Teach Your Child A Foreign Language Zero to 5 is a critical age, a window of opportunity for second language learning according to multiple continued studies, and shared by Dr. Kuhl, the UW professor of speech and hearing sciences and the UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences/ I-LABS. A young girl walked over and told me, “I can count in Mandarin!” She counted all the way to 15, and her mother smiled as she gently
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Candy in Chinese Everyday Chinese for Family The candy season is here! It is the color, the sweetness, and fun that make kids want one more piece after another one. Here we are going to talk about common candy that kids and parents often enjoy. And, we also have expressions that you can use to let your child know your limit and she needs to brush her teeth. In the States, Halloween is the time for all
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Finding an Excellent Chinese Tutor for Your Child For parents who don’t speak Mandarin and for parents who have limited Chinese proficiency having a Chinese tutor or a Chinese teacher on a regular basis becomes a way to keep the Chinese program going at home. With so many choices available to parents online and offline, where can you find an excellent Chinese tutor/teacher for your child and your family? There are three important factors to keep in
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Celebrating the Bilingual Child Month October is celebrating the Bilingual Child Month! Let’s take this opportunity to celebrate with your child and their peers. Let your child be proud of the effort she is making to learn her heritage language or a new language. It is a chance for her to see other children who are also on the same journey. And, as a parent, you can be the facilitator for the Bilingual Child Month celebration! Here
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Time to Say Good Night in Chinese – Everyday Routine When there is a habit in place. Everything seems to fall in place naturally. First, Jo Jo brushes teeth. Then he goes to get 2 books. Last, he goes to bed and ready for his storytime. That is a habit you can create at home for the target language. It takes time to form a new habit so take one step at a time on this journey
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Family Members in Chinese – Everyday Chinese for Family Family is the core of Chinese culture. It is common to see grandparents live with their children in the same household. Taking care of one’s aging parents is what adult children do in Chinese society. That is what Chinese people refer to as filial piety 孝. In a family social gathering, relatives can tell if a child is from the father’s family or the mother’s family by how
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Teach Kids Chinese: Play With A Purpose “Can I play with this?” An elementary school girl looks at the sand tray on the table and asks me this question. She continues and says, “Am I too old to play with it?” Her hand is going through the Chinese character cards on the table. She is speaking with a mix of English and Chinese to me. “Absolutely! Which character do you want to start first?” I ask her.
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Chinese tones practice net or prince! These are two fun expressions with three high-frequency Chinese characters. When you are learning Mandarin Chinese tones often become a focus. “Am I saying the right tone?” “Do I say it right?” It is important to relax and acknowledge that tones might be something new but you can learn with practice. The best way to practice is to listen to the accurate and clear pronunciation of a native speaker or her
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A Family’s Guide to Chinese Programs Many recent studies have shown the benefits of being bilingual. Parents see the advantage of being bilingual and want to introduce Chinese to their children at a young age. In addition, there might be a plan in the parent’s mind to send kids to a Chinese program when they are a little older. What are the options available for you and your child? Let’s look at the Chinese program in the
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The Progress Lies In What You Consistently Do “I think we read first, then let’s watch an episode of Meteor Garden,” my daughter says, as I am about to take out the Chinese checker game. We have been playing with it for a few days now and she enjoys it. “Let me get the book,” as she leaves and I put away the game. My teen daughter takes Spanish at school. Our Chinese reading time has been
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