]

JOSHUA CUMBERBATCH (16), TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

“We were all very impressed with the school. We had little to no knowledge of the Spanish language and everyone at the school (staff and students) made us feel very welcome and were very inviting. We had loved all the tours and after school activities that were offered. Our family was amazing. The food was amazing and they were very kind and inviting. They talked to us in as much Spanish as we could understand and incorporated English when necessary. They left a special place in our hearts.” Heredia Campus, [email protected]

ALICIA FOSTER (30) & ASHTON (SON) COOK, USA

Describe your family experience in one to three words: “Outstanding, exceeding expectations”
What was the most fun/ exciting part of the program? “I wanted Eva to meet people from a different culture, to learn Spanish, to meet international students and have fun (surf). We hit the mark on all of those issues.” Sámara Campus, [email protected]

ROBERT HIGGINS (64), USA

What was the most fun/ exciting part of the program? “It was so wonderful to see how quickly the kids learned Spanish, all while having a great time. Never once did they complain about going to “school”.” Sámara Campus, [email protected]

MARIE MARQUARDT (43), USA

“We had 5 young people attend the school for two weeks in July of 2015. They were ages 9, 10, 12, 14 and 16. The teachers were very friendly and professional, and the people working in the school are also the same. Our children learned a great deal of Spanish, and their conversation skills definitely improved. The facilities are clean, modern and comfortable. The vibe of the school is very positive, with many young people from all over the globe, as well as older students. It seemed to be mostly college aged students while we were there. Heredia is a city that is very Costa Rican, there are very few tourists that visit the city, so we were happy with that, it helped the children learn Spanish. The money we spent was a good investment, we liked the school very much.” Heredia Campus, [email protected]

WILLIAM DIAZ-BROWN & KIDS GROUP, USA

“I really enjoyed the month I stayed at the school learning. The teachers, staff, and activity instructors are amazing. My daughter and I loved Nuria, her twins, Katia, Xinia, Chile, and Melvin. We hope to come back each year.” Samara Campus, [email protected]