Play peekaboo with a young child is a lot of fun. The giggles, laughter, and excitement are the sound of joy.
I had a baby blanket between my baby girl and me. “Mèimei zài nǎlǐ？” I asked. The baby blanket was between us.
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Mèimei zài nǎlǐ？(pinyin)
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Where is the little sister? (English translation)
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妹妹在哪裡? (traditional Chinese)
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妹妹在哪里? (simplified Chinese)
There was silence. “Mèimei zài nǎlǐ？” I asked again. In a few seconds, I dropped the blanket. Almost simultaneously, a burst of giggles came along from my toddler. The giggles were contagious.
I held up the baby blanket again and asked: “Māma zài nǎlǐ？” which means “Where is mom?”
We could play this game over and over. So much fun!
Now I have big kids and we keep playing.
Play peekaboo? Not really. We play Hide and Seek in the house and board games. I receive invitations often to play games with the kids. Their new favorite is to play badminton.
What do you play with your child? What does your young kid like to play again and again? Write it down. Use the list of games for the target language. Rotate. Add your Pixie Dust to the game. If you and your child move forward a little every day that will lead you to a big step.
Kids play. When they play they learn.
It seems like we can be playful with young kids so easily. As kids grow older, the playfulness seems to fade away. If you have older kids who are learning Mandarin Chinese play is just as important. Being playful will keep them going forward. Having fun will also keep you energized to support them.
Is it easy? Everything takes effort.
The journey matters.
Photo image by Michelle Bender