March 26, 2024
Find Joy in Learning Chinese: 5 Activities You Can Do With Your Child
Bilingualism has long been an advantage for Singaporeans, as it allows us to communicate with people from different corners of the globe. Unfortunately, learning bilingualism isn’t a smooth process for all of us. For some, it’s even a slog!
Fortunately, there are ways to make the acquisition of this skill as easy as it is enjoyable. Helping children love Chinese – the language where most of them struggle – can do a lot.
But how can you help your child love this language from an early age? That’s where we can help. Based on our experiences at our preschool in Singapore, we’ll share some of the best activities you can try with your child to help him/her enjoy the language from the start.
Indulge in storytelling in Chinese
Storytelling is a good way to learn any language. Plus, there are so many ways to do it.
You can start by reading aloud some Chinese books for preschoolers. From there, you can go into acting out the books together. You can even do simple storytelling of your day or history in Chinese!
This can be a marvellous way to turn language learning into a fun, experiential matter. It’s also a good way to introduce different phrases and new words to a child.
If you do decide to go with the classic book-reading route, by the way, make sure that you choose age-appropriate options for your child. This can also help you get started on teaching Chinese reading for children.
Explore the culture and heritage
Appreciating the culture attached to a language can be a good way to foster interest in that language. In particular, children often love learning about Chinese events and festivities associated with celebration.
Chinese New Year is a good example – and it even comes with a reward in the form of red packets! Try sharing with your child the traditions behind this festivity, as well as the reason it’s celebrated and how.
Other things you can try would be introducing your child to Chinese festivals, then teaching him/her festival-related vocabulary like the expressions for well-wishes and blessings. You can even try teaching him/her Chinese festival songs!
We do similar things at My Little Campus to build the children’s interest in Chinese culture and language. It encourages them to get involved and learn more about their heritage and culture at the same time.
Try Chinese arts and crafts
Children often enjoy working with their hands, so why not make Chinese learning fun by incorporating this into your activities? Believe it or not, you can still teach a child Chinese this way!
The idea is to teach arts and crafts that tie into Chinese language and culture. Try lantern-making with coloured paper, bamboo sticks, and glue, for example.
From there, you can tell your child about where these lanterns are used and what they symbolise. This already gives you so many opportunities to introduce new Chinese terms to him/her – the words for “lantern”, for example, or “good fortune” (which is what the lanterns are often meant to symbolise).
Most lanterns even have Chinese script written on them – which brings us to the next activity you can try with your child, actually.
Teach your child Chinese calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy is an art worth learning early on, and one that can further deepen understanding and knowledge of the Chinese language. Fortunately, you don’t need much to get your child started with it.
All you need is some suitable paper, some Chinese calligraphy brushes, and some water-based (child-safe) paint. You can even try getting paint in colours your child likes!
From there, you can show your child how to do simple words first and have him/her copy what you write. This is a great way to get him/her started on understanding written Chinese as well as building his/her vocabulary.
Discover Chinese music in song and dance
Children love song and dance, so why not incorporate some Chinese songs into your current playlist for your child? You can even have songs you sing together as part of your daily routine while doing chores like cleaning up.
Just make sure you choose Chinese songs and rhymes suitable for children. Remember that the topics of the songs themselves can teach your child new things, by the way. This video has a great song for teaching your child about tigers in Chinese, for instance.
We do this at MLC too by having dedicated parts of the day when we conduct activities and teach completely in Chinese. At those times, we often do storytelling or song and dance in Chinese.
Start building your child’s bilingualism as early as possible
The activities we shared above can build your child’s bilingualism early on by helping him/her to appreciate and even love the Chinese language.
We use the same techniques at My Little Campus to build children’s interest in it, and it contributes to the strength of the foundation we end up laying for Chinese and bilingual learning.
Want to learn more about how we prepare young minds for the challenges of primary school and beyond? Discover our curriculum by speaking with us today!
