Teach Kids Chinese – Everyday Chinese Play Time
“Can we play this game again next time?” the elementary school-age girl told me at a Chinese Story Time. She widened her eyes with a big smile when she saw another storybook I had in my basket.
She got more excited and told me what she wanted me to read that book next time. There were more big kids (9-12 years old) in the session. They were chatting about the game they just played on the side. Some parents of the kids were there with us as well. If I had enough sets of the game I knew some of the parents would have jumped right in and joined us.
Playing is the best way to learn. For kids and for adults, it is universal. We want the kids to come back for more. More fun, more playing, and more learning.
As parents, we want to lead our children on the learning journey so they want to join us for more Chinese every day. As kids grow they can lead us as well. Let them be the leader and teach us something new they have learned about the Chinese language or Chinese culture.
I call it “Everyday Chinese Play Time” for kids. If you follow a curriculum, create simple games with the current topic you are on. Find English Chinese bilingual storybooks with audio, bilingual podcasts and audio programs for daily playing. If you are in the States, use the world language learning resources provided by the public library system. Also, use your children’s board games to engage them.
Last but not least, ask for help when you are not fluent in Chinese. You are not alone and you can join a community to receive support.
Learning a language is like learning how to play a musical instrument. The consistent daily effort is the key. Progress lies in the doing. It is an action. It is to do, to make it happen, to speak, listen, read, or write Chinese.
There is a Chinese saying goes like this, “Go fishing for three days and dry the nets for two.” That implies lacking consistency and perseverance.
Sān tiān dǎ yú liǎng tiān shài wǎng
三天打魚 兩天曬網 | 三天打鱼 两天晒网
When you build consistency in the daily Chinese playing, you have momentum. You don’t need to start on the same page of a book to re-start the engine. You will move forward. As you move forward there is progress that you can’t see right away. Patience. We all need to be patient when we do the emotional labor of helping our children learn Chinese.
“Patience is not simply the ability to wait. It’s how we behave while waiting.” – Joyce Meyers
Keep kids coming back for more! What are the three things you can do to start the Everyday Chinese Play Time?
Image by Jukan Tateisi
Teach Kids Chinese The Daily Playing