Introduction

Why has tutoring shifted to online in recent years?

During the past three years, due to the effects of Covid, lots of language learners have switched from offline to online schooling. Yet, along with the easing of various restrictions in most areas, some learners have gone back to offline learning again, but most of them have decided to remain online. The same is true for Chinese language learning.

It’s easy to understand why an adult learner would choose online learning now. It’s more convenient and flexible. Learners can have their Chinese class out of town, even in other countries. It’s up to the learners to decide when to hold the class, such as during their lunch or early coffee break. And, especially for Chinese, there are few choices for parents and children to learn offline in their own town. If they want professional Chinese tutoring, they would prefer a native professional tutor. Online tutors come into their sights.

What are parent’s concerns with online tutoring?

But many parents are still worried if online tutoring is effective or sufficient for their children.

Children have their own needs and learning paces. Especially for younger kids, it’s a little hard to keep them facing a screen for a long time. After half an hour, they easily lose focus. And many parents don’t want their kids to have so much screen time in a day. No wonder why so many parents have concerns about online tutoring.

Actually, it depends on which subject they are taking. If it’s sports or playground activities, it’s really hard to keep it online. But if we are talking about language learning, then online tutoring is quite a viable choice.

The pros and cons

The benefits of learning Chinese with an online tutor

1. Online class schedules are often much more flexible than offline. You can decide when to take the class and adjust the schedule as you need.
2. No matter where the students are, the class can still be held. Parents don’t need to bring their children to the classroom. It’s quite time-saving. Without the added time of dropping and picking up kids from a physical classroom, parents’ have more time on their hands.   
3. It’s more convenient and easier to find a native professional Chinese teacher online who suits your children’s needs.
4. Online Chinese classes are affordable. It’s often much cheaper than offline classes.
5. Audio and video content online can be very enjoyable.
6. It’s okay to record online classes. Children can review the class again or practice any time after class at home.
7. If parents want, they are free to observe and be around when children take online classes in case they get distracted. Parents can also monitor the lesson quality..
8. With private online tutors, the study plan can be very personalized. They can even help with school homework or other special Chinese language requirements.

Potential issues of learning Chinese with an online tutor

1. During school years, children need more interaction with peers. Classroom time can provide them with a neutral environment for social interaction and real communication. If the class goes online, then real-life interactions get harder.
2. Online language classes need a quiet place and a stable internet connection. If you can’t assure these basic requirements, then your children cannot learn as easily.
3. For younger kids, it’s easy to get bored or distracted if the online class is not very appealing to them. And sometimes the tutor can’t find out what they are thinking or doing immediately.
4. Too much screen time is not ideal or healthy for children.
5. Children have an easier time developing a relationship with offline tutors, which may help cultivate enthusiasm for learning. But online tutors it may take a long time and a lot of patience to get the same result.

What to pay attention to when choosing an online tutor or class

It truly depends on what your needs are and what circumstances you are in. For children, if you are able to keep learning in a classroom, that would be terrific. They need more interactions and lessons with language partners and tutors. In addition to social interaction skills such as cooperation, empathy, and leadership, if you focus more on the language learning itself, then here are some tips.

1. You need to verify the teacher’s credentials

What is the tutor’s teaching experience? How long have they been teaching Chinese? Have they taught children before? Is this tutor familiar with online teaching? Does this tutor have related Mandarin teaching degrees and certifications? Are they a native mandarin Chinese speaker?

Check out more detailed suggestions to help you find an excellent Chinese teacher: How to Find a Really Good Chinese Teacher to Guide Your Learning

2. Make sure your children are learning content that fits their language skills and level

If your children are beyond the current classroom level, then they might be very comfortable in the lessons, but the problem is that it’s hard to continue progressing and keep going. On the contrary, if your children are learning content beyond their own level, then it’s very easy to get tired of learning the language, and they may lack confidence. Private tutoring can help with this problem. No matter whether you want an online tutor or an offline tutor, the right teacher can make a very personalized study plan, which will help your children to progress at the right speed.    

3. The tutor’s ratings and reviews are very important

Ratings and reviews from other students and organizations are very important for you to consider. The tutor’s reliability, patience, clarity, and accuracy are the factors you should pay the most attention to.

Some online schools have their top recommended tutors. You can ask for their professional advice and tell them your biggest needs. These schools often have various tutors who have different strong points which could help them adapt to each child’s special requirements. 

If your friends have Chinese tutors for their children who have excellent feedback, then don’t hesitate to ask for their recommendation. Feel free to ask your friends about your concerns.  

4. An independent freelance teacher VS A teacher who works for a school

Thanks to the internet, there are countless options for you all around the world when you want something, and it’s the same with Chinese tutors. There are mainly two kinds of teachers online.

One is working as a freelancer who often posts themself on language exchange websites, such as italki, preply, verbalplanet, etc. Teaching Chinese is often their part-time job or hobby. Most of them are Chinese native speakers. Some of them also have professional Chinese language teaching certifications, some don’t. They are often quite flexible, but you need to book the class every single time. If you are looking for a spoken Chinese partner, then this is a good choice. You can communicate a different native speaker in every single class. And some of them are with quite low cost. If you have limited access to Chinese immersion, this can help teach more about Chinese people. 

