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Have you ever wondered how you could help your kids, like learning Chinese in Singapore? Children have a massive potential for learning languages, as challenging as it may sound. Most of the time, it takes a little encouragement and spontaneity.
A youngster can learn to write and read Chinese through various methods. Although the methods available can significantly speed up the Chinese learning process, there will still be instances when children experience performance anxiety and discouragement.
Children may not enjoy studying Chinese if they believe it to be the more difficult of the two languages and if they believe Chinese to be a completely different language with a different writing system and intonation.
Let’s find some strategies to inspire your child to learn Chinese in Singapore so that he/she gets genuinely interested in the Chinese language and its culture, not just because you told him/her to do so.
Watch cartoon TV shows
Cartoon television is an essential component of children’s daily lives in Singapore. Even though the majority of Chinese cartoon series contain a huge amount of advanced Chinese vocabulary, there are still certain cartoon TV shows that are simple to understand and can be excellent learning materials for children who are learning Chinese.
One of the common TV shows that are suitable for kids to watch is 喜羊羊与灰太狼, in which the Grey Wolf is willing to do everything to please his controlling wife. This cartoon is beneficial for children learning Chinese for the first time because it has many dialogues and phrases that can be used daily. This cartoon not only can be a great resource for teaching children how to express themselves in Chinese but can also inspire their interest in learning Chinese as well as communicating in Chinese.
Practise Chinese in the real-life environment
Have you ever sent your child on an errand, such as asking a shopkeeper for something or buying them the candy they chose in the grocery store? Maybe this time, put them to the challenge by having a Chinese conversation with them!
Besides, it is undeniable that the children would benefit from more exposure to the Chinese language and more opportunities to practise Chinese speaking and understanding if they had a parent who could converse with them in Chinese.
Le Xue Education provides several opportunities for children in Singapore to speak with teachers who are native Chinese speakers, which facilitates this exposure. Children who are from English-speaking environments will be immersed in a Chinese learning environment at Le Xue, which will help and inspire them to learn Chinese.
Celebrate Chinese festivals
Celebrating cultural festivals of Singapore’s diverse racial fabric is a feature of our preschool’s Chinese enrichment in Singapore. Even though we don’t receive a holiday during Chinese celebrations and festivals, we can still remember it and tell our children stories about it. These tales encourage curiosity about the Chinese language and culture!
Kindle in your children’s enthusiasm for Chinese culture by teaching them the history behind key events such as the Lunar New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival. For instance, the recent Rice Dumpling Festival () is a wonderful opportunity for kids to develop a deeper understanding of Chinese culture.
Make it enjoyable by setting up DIY projects at home, such as crafting paper lanterns, cooking festival foods, and learning Chinese greetings like 新年快乐 and 身体健康. With all these exciting activities, your kids will remember these festivals and develop a deeper understanding of Chinese culture.
Final Words
There are many more strategies to inspire your child to learn Chinese, but as a parent, patience is always the most important point to keep in mind. Some mistakes are unavoidable at this stage, which might frustrate your child during their Chinese learning journey.
Hence, as a parent, you can make it clear that failing is a necessary part of the learning process and has no effect on their performance to motivate them. You can also experiment with Chinese learning strategies to see which works best. Similarly, you might look for a private Chinese tutor in Singapore to assist them in learning Chinese such as Le Xue Education.
Le Xue Education is a professional Chinese education centre in Singapore that specialises in delivering a Chinese Enrichment Programme for young children and aids students in having fun throughout their Chinese learning journey. Do you wish you or your children could learn Chinese faster but joyfully simultaneously? Contact us now to learn more about our programmes!