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Easily Mastering Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing
For overseas parents teaching their children Chinese, it can be a real headache. Many parents who want their children to learn Chinese are full of expectations that their children will be proficient in Chinese, but the reality is always full of difficulties.
Mother's Troubles - A True Story
My daughter Nunu is three years old this year. I grew up in China and I hope that she can learn Chinese well. However, in actual practice, I discovered that when separated from the Chinese language environment, the difficulty of learning Chinese rises sharply. My child's father is British, so we use English for daily communication at home. Even though I insist on speaking Chinese with my child every day, she is used to responding in English. I see that she can almost understand English picture books, but there is no progress in Chinese. If this continues, I'm afraid she will miss the Golden Age of language development. Many friends comforted me that the child is still young, and that we could just send her to a Chinese school later. But I know in my heart that the earlier you start learning a language, the better. Although professional Chinese teachers have an impact on the depth of a child's learning, the parents' enlightenment work is the key to determining whether a child's learning goes smoothly.
Indeed, if Chinese enlightenment is not done well, children are prone to situations where they only know the sound but not the meaning. When they go to school, their English proficiency will far exceed their Chinese proficiency. Therefore, Chinese enlightenment should start sooner rather than later and should combine speaking and practicing. Dialogue, literacy and writing cannot be left out, so Chinese can truly be learned well. This sounds like a huge project, but don't worry. Teacher Cindy has compiled some practical tips to help parents.
I. Listening is the First Step in Language Learning
Babies generally start imitating adults' speech at around 10 months old. In fact, Chinese enlightenment can begin as soon as a child is born. So how can Chinese be naturally integrated into daily life? It is recommended that parents take these three steps:
1. Ear Training with Nursery Rhymes and Chinese Stories: Humans are naturally sensitive to language rhythm. Simple melodies in nursery rhymes and interesting Chinese stories are more likely to leave a deep impression on children. Moreover, learning Chinese is not just the child's business; parents must also participate. For example, when a child listens to the story of "Little Mouse Calling", parents can role - play together, listening and acting out the story to make it more vivid. This way, the child will not only be able to fully immerse themselves in it, but the rich physical movements will also help them understand the meaning of the Chinese.
2. Spark Interest with Chinese Cartoons: Cartoons suitable for infants and young children are also a good aid for learning Chinese, such as "Peppa Pig", "BabyBus" and "Octonauts". The scenes in these cartoons are close to the baby's life. The vocabulary is simple and children can learn them easily. However, watching cartoons should be done in moderation. Parents can chat with their babies in the evening about the plots in the day's cartoons, to exercise the child's memory and review new vocabulary.
3. Open the Mouth with Interactive Games: If children occasionally pop out unexpected words or even speak with a mixture of Chinese and English, such as "Mom, kitty, meow~meow~meow~", "Dad, don't wash your hands, No!", "Grandma, Thank you, Xiexie", this shows that the child has reached the language explosion period. At this time, parents should seize the opportunity to talk more with the child. Pay attention to accurate pronunciation, clear articulation and slow down the speed so that the child can understand. Don't worry if the child learns slowly at the beginning; persevere. You can also use parent - child games to encourage children to speak actively, such as picture reading, charades, storytelling, etc., which can both enhance interest and exercise speaking skills.
II. Reading and Literacy, from Easy to Difficult
Children enter a sensitive period for literacy between the ages of two and six. When children actively show curiosity about words, you can start teaching them to read. Chinese characters are complex and rigorous, and it is not easy for children to distinguish between characters like "大 (dà)" and "太 (tài)", "士 (shì)" and "土 (tǔ)", "日 (rì)" and "曰 (yuē)". At this time, some tools are needed:
1. Flashcards: Almost every family has flashcards. There are many kinds of flashcards on the market. Parents are advised to choose the most basic ones and not try to get children to learn too much at once. Those non - pictorial flashcards with only dozens of pages are very good. First, dozens of basic Chinese characters are enough for children who are just starting to learn. Second, they are small and portable and can be taken out for learning at any time. And third, the characters are large, so that children can concentrate better. When parents teach literacy, they can also use their imagination. For example, when teaching the character "大 (dà)", you can tell the child that it looks like him sprawled on the bed with his limbs extended, which will help the child remember it more easily.
2. Chinese Picture Books: Chinese picture books are very popular on major book websites. They are story - driven and richly colored, which is very appealing to children. However, picture books rely 30% on reading and 70% on telling, so parents need to practice their storytelling skills. When choosing picture books, two principles should be followed: first, they should be suitable for the child's age; second, they should be close to the child's life. For example, if a child lives in a coastal city, choose picture books about stories that take place by the sea. The child will more easily understand the meaning of the words because they are all scenes he has seen. You can also choose based on the child's interests. If the child likes big trucks, buy relevant picture books; the child will definitely love them. When the child is no longer satisfied with hearing repeated stories, picture books can be reused. Mothers can ask children which Chinese characters they recognize, and which characters have appeared repeatedly, and have the child circle them. With the parents' praise, the child will feel more accomplished and the number of characters they recognize will also increase.
3. Pictograph Cards: With the previous foundation, you can appropriately increase the child's literacy. When encountering difficult characters, you can use pictograph cards to help the child understand and memorize them. For example, the character "木 (mù)" looks like the trunk of a tree after the leaves have been removed. For some similar - looking characters that are easy to confuse, such as "晴 (qíng)" and "睛 (jīng)", "今 (jīn)" and "令 (lìng)", parents can put the two characters together and have the child find the differences to distinguish them clearly.
III.then write then standardize around the age of five. Children's hand, muscles gradually develop and this is when parents can teach their children to write before formal writing. Let children do some pain control exercises for 5 to 10 minutes. Each day, this will help them write more beautifully in the future. When learning to write Chinese characters, it is important to go from easy to difficult and the method is also very important use drawing instead of writing. When children first come into contact with Chinese characters, their first reaction is to observe the shapes, many Chinese characters have evolved from pictographs and can be related to life. Children are usually more interested in drawing than in writing.
And it doesn't matter if they write quickly at first, for example, when writing the character mounted or a cam, let the child draw at first, then write to correct character. This is Much more interesting than simply copying. And it is also a method that many non-native language teachers use to help children who cannot write to express themselves. It can be seen that the Chinese Enlightenment stage lasts for a long time, from the child's birth until they start school and it is inseparable from the parent's Care. Learning a language is a persistent process and every effort will be rewarded. Finally here is a small gift for everyone.
Click on teache Cindy's course, to try it out. Is there anything else I can help you with?
And it doesn't matter if they write quickly at first, for example, when writing the character mounted or a cam, let the child draw at first, then write to correct character. This is Much more interesting than simply copying. And it is also a method that many non-native language teachers use to help children who cannot write to express themselves. It can be seen that the Chinese Enlightenment stage lasts for a long time, from the child's birth until they start school and it is inseparable from the parent's Care. Learning a language is a persistent process and every effort will be rewarded. Finally here is a small gift for everyone.
Click on teache Cindy's course, to try it out. Is there anything else I can help you with?
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