The other is working for an online language school and is often a professional mandarin Chinese teacher with rich teaching experience. The schools often have free trial classes so that learners can find a good fit, but after that, you can’t only buy one class at a time. There are often different class packages, and you’ll need to ask for more details about the school’s class services. The advantages are obvious: parents don’t need to worry about the class plan, reliability, and consistency. It’s easy for parents to communicate with the teacher and administers and keep track of their children’s progress.

Learning Mandarin Online: Teacher Vs. School

5. Online live class VS Recorded video class

When choosing online tutoring, you may find that there are not only one-on-one live Chinese tutors, but also systematically recorded video classes. Generally speaking, recorded video classes can be a supplement for children. It’s okay for reviewing or practicing content after class. Live class tutors are more suitable for children since the real tutor can draw their attention instantly and have more interactions during the class. The tutor can adjust the lesson content and teaching style along with the children’s feedback. If there are any questions or problems that come up, the tutor can explain immediately.  

Chinese learning resources for kids

Amazing Books for Kids Learning Chinese

In addition to a Chinese tutor, Chinese learning materials are also very essential and necessary. For kids, learning materials need to meet higher requirements and different needs, for example if it’s informative, entertaining, appealing, suitable, etc. It has to guarantee that kids won’t be bored while acquiring the language knowledge.  

YCT (Youth Chinese Test)

YCT is the Youth Chinese Test, which was launched to encourage young second language learners to learn Chinese and test their current proficiency. You can find the corresponding test structure, learning books, vocabulary list, sample tests and other resources you may need here.  

GCSE / IGCSE Chinese

If you are based in the UK, Singapore, Canada, Australia, or India, then GCSE and IGCSE are there for your children to develop their Chinese skills and understand Chinese culture. There are more details about the assessment themes and intros here.  

Chinese Flashcards for kids

Chinese songs for kids

Chinese poems for kids

These Chinese word flashcards, songs, and poems are all supplemental learning materials for kids. These materials can be an introduction to the Chinese language, which might help motivate their passion for learning or broaden their understanding and interest in this language and culture.   

Parental Strategies in Supporting Their Children to Learn Chinese

You can never just leave the children to their tutors only. Parents are always the key to children’s studies. When it comes to learning the Chinese language, some parents feel lost and confused about tutoring and parenting. They have no idea where to start and how to deal with their studies. There are also some parental strategies for you to support your kids’ learning.

Conclusion

As with the world becomes more and more digitized, it’s inevitable to let internet-based learning step into your children’s study, no matter whether it’s the main method or just a supplement. For Chinese language learning, online tutoring is a great opportunity to meet professional native teachers from all around the world, which opens your choices widely. The variety of learning materials online can enrich their learning content and broaden their knowledge too. Learning with an online Chinese tutor is more effective and convenient than you may have thought. To cater to children’s learning needs and their special requirements, it’s best to use online and offline learning resources together.

Common online class expressions (PDF download)

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Our brains often struggle when faced with things outside our own experience; a person who accustomed to the English alphabet may find it very difficult to read the Chinese characters for the first time. That is why in some expressions, Chinese is used as a metaphor for difficult things. However, different does not mean difficult. Are Chinese characters that difficult? The answer is no.

Where do characters come from? As a famous scholar once said, “The earliest character is not a well-invented invention, but a by-product of a strong awareness of private property.”  Ancient languages are hieroglyphs, so there is a strong likelihood that you can guess what they mean from their appearance. For example, the very first Chinese character, which meant “sheep,” looked like this: 

It is like a sheep’s head with a V-shaped face and curved horns. Nowadays it is written like this: 羊. You can still tell that it’s a sheep’s head. Let’s see another example:

This is the earliest version of the Chinese character for “rain”; it is like rain falling from the clouds above. The current version is like this: 雨. You can still see the original idea from the oldest version.

Chinese characters simply describe and express things about our world and life in the most natural way.

How to get children interested in Chinese characters?

Usually, children are interested in the oldest version of Chinese characters, which are called “甲骨文（jiǎ gǔ wén）”, or Oracle bone script. Why? Maybe because “甲骨文” are a kind of symbol between images and modern Chinese characters; each character is like a painting. The original idea in “甲骨文” is quite clear, which matches up with children’s cognitive thinking style. In addition, these ancient Chinese characters are formed with hard lines and have a special sense of beauty, which is close to young children’s art style. It is pure and vivid. And the way children observe things may be very similar to the stage when our ancestors created “甲骨文”, as children often do what comes naturally to them.

Therefore, we can show “甲骨文” and the Chinese character’s evolution to children because letting them see the natural beauty of Chinese characters will make them more interested in characters.

Take the character “山(mountain)” for example:

Children can see where the characters come from and  how they changed little by little from “甲骨文” to modern characters, as if they are growing up. They can easily understand, recognize and memorize characters with this method.

How to practice writing Chinese characters?

