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
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Time to Eat Everyday Chinese Expression The best way to acquire a language is to use the target language in everyday life. You can start with something as simple as the daily routine with your child. For little ones who have not started talking yet, they are listening to you. They hear you and they are learning about the sound around them. For the big kids, they are absorbing the new things around them and they have
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Talk with Your Child in Mandarin Even When You are New to the Chinese Language JJ is eager to help out his classmates when they work on their assignments in his Chinese class. Actually, many of his classmates would go to him for help. No one in JJ’s family speaks Mandarin. He is learning Mandarin as a world language at school. He is in the FLES program, Foreign Language in the Elementary School. It is a course
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Consistency and Learning Mandarin The young piano student stood up and bowed to the audience. The young girl was not alone. Her Dad held her hand and bowed with her together. Before the duo started playing the father made a quick announcement. He told everyone that he was rusty with playing the piano since he had not been playing for years. But, when his daughter invited him to play with her for her first-ever recital. He decided
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The Two Sides Of Teaching She is always a chapter ahead of the kids. “It is really fine and parents can make it work,” Kim told me as I explored how families homeschooled their children when they live outside of the U.S. “You are a teacher and you are a student. You learn first and you help your child learn…” another homeschool parent talked about her experience. Yes. You are a teacher and you are a student.
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Perfect Timing – Teach Your Child A Second Language What is perfect timing? Look at the big picture it can be when to start teaching your child a second language. When looking at the day-to-day learning it could be when your child is at the peak of the day to try something new. Babies are great with languages. They listen to the sounds around them even before they were born. Dr. Patricia Khul, co-director of the Institute
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Happy Holidays Merry Christmas HappyHanukkah The holiday season is an exciting time for children. First, there is winter break, that means no school for the kids! Next, it comes with family gatherings and travel. What else? It is a special time for baking, cooking, events, volunteering and time with the extended family… What should we say to friends during the holiday season? With our diverse community, families are more mindful of different cultures and traditions in the
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Input and Output – Teach Your Child A Second Language Kids get excited to save money in their piggy banks. They shake it, wiggle it, and peek inside. Is it heavier today than yesterday? Language input is like saving in the piggy bank. What you say to your child is language input. What you read to your child is language input. The books you have at home is providing visual input. The posters with text, games with
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Work Together – Raise a Bilingual Child Together is better. When parents work together toward the same goal you have a team. It is very much like team work on a project, in the office, or at work. You will need to work together. When you lead at work you have your team on your side to work with you. It is great to have support from your team when you introduce a new language to your
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Your Time Is Precious Your time is precious. As much as you want your child to be engaged in the learning. You, as a parent, need to be in the moment as well. There are many resources but you actually only need one to start with. You can aim for 30, 45, or 60 minutes a day but I often say it is a good idea to start with just five minutes. Quality over quantity. How about
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