Teach Children Chinese: Tips To Set Up A Bilingual Home
Home is where learning starts for every child. I want to share with you 6 tips to set up your target language learning area at home and to make the Mandarin Chinese visible in your family.
There are six areas you can focus on when you first start out.
Think about the time when you were decorating your baby’s room. You wanted to create a happy and playful place for your child. That is exactly what your bilingual home will be like-a happy, playful and inviting place for learning the target language, Chinese.
Children are observant, and they get excited by the new things added to their environment. Learning is multi-sensory, so you will incorporate all five senses to enhance the language experience. Many of the tools I talk about below are already in your home and will help you to teach your kids Chinese.
Sight
Sight is a pivotal sense and important if you want to teach children Chinese. When kids walk into a room they see color, they see pictures, they see all of the things around them. What you have at home can inspire their curiosity.
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Add Chinese labels to household items.
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Set up Chinese word wall posters to a designated wall, window, or door.
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Chinese Books: You can start with a Chinese book basket. Add Chinese children’s books, Chinese-English bilingual books, or Chinese books with pinyin to this special place. Visit your neighborhood library and check out their Chinese children’s books collection.
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A globe and a map: Learning a language connects your child with world culture, history, and geography. Have a globe or a map handy so you and your children can travel from where you are to the many Chinese-speaking cities and countries with the globe and the map.
Sound
Sound is an empowering sense. Listening is one of the most important elements in language learning. Your voice is soothing for your baby. Listening to a favorite lullaby, a nursery rhyme, or a story in Chinese is calming and relaxing for your child. Here are some tips.
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Everyday Chinese Expressions that you can use with your child.
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Chinese music and nursery rhymes are great ways to step into learning Mandarin Chinese for young children.
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Chinese language input: Do you remember that you might have read the Good Night Moon storybook more than 286 times before your kids spoke their first words? That is exactly the same process that children will need to go through when learning a new language.
Use the Chinese expressions you have learned together and use them every day. You can start with simple greetings and meal expressions.
More importantly, you need a playful spirit. Be patient. Smile and have fun. When your child is ready she will start using the expressions, too.
What will do first to set up your bilingual home? Is there a wall you can use so Chinese text is visible for your child?
Teach Children Chinese: Tips To Set Up A Bilingual Home