For the first step of practicing writing Chinese characters, it is recommended to use an exercise book specifically for Chinese characters, called “田字格( tián zìgé).” It looks like this:

Because Chinese characters are made up of strokes instead of an alphabet, they are like buildings. So when you write them, you need to keep the “building” stable and balanced, otherwise they’re going to fall down. That is why at the beginning, we need “田字格” to help us learn the structure of Chinese characters. For little kids, parents can also make a tracing book with the “田字格” format, so they can trace the characters before writing them on their own.

Secondly, parents and teachers need to teach children to follow the correct stroke order when they write characters. Again, it is like building buildings, and the stroke order directly affects the final result. We should help children get used to always following the correct order from the very beginning. If a child forgets the order and there is no teacher around, parents can look it up on the internet for them.

Parents can also show their children good writing examples, let them see, practice and write more.

What other things can you do with Chinese characters?

Chinese characters are also an art. Chinese people say that a person’s handwriting reflects their personality and attitude. “书法(shū fǎ)”, or Chinese calligraphy, is an art form with a long and rich history. Chinese calligraphy is written with Chinese ink and a writing brush. Calligraphy has also led to the development of many other art forms  in China, including seal carving, ornate paperweights, and ink stones.

In order to let the children see Chinese characters as art, you can take them to museums or share books of calligraphy with them. It will show them  the different penmanship, introduce them the distinct style of calligraphy, and introduce them to the story and  history behind it. Also, they can learn about it and then try writing it by themselves. It will be an enriching experience for them.

With these activities, I hope more and more children will be exposed to Chinese characters and know, love, write and enjoy them!

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For those learning Chinese, reading can speed up progress by teaching grammar, vocabulary, and culture. But how do you choose Chinese books for your kids?

First, consider your child’s language level:

1. Beginner Stage: Just started learning Chinese, can recognize Pinyin and understand simple words or phrases.
2. Intermediate Stage: Can recognize Pinyin and basic Chinese characters and express themselves with simple sentences.
3. Advanced Stage: Can read independently and understand advanced grammar and syntax.

For beginner level children, Pinyin books with pictures are a great option. Intermediate level children can benefit from books with both characters and Pinyin. Advanced level children need books with higher-level words and complex sentences.

Every child has different needs, so here are some fantastic Chinese children’s books that cater to a range of levels.

1. Chineasy for Children: Learn 100 Words

Difficulty level: Beginner and intermediate

Author ShaoLan wrote this book to help inspire her children to learn Chinese. She developed a groundbreaking visual method for teaching Chinese characters in a way that is both easy and fun for kids.

Chineasy uses Shaolan’s novel method to transform Chinese characters into captivating and engaging pictograms. These colorful symbols provide the meaning and origin of Chinese characters. Children find it simpler to remember Chinese characters using this book because they view them as diverse, meaningful pictures. The book is organized by theme, such as numbers, family, animals, and food.

Please note that this book mainly focuses on learning Chinese characters. Some of the characters used in this book are in “traditional” forms.

This book is for those who would like to:

• Introduce or reinforce Chinese characters
• Build vocabulary
• Understand Chinese culture

Other Chineasy books to  consider:

• Chineasy: The New Way to Read Chinese
• Chineasy Everyday: Learning Chinese Through Its Culture

2. Easy Peasy Chinese: Mandarin Chinese for Beginners – 走向中文

Difficulty level: Beginner and intermediate

The author of “Easy Peasy Chinese,” Elinor Greenwood, is a writer and editor of children’s books. She has a Chinese degree from Leeds University and is enthusiastic about Mandarin Chinese education. She likes to motivate Chinese learners with fun activities and teaching aids, such as stickers and pictures.

If your child is just beginning to learn Chinese and wants to learn to introduce themselves, express numbers and dates, tell time, discuss food and interests, and discover Chinese culture, try this book! “Easy Peasy Chinese” is a fun and visually appealing book. It covers the basics for beginners and uses Pinyin. Your child will learn the most common words and phrases and then form simple Chinese sentences.

The book includes a CD to help your child learn how to pronounce Chinese phrases correctly.

This book is for those who would like to:

• Reinforce Chinese characters
• Build vocabulary
• Understand Chinese culture
• Improve pronunciation
• Have simple conversations

Accompanying Workbook:

Easy Peasy Chinese Workbook: Mandarin Chinese Practice for Beginners

3. Mina’s First Day of School – 米娜上学的第一天

(Simplified version; Traditional Version)

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Katrina Liu, an American-born Chinese author, wanted to raise her daughter to become bilingual. So, she created the Chinese picture book series “Mina Learns Chinese,” based on her daughter’s life. All her books are specifically designed for young audiences.

“Mina’s First Day of School” is a helpful picture book with an adorable story and engaging illustrations. Your child will follow Mina on her first day of school, reading easy-to-grasp dialogues and learning common phrases in Chinese.

The book includes Pinyin, Chinese characters, and English. Even if you are unable to read the book to your child, the audio book is available. Plus, Mina’s story helps mentally prepare your child for school. How great is that?

