The best story is the one that your child wants you to tell again and again.
One of my best stories is about a close encounter with a wildlife llama. That few seconds were almost like a Jurrasic Park experience. Not with dinosaurs. But with a curious llama. All the people in the car didn’t think this cute creature would keep following us and getting closer and closer to the car.
I am sure you also have really fascinating stories that you will have fun sharing with your kid. It doesn’t need to be a long one. Maybe it is a heartwarming one. Or it is a funny and exciting one like my llama encounter. When you share it with your child you will see their reaction.
The most important thing is that you are in the story and you are sharing your experience. Tell the story in your native language. Add the target language words and expressions to it whenever you can.
The best story for your kid is your story. The one you read. That one you listen to together. And it can also be the storybook you enjoyed when you were little. We have a few in our home library. Richard Scarry’s Best Storybook Ever is one of them.
Introducing Mandarin Chinese or any new language to your child is a new journey you bond with your child. Even if she is learning from an audio program, a tutor or a school program your participation makes the learning more meaningful to them.
Why? Because you are now in the story with your child together, the story of you two learning Mandarin together.
So what happened with the curious llama? After following close to the car for a while, this curious llama suddenly decided to stick his head into the car from the front passenger window. The driver, my friend J panicked. She pushed button to roll up the window and caught the llama’s tongue…
Curious llama was not hurt at the end. But the few minutes I experienced in the car at that time has become the best story for my kids and my students!
