Chinese cartoons for kids is featuring 15 Chinese Cartoons for children! Stories are wonderful for target language teaching and learning. A good and simple story contains repeated words, expressions, and a fun storyline to keep the attention of children. By using cartoons in small parts to deliver a lesson can be a very effective way to reinforce Chinese language learning and see some cultural elements at times.
In addition to Chinese Cartoons for kids, I will be adding more resources to the Playful Chinese Toolbox series. You can sign up for the email updates to receive the latest material. For reading resources, you can start with 10 Great Chinese books to read with your child.
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So many readers shared my recent post “Teaching Your Kids Chinese: The Ultimate Guide to Start With“. Many asked for a list of resources for Chinese cartoons. There are native Chinese-speaking parents and world language educators who want to use Chinese cartoons to supplement their teaching and engage kids in enjoyable conversation. There are also parents who are hoping to expose their children to the Chinese language through entertaining programs. I have curated Chinese cartoons that my children and my students have enjoyed here. This list includes cartoons originating from China and Taiwan, along with international cartoons that are dubbed in Mandarin Chinese. You can preview each of the Chinese cartoons on YouTube.
Big Ear TuTu is a Chinese cartoon series, which is produced in China and designed for preschoolers. TuTu, the leading character of the program, is a curious and energetic young boy with a great imagination. He loves to ask questions just like all the curious young kids, and his parents constantly give him opportunities to learn and keep his curiosity growing.
Peppa Pig is a British animation series for preschool children. This program has been dubbed in Mandarin Chinese and is popular in China, Taiwan, and Chinese-speaking communities. Peppa and her family, as well as her friends, are the main characters of the show. You will find everyday activity themes in each episode and the length of the show is short and sweet at the five-minute mark. Peppa Pig books in Chinese are available on Amazon and they are a good choice for your home library.
Pororo the Little Penguin features the adventures of Pororo and his friends, and how they learn practical lessons to solve the challenges they face. This is a Korean cartoon dubbed in Mandarin Chinese. You may also want to check out the Chinese edition of Finding Nemo.
Bob the Builder is a British children’s program dubbed in Mandarin Chinese. Bob and his team construct, repair, and create new projects in each episode. Its hands-on approach inspires young children. Now, you can hear “Can we fix it?” – Bob’s catchphrase in Mandarin Chinese. You can find Bob the Builder DVD Chinese edition here.
Teletubbies is a British children’s television program dubbed in Mandarin Chinese. This show is designed to appeal to kids in preschool. You can enjoy the show with the Teletubbies bilingual English and simplified Chinese activity book.
Thomas & Friends is also a British children’s television show, which is popular among Chinese-speaking children. You can find Thomas & Friends Chinese edition DVDs on Amazon.
Penelope, an energetic and inquisitive koala takes you on the adventure of her daily life. This show is designed for children from preschool to kindergarten. The story and illustration are by Georg Hallensleben and Anne Gutman, who live in Paris and are stars of children’s literature.
Masha and the Bear is a Russian animated television series. This animation is enjoyed by young children in Asia. This program features the adventures of Masha, her Dad, and a bear. This is a cute show for kids from kindergarten and up. You can find a Masha and the Bear playset to go with this program.
Super Wings is an animation series co-produced by South Korea, China, and the United States! Its Mandarin Chinese version is loved by Chinese children. The multilingual and multicultural team behind this show has created this program to take kids around the world with the show’s main character Jett, a plane that delivers packages to children around the world. Another character worth mentioning is Grand Albert, a retired male orange bi-plane, who gives Jett moral advice. This program is designed for children from preschool up. You can find Super Wings stickers collection to go with this fun show.
Big Head Son & Small Head Dad is a Chinese animation series follow the journey of the Big Head Son, the young boy who is the physical feature of the leading character in the show. Why the name “Big Head”? It is a physical feature and it also implies “bright” and “smart.” Big Head Son & Small Head Dad books in Chinese are a resource to go with these Chinese cartoons for Kids series.
Qiao Hu is an everyday routine and life skill program for young children. Giao Hu (cute tiger) is called Shimajirō in Japanese. This series is originated in Japan and is designed for preschoolers. Its storytelling approach is loved by children and parents. Kids go on a learning journey with Giao Hu and get to know how to make friends, use polite words, do crafts and much more. It is entertaining and educational. Its monthly magazine subscription is now available in the U.S.
The Cat in the Hat is based on Dr. Seuss’s children’s book of the same name and is an American animated television series dubbed in Mandarin Chinese. The literacy resource is at Dr. Seuss’s book collection in Chinese.
Dinosaur Train is an international – American, Canadian, and Singaporean creation dubbed in Chinese for children. This animation features Buddy, a curious Tyrannosaurus rex and his family. They explore from a prehistoric world with all kinds of dinosaurs and beyond with the Dinosaur Train. This is an excellent CGI animation series that can inspire young dinosaur lovers. Your young explorer will also enjoy the Dinosaur Train coloring book resource!
Charlie and Lola are based on a series of picture books by the English writer and illustrator Lauren Child. This is an animation for children dubbed in Mandarin Chinese. The main characters in this program are Lola, an energetic and imaginative sister and Charlie, a patient and kind older brother who is always ready to help his young sister, Lola. This is a program for kindergarten children and above. The Charlie and Lola book Chinese edition is a good resource for reading.