This book is for those who would like to:

• Build vocabulary
• Learn daily conversations
• Reinforce pronunciation
• Improve listening skills

More stories about Mina

• Mina’s Scavenger Hunt: Simplified Version; Traditional Version
• I love my grandpa: Simplified Version; Traditional Version

4. Father and Son – 父与子

Difficulty level: Intermediate

German cartoonist E.O. Plauen created the well-known comic “Father and Son” in 1934. The colorful comic artfully portrays the affection between a father and son. This version includes both Chinese characters and Pinyin.

Unlike the other recommendations listed here, “Father and Son” is a comic book series. While some parents may disapprove of comics as a medium, they can be used strategically to help children improve their reading and language skills. The images help children understand the language easier and students are often eager to read them, even in an unfamiliar language.

If you enjoyed “Father and Son” as a child, your kids will love it too, and they will try their best to understand the language to follow the compelling stories.

This book is for those who would like to:

• Build vocabulary
• Learn daily conversations

Another comic book recommendation with Pinyin:

• Big Head Son and Small Head Dad （大头儿子和小头爸爸）

5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid – 小屁孩日记

Difficulty level: Advanced

The author of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, Jeff Kinney, came up with the idea for this book series in 1998. It’s a collection of the unique diaries of a middle-school boy. The series was posted online in 2004 and published in 2007. Since then, it has sold over 200 million copies in 65 languages. Bilingual versions are also available, which can help non-native speakers understand the text by comparing the Chinese and English versions. The side-by-side formatting helps readers recognize new terms and untangle more complex sentences.

More importantly: It’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid! This series is so popular because children love it, and they want to keep reading it.”

This book is for those who would like to

• Build vocabulary
• Improve reading comprehension

Other Diary of a Wimpy Kid books

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series

Introducing your child to Chinese literature at an early age can have many benefits, such as improving their language skills, increasing their cultural knowledge, and promoting a love of reading. With a wide range of books available, from picture books to comic books to bilingual editions, there is something for every young reader. As a parent, you have the power to ignite your child’s curiosity and create a lifelong love of learning. So why not choose a Chinese book and start enjoying some family reading time today?

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The Singapore PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) Chinese Oral Examination makes up 25% of the PSLE Chinese Examination score (100%). There are two parts of the Oral Exam: Passage reading and Conversation.

How is the PSLE Oral Examination conducted?

Since 2017, the Singapore PSLE Mother Tongue Examinations use an E-oral exam format.

Before stepping into the examination room, students are given 10 minutes to read the passage and prepare for their conversation, which is based on a 1-minute video, at a preparation station with a laptop. During those 10 minutes, students may pause, fast-forward, or rewind the video.

After 10 minutes, students will then proceed to the examination room. They will read the passage to the examiners first and then watch the video from start to finish once again before doing the conversation portion.

1. Passage reading

Examiners give scores based on “accuracy” and “fluency”. Chinese characters used in the passage are all from Singapore Primary School textbooks.

2. Conversation

Examiners ask questions based on the video topic and the video itself, and students express their views and opinions accordingly. Examiners give scores based on the content. pronunciation, grammar, and fluency.

What questions will the examiners ask (during the conversation)?

To secure a high mark on the oral exam, students need to know what types of questions the examiners would like to ask. With this in the mind, students will be able to use their 10-min preparation time more effectively and then have better conversations with the examiners later.

Type 1: Video-related questions

Most of the time, the examiners ask questions regarding the video first. They would like to know how much of the video you understoond,  including what happened in the video and what you think about it.

For example:

Tell me about an event related to “being friendly” that you saw in the video.

Do you think the boy in the video is doing the right thing, why?

For this type of question, students could use the 5W1H（What, When, Where, Who, Why, How）technique to help them plan what they are going to say.

Example：

Type 2: Personal experience

The examiners also ask students to talk about relevant personal experiences. It’s better if the experience that the student shares is not the same as what was shown in the video. Other than sharing a story, students need to make some comments including what they learned from that experience.

For example:

Have you ever been friendly to someone?

Have you ever encountered someone being very friendly to you?

For this type of question, students can also use the 5W1H technic to help them plan what they are going to say.

Example：

Type 3: Suggestions

Sometimes, the examiners are interested in knowing how you could further expand on the topic/theme of the video by talking about society (school / family / community).

For example:

Is there anything that parents/the school can do to encourage their kids/students to show friendliness to others?

Based on previous exams, examiners ask students to give suggestions from the school’s perspective more often.

Example：

Other tips:

Many students find it difficult to provide rich content while doing their conversations. Using the “ACT” technique might help you:

Know more about the E-oral examination, look at SEAB 1 and SEAB 2. For more professional one-on-one training on Chinese language, you can consult TouchChinese for more information. 

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When we talk about children learning Chinese, we must distinguish between the two groups. On the one hand, we have the native speakers who grow up in a country with a language other than Chinese language but have been in contact with Chinese since birth (actually already in the mother’s belly). Secondly, we have children who learn Chinese as a foreign language after a certain age.

The two groups differ in their needs and learning challenges, which is why the methods of language acquisition differ. In this article, we will focus on the language acquisition of the first group (native speakers). After a brief look at the general difference between the language acquisition of adults and children, in the first part (section 3), we will look at the difficulties encountered by children and their parents. In the second part (section 4), we will look at typical fears of parents and want to help parents to overcome them. We will be happy to answer your questions or continue the topic in another article.

2. Common prejudice: children learn easier than adults

A common prejudice that we often encounter is that children find it easier to learn a foreign language. In fact, in science, it is assumed that we can only acquire a foreign language like a mother tongue up to the age of about six years.

However, it is anything but easy for children. Unlike adults, they cannot translate from another language. Every word has to be understood from scratch. Children experience a lot of frustration when learning a language because, very often, they are not understood and cannot articulate their needs. It is just that children have much more time to learn by trial and error, as they have fewer responsibilities than adults. They learn a lot through imitation and repetition. In addition, there is – at least in toddler age – no pressure from exams, etc.

In contrast to adults, children have fewer inhibitions and dare to imitate all kinds of strange sounds and unknown mouth movements. They also find it very funny here and there when they try out new sounds. In addition to the big hurdles, especially for very young children, they also experience a lot of fun when trying out the language. And this is a critical point: Children experience Chinese as a great language, which they like to speak if they can associate beautiful memories with it. We will go into this crucial aspect further below.

3. What are the challenges facing children whose mother tongue is Chinese in a foreign language country?

Depending on the country and kinship, there are more or less Chinese native speakers in the child’s environment. Overall, however, there are of course far fewer opportunities to speak Chinese in everyday life than in China itself. Last but not least, very few countries have bilingual schools that offer degrees in the national language as well as in Chinese. For this reason, many parents decide to support their children in learning their mother tongue Chinese.

What challenges do children face when they want to learn their mother tongue Chinese in a foreign country?

Speaking

As simple as it may sound: the children first have to learn to speak Chinese. And how does that work? They need a lot of time with someone who can talk to them and respond to their needs and questions. Now it is getting more difficult because a large part of the parents have to work so that they can afford to earn a living.

When a child goes to kindergarten, there is usually enough time left to play with the child in the afternoon. It is urgently necessary to have many dialogues with the child (although with small children usually only the adult talks ;-). They need to be accompanied to discover the world, and they automatically learn the terms that are necessary to describe everything. It’s really easy, parents only have to put their Smartphone aside more often… and that’s where the difficulty starts ;-)

Parents who send their children to kindergarten all day are different. Here there is not much time left in the afternoon to talk to the child. And then the parents are also exhausted after the long working day. We advise these parents to spend as much time as possible on weekends with their children so that they can speak Chinese with their children regularly while having a good time. After all, it is the positive experiences that ultimately make a (foreign) language strong in the long term.

Reading/Writing

Here it becomes more difficult because usually, the children learn to read and write at school. And the language learning process runs through all subjects such as mathematics, arts, sports, etc.

What can Chinese parents do in a foreign language country? Either, they can bring their child to a Chinese school nearby (These usually take place on weekends. The children learn reading and writing there with workbooks, usually once a week). Or you have to get appropriate textbooks and work on the materials together with your child. Unfortunately, there’s no way around it.

This is not least one of the reasons why there is the phenomenon of the so-called ABC (American-born Chinese). These are American citizens of Chinese descent, who usually do not know Chinese at all or only to a very limited extent. Learning to read Chinese takes longer than learning to speak, and writing takes even longer than learning to read. This is because passive vocabulary is easier to build than the active one. Parents often underestimate the amount of time they have to give their child to learn to read and write.

It may be a lot of work, but if you give the child the necessary time and accompany him or her as they learn, they will be able to learn to read and write Chinese. To practice reading, you can read stories to the child before going to bed, for example, and use your finger to follow the words. Parents can write characters together with their children. Doing this together makes it easier for the child.

4. What fears do parents have about their children learning Chinese, and how can they deal with them?

In the past ten years, we have met countless parents and children, both in our private and professional lives, with whom we have exchanged ideas about raising or growing up with Chinese. We have encountered similar fears of parents again and again. In the following, we would like to share the most common of these with you.

• “My child can do much less than the children of my friends/acquaintances in China!”

Chinese parents are often in contact with friends and relatives living in China. They automatically compare how good their children are in Chinese. However, it is often forgotten that their children also speak the national language! In principle, your children learn twice as much or more. Only reduced to the Chinese language is, of course, less. It is quite normal that the language levels of each language are different for bilingual or multilingual people. Parents should not expect their children to be as good in Chinese as they are in the local language. This also takes the pressure off themselves.

• “I am afraid that my child cannot speak the national language well!”

Often parents who are both Chinese are afraid that their child will not learn the national language well. Therefore, they decide that one of the parents will speak the national language with the child, just like in bilingual families. However, if the child attends a daycare center at the age of three at the latest, this fear is unfounded.

It is undoubtedly hard for the children when they come to the daycare center and don’t understand a word. But toddlers play together without words. So the child will quickly make friends, and it will not have any difficulties to absorb the language spoken there quickly. You will be surprised how quickly this happens!