Doraemonドラえもん is a Japanese cartoon series dubbed in Mandarin Chinese. This program features the stories about a robotic cat named Doraemon who helps a tween boy in day to day home and school life. This program is suitable for tween and teens. Doraemon books in bilingual English-Chinese edition are available for leisure reading.
Llama Llama is a new release on Netflix on January 26 (2018). You can watch it in Mandarin Chinese, German, Spanish and French! Both traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese subtitles are available. All 15 episodes of Llama Llama is now available for streaming on Netflix. It is wonderful to see Mandarin Chinese is available for this title. If your child enjoys the Llama Llama books this series will be a hit. More fun Chinese Language input!
Image courtesy of Netflix
The Magic School Bus is a fantastic science adventure program for kids. It is released in 1994 and it is timeless. The Magic School Bus Rides again is a NEW release on Netflix (2017). The audio options include Mandarin Chinese! Both traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese subtitles are available. All 13 episodes of The Magic School Bus Rides Again and they are for streaming on Netflix. There are also Chinese edition of The Magic School Bus books. I highly recommend them for children of all ages.
And there are more Chinese programs for Kids…
Bonus!
Miss Panda Chinese has resources for babies to elementary school learners. The video programs include Chinese nursery rhymes, vocabulary building, daily expressions, basic sentences, and carefully selected Chinese stories read. The Teaching Printable library has a collection of interactive and engaging worksheets and printable sets for early literacy skills, book activities, songs, culture activities, craft projects, and much more. Both traditional Chinese characters and simplified Chinese characters are available with Pinyin, English support in printable materials to assist non-heritage families and learners.
Khan Academy Mandarin has Grade 1 to Grade 3 math course in Mandarin Chinese. Simple sentences are used in Math problems. The instructor speaks Chinese in the video and there is the subtitle in simplified Chinese. Language learning needs comprehensible input. Playing with numbers and word problems in Chinese with this visual tool can be a lot of fun.
Little Fox Chinese is a leveled Chinese language learning platform with a progress tracking system. There are five levels in this program. It starts with pinyin, basic words, daily expressions in level one to understanding longer sentence structure, expanding vocabulary through stories, and speaking. There are over 700 stories and 100 songs in this program at this time. What I like about the stories is that you can print out the books and add them to your home library. This program is free and you can track the progress of up to three children in each account. The subtitle of the videos are in simplified Chinese. This is a Chinese language learning program in curriculum format.
Fruity Ice Cream is a Taiwan Public Television created and produced a Chinese program for young children. This children’s series is hosted by Fruit Grandmother, and two banana puppets as well as their friends. This is a well-beloved show by children in Taiwan and Asia and it delivers theme life lessons and problem-solving skills in each episode.
MoMo Family Channel is a Chinese language kids-friendly and family-friendly option for families. All shows are produced for Chinese native-speaking audience.
PlayHouseDisneyTW and DisneyChannelTWN are both preview channels of Disney shows in Mandarin.
For a beginner-level immersion program – Little Pim [Chinese edition] is an option for young learners.
Storyline Online has a beautiful collection of stories in English. For Chinese cultural stories, they have the following you should definitely check it out.
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The Empty Pot video | The Empty Pot book
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Lotus and Feature video read by Michelle Yeoh | Lotus and Feature book
Scholastic Storybook Treasures has a collection of story videos in Mandarin. They are on the classic side of animation. Listen instead of watching is always an option. Their stories in Mandarin include the following titles.
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Happy Birthday Moon
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The Amazing Bone
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Noisy Nora
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Danny and the Dinosaur
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Strega Nora
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The Emperor’s New Clothes
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Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
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Harold and the Purple Crayon
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Rosie’s Walk
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The Snowy Day
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Charlie Needs a Cloak
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Is Your Mama a Llama
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Chrysanthemum
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Morris’s Disappearing Bag
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Harry the Dirty Dog
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Doctor De Soto
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Owl Moon
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Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears
Middle School and Above Learners:
For Kids in Middle School, High School, as well as adult learners, here is a collection for you to explore.
Congratulations! You now have the Chinese cartoons for kids resources that you can pick and choose from for your children at home or at school.
Mini homework:
Chinese-speaking parents and parents have some knowledge of the Chinese language – This is a baby step that you can do right away and it will help you plan for the target language routine.
- Pick ONE program from the Chinese cartoons for Kids list today.
- Preview it for the first 3 to 5 minutes.
- Jot the keywords, phrases, or short sentences from the cartoon.
- Watch the first 1 to 3 minutes of the show that you pick 3 times (3 to 9 minutes) with your child tomorrow.
- Ask questions about the cartoon section: ask about the person, location, and action.
- Recall the part that you watch and/or retell the story in simple sentences.
For non-Chinese-speaking parents and parents with limited Chinese –
- Start with Little Fox Chinese: choose from songs and level 1 stories.
- Sing with your child together.
- Pre watch the story first. Use the vocabulary and sentence list included in each video for prep and review.
- Watch the story with your child together.
- Use the newly learned words and sentences whenever there is a chance.
Remember:
- Short and sweet work magic.
- Screen time is over but the Chinese language input keeps going!
Note: If you are a non-native speaking parent and you find the content of the show is hard to understand or follow for your child then this resource can be saved for later. Leave a comment and let me know. I will have a separate recommendation for you. Let’s always keep learning fun!
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Chinese Cartoons for Kids