It is strongly recommended that parents speak as much Chinese as possible. By the time they enter school at the latest, the child will speak the national language increasingly. If he or she is not used to Chinese being spoken at home by then, likely, he or she will not respond to you in Chinese.

• “My child always answers in the national language and not in Chinese!”

Unfortunately, we have to tell these parents that they were probably not consistent enough. At some point, the children will automatically speak the language predominantly they encounter in everyday life. The bigger the child is, the more difficult it is to change this fact. Parents should, therefore, try to show the child from a very early age that it can only be understood when it speaks Chinese. Parents can ignore it if he or she speaks in the local language. Or, for example, always ask in Chinese: “What did you say?” until the child answers in Chinese. If you repeat this often, the children will ask/answer in Chinese. You only have to be persistent :-)

This problem occurs more often with parents where only one parent is Chinese, and the national language is spoken at home. Parents are advised to coordinate well with each other in this case. For example, the child could only have a particular wish fulfilled if he or she asked the Chinese parent in Chinese. Children know exactly when there are limits or loopholes.

• “Chinese lessons must be like school, playing is no good!”

Unfortunately, we often experience that, especially in Chinese lessons for children, a kind of classroom scenario is pursued. Like in school, the teaching scenario is based on textbooks. No matter if private teacher, online teacher, or a weekend school. Unfortunately, many Chinese parents also believe that the Chinese can only be taught in this way. If you observe the children in one of the Chinese schools during the breaks, you can see that the children play together speaking the local language. Why is that so?

Emotions are of enormous importance for the language acquisition of children. Adults know that too. However, adults can discipline themselves differently and think more abstractly than children. For children, activities – such as playing in the break – are fun in life. They use the language they have learned. In the national language, they have a life outside school. And at every moment they use the national language. In class, no emotional attachment to the language develops. Even if there are sounds and pictures. Two examples:

The teacher holds up a picture with a cup of cocoa and plays an audio file, like the sound of sipping a cup of cocoa. Then maybe there is a song about cocoa. The whole thing is accompanied by a video where a cup of cocoa dances funny. Then the child is allowed to play a game at the tablet, where it has to catch a cup of cocoa.

Interactive? Active learning with all senses? Counterexample:

A child listens to a story that is read aloud by mommy/papa. He or she is cuddling up with mummy/daddy under a soft blanket and drinks a cup of cocoa. The smell of chocolate and milk is in the air. Mama/Papa says it is cocoa. This environment builds up new neural connections and makes the word cocoa a warm feeling in the heart.

Of course, this example cannot be applied to all kinds of learning content. But it expresses an important aspect: Using the Chinese language in activities with people you like (friends, acquaintances, family, nanny, children in a language club, etc.) not only helps the child to remember the language better but above all makes the child enjoy using the language. Because the older a child becomes in a foreign language country, he or she needs an emotional connection to the mother tongue to have a motivation to continue using it.

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What if Chinese is not your native language? What are you going to do to help your child learn a second language?

Why not learn Chinese with fun? Let’s do the Chinese chunk picture and phrase puzzle!

When I began to teach, I thought of using some fancy material to impress my students but I realize that there is a better way for my students to learn. I noticed that using simple pictures and phrases is an approach that makes complicated lessons easier. In fact, my students became less confused and less frustrated. Thus, learning Chinese could be as simple as doing puzzles!

Preschoolers tend to pick up a second language as naturally as they learn their mother tongue; but, what if Chinese is not your native language? How can you help your child learn a second language? 

No matter which language you are going to help them with, your child’s motivation and interest are key! We need to be passionate and enthusiastic to help children learn Chinese. We can vary our teaching styles by using catchy music, engaging dialogue, and fun picture books as well as related fun activities.

Why not learn Chinese with fun? Let’s do the Chinese chunk picture and phrase puzzle!

Let’s do the Chinese chunk picture Phrases puzzle!

How to Practice Chinese with the FlashCard?

Playing flashcards is a good way to memorize the Chinese phrases. This is an important and powerful tool for practice. There are many types of flashcards online, or you can use this ready-made flashcard to practice.

The purpose of using this Puzzle game is to practice a chunk of Chinese phrases.When you get familiar with the game,you can reuse the same chunks in different phrases and sentences in the future.

I created this infographic inspired flashcards “ 吃(chī)eat & 喝(hē)drink” below. Also, I added pictures with accompanying vocabulary and phrases. I hope this helps you understand simple Chinese grammar and be able to practice Chinese on your own and for your child as well.

Verb (吃 eat)  + Object (饭 rice/面 noodle/鱼肉 fish/鸡肉 chicken)

Below is the flashcard Eat template and eat flashcard.

Verb (喝 drink)  + Object (汤 soup/茶 tea/水 water/果汁 juice)

Below are the sample flashcard templates.

Let’s take the “喝 (drink)”as an example. The first template contains the verb “喝(hē)” and the second template contains four flashcards with different “types of beverages”.Print out the flashcards and you can start pairing the verb “drink(喝 hē)”with each of the “beverage” flashcards to make short sentences. Then, read aloud with your children.

You can also use these flashcards for other purposes. For example, you can play the “Drinks and Eat” flashcards as a memory game. It is a simple and fun game to help your children remember the object better. You might need to print out two sets of “Drinks or Eat “ flashcards. Put the cards on the table and have your children match them as quickly as possible.

Game

Here is a RELATED fun game, if you and your children watched and learned the lesson, you are ready to play with your preschoolers of Chinese basic food vocabulary at home. Prepare various food and beverage.Then, cover your children’s eyes and let them smell. Ask your child to say the Chinese name of the food or beverage. Once they get familiar with the game, you can add a challenge by asking them to say a whole sentence.

Verbt Key words: Eat and drink.

Object Key words: (Soup, Tea, Water, Juice ; Rice,Fish,Chicken,Noodle )

Key phrase symbol  ( ‘eat rice…….’ ‘drink soup………’’)

Please note: You can replay this game after you and your child get familiar with the game. Only use Chinese during the game at first, adding one more challenge each time. After a period of time playing this game, the child can develop their knowledge and start speaking in complete sentences before they proceed to the next activities.

As a second language learner, it is best to teach your child the basic grammar concept and vocabulary in a simple and practical approach. This will ensure that your child does not only memorize the terms but also teaching them the practical application of the concept. Basically, if your child should appreciate the use of the learned concept, the faster their Chinese language learning will be. So make it fun, interesting and memorable!

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However, I have to level with you. This article isn’t actually about Chinese picture books. If you’re living outside of China you might find it hard to get a hold of actual Chinese picture books, and they might also be expensive. What’s more many of these books are designed with Chinese children in mind. The average non-Chinese child who picks up a Chinese picture book will likely struggle with it a lot more than one who has grown up with even just basic Chinese vocabulary.

Because of these reasons, I instead recommend that you find Chinese translations of your children’s favorite English picture books! These books are common in China, so many Chinese children will also read them. Even if there might be a vocabulary issue in certain places of the book, both you and your child can have an English translation as a reference to help you.

Give this a try by searching for free online resources of Chinese children’s books. With a few Google searches, you should be able to find some online books in Powerpoint for free! Though some of these might be more advanced for a beginning learner, you will surely be able to find files that are perfect for you and your child.

Lastly, there are some Chinese children’s songs on YouTube available for free which can also be a great resource. These songs will often have pinyin, and even if your child cannot understand all the lines, they can be a fun way to practice Chinese. If you take the time to study the lyrics, it will surely help improve their vocabulary. Some great examples of these are: “Monkeys Scoop up the Moon”, “The Story of the 12 Zodiacs”, and “Sima Guang Smashed the Vat”. These are all Chinese children’s stories you can access on YouTube for free! Most Chinese parents will use resources like these to share stories with their kids. After you check these out, you should be able to find more quite easily!

司马光砸缸 Sima Guang Smashed the Vat

12生肖的故事 The Story of 12 Zodiacs    

猴子捞月 Monkeys Scoop up the Moon

As always, be creative and keep your kids engaged! Learning Chinese can be fun and easy, but it takes work from you, the parent, to ensure this. Find what works best for your kids and proceed from there!

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1. A good learning environment matters

First off, ensure that the core learning environment is a good, positive, and resourceful one. It’s important that your children feel comfortable so that they enjoy the learning process. Nothing can kill learning faster than hating what you are learning, and that is true for anyone, adult or child. It is important, however, that they are challenged and enthusiastic about the process. If it is too easy or too difficult, they may lose interest and not retain interest.

One-on-one classes can be a good way to ensure that your child will feel comfortable while being challenged. Either online or in person, this can be a valuable supplement to their main class; or the one-on-one class can also be their core class in entirety.

2. Add learning materials

Adding other materials in order to make learning for children more enjoyable and fun is key. These other resources enables them to use and practice their language skills naturally, which enhances retention. Learning a language is something that needs to be exercised, and if there is no method to apply it outside of class, they’re less likely to retain what has been studied.

To do this, you can try several things until you find which fits your children’s liking and learning style. One way is to listen to Chinese children’s songs. The words are easy to pick up, fun, and often catchy. You might find yourself singing along! Another way is to read Chinese children’s storybooks; and a third way is to watch educational Chinese children’s videos.

3. Use Chinese picture books

Just like English picture books, Chinese picture books have simple vocabulary along with fun and interesting pictures that can be entertaining for your child. If you take the time to read them along with your children, it could even replace some English children’s books as your child’s favorite!

Some kids will prefer a more active approach. Drawing pictures of what they have learned in class is a good method to help them remember their vocabulary. They can practice the characters they learn by writing the characters in combination with drawing matching pictures. Also, to simply draw something they like and look up the name in Chinese is an effective way of learning new words while provoking associations and enjoying creative learning.

All these methods work in combination. Your child can learn a word in a book and then draw a picture depicting the word from their imagination or experience. For instance, if you see a tiger in a book, you can look up the word and how to say it. Then, together with your child, draw the tiger! You could even go as far to find songs about tigers online!

There are many ways to go about this multilayered style of learning, but the core idea is to find methods that make your children’s learning entertaining, adventurous, and rewarding. In the same way that they have learned their native language, make Chinese just as fun and as interesting for them, and soon they’ll be speaking more Chinese than you!

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1. International schools in China. If you live in cities, it’s not hard to find an international school. Be aware that different schools follow different systems so you need to be careful about the curriculum the school offers. It’s not hard to tell which system it is from the name of the school. For example, The British International School.

The advantage is this school system is 100% the same as ones in the native county. If you are a British, it’s just like you send your kids to a local school in England and your kids won’t have any problem adapting to the new school. But there is a disadvantage with this type of school. Since these schools usually don’t accept local Chinese students and teachers all use English or other languages except Chinese, your kids will lose a good chance to get know China and Chinese. Although most international schools in China offer Chinese classes, it’s not comprehensive enough. Besides this type of school tend to be very expensive. Here are a couple of website of international schools that is well known in China.

• Shanghai American School
• Nord Anglia Education
• Concordia Shanghai

2. International division of local Chinese schools. Some local Chinese schools have international division. It’s a part of the local school but has its own curriculum. It will offer different curriculum such as IB, AP along with more Chinese classes than an international school. Students won’t have any problem on applying for higher level schooling. Since more local teachers and students are involved, kids will get a better opportunity to get know Chinese language and culture. But the international diploma is new in China and you need to look closely if the school is experienced on international education.

• Shanghai  High School International Division

3. Local schools. If you would like to have your kids to be in an “authentic” Chinese environment, local school is a good option. Usually the school will offer special language class for foreign students, but all other classes will be the same. Your kids will learn math, science, and art classes with local students. Your kids will definitely master Chinese language with so much immersion. The weakness is the curriculum may lead your kids to need more time adapting another school system when you relocate. Additionally, everyone knows Chinese school push a lot pressure on students’ performance. You need to make sure your kids won’t feel anxious in the school.

• Fudan International School
• Xiangming School

If you are not living in China now, but you still want your kids to learn Chinese, there are options available as well. Now more and more schools offer Chinese class oversea.

1. Local schools offering Chinese classes. More and more schools oversea offer Chinese as a foreign language class. You just need to search the school in your area. It’s good for those who are interested in Chinese.

1. If you need a more serious Chinese class, immersion school is another choice. These schools provide immersion courses from pre-school to high school level. Most of classes are taught in Chinese. The teachers in those schools are usually strictly trained.

1. Sunday school. There is always Sunday school for Chinese language for Chinese children. Chinese heritage owners manage most of them and hold them every Sunday or once a week. Although it’s originally designed for Chinese heritage kids, it’s always welcomes any child who are interested in Chinese.

Now you know a bit about the education options in China or aboard, you can make a decision on which school is the best for your kids. There is a lot of information out there and a lot to chose from. But if you are not sure and have some questions, feel free to contact me. I would be more than happy to answer your question! Good luck on your Chinese studies!

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Structure and How It Works

In review, instead of focusing on Chinese language and vocabulary, it is directed towards the folklore and customs surrounding the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year. This colorful game has mesmerizing graphics, which show that a lot of effort went into making this game eye catching.

The game follows the story of Nian, a monster that comes out in the darkness of the winter months to wreak havoc and bring bad luck to people. In order to drive away the monster when the New Year comes, you need to scare it away. The only things that Nian is scared of are the color red, loud noises and bright colors. For this reason, fireworks, drums and other items are used to scare off Nian. Your job is to scare off the Nian Monsters with the New Year power ups, without letting them get to you.

Besides the Story mode, there also is the Create mode, where you can record your voice singing a song, or use the game characters as puppets to your very own New Year’s story.

This game has great playability, while being accessible to both children and adults. For the adults who played this game but were unchallenged, I recommend playing the Never ending Mode, which is like the Story mode, except there isn’t a monster quota to defeat, hence “Never ending” mode.

Unfortunately, it does not teach actual vocabulary in Mandarin Chinese, neither characters nor pinyin. However, as stated before, it does explain the customs of the Chinese New Year, in a way that children who are not familiar to the religious and historical background of China, can start being introduced Chinese culture, as they learn the language.

Review

Thumbs Up:

● Colorful and adorable graphics
● Easy to understand and play→ can be played by even the youngest children
● Teaches the folklore behind the Spring Festival Customs
● Free game- no ads/ doesn’t require email
● Works on all iOS devices
● Child lock keeps kids off parent’s area.

Thumbs Down:

● Very few levels to play in Story Mode
● No actual Mandarin vocabulary or pronunciation
● Not available for Android App store
● No interesting for more advanced learners or experienced gamers

Verdict

The bottom line is that Magikid Nian is an excellent game to download for children during the Spring Festival! They will be entertained as they learn, with this beautiful game! Here is a summary of the good and bad about this game. Please take a look and give this game a try so your children learn about Chinese culture.

If you have any other questions about the APP or if you have tried using this APP and want to share your views on it, please comment below!

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