One way for those households that don’t possess a native speaker is the hiring of a nanny who speaks Chinese. The NY Times had articles noting the increase in au pairs from China. It is also possible to set up play dates with other children who are learning Chinese in addition to getting a Chinese speaking babysitter. Local universities typically have spouses of Chinese focusing on Masters and PhD’s that are looking for extra income. Another option is finding a local nanny, and there are a number around. If you are in public service, please remember Zoe Baird on certain requirements for legally hiring a nanny. Truth to find out, there exists a large population of people in the US from China who don’t have papers who are nannies, so be careful. Nannies are also looking after your children, so picking the proper person is extremely important, particularly if they live with you. Friends of ours have been through multiple nannies and it was not a good experience.
Private Chinese Schools
Traditionally non-public Chinese Schools in the US start teaching children when they are old to sit still and copy characters. Most schools remain using traditional teaching rote teaching methods still found in Taiwan and China. For the most part with children in the US, it does not work because of culture classes. There exists a huge amount of independence in children in the US and using boring teaching methods that do not capture the interest of the child so they want to head to school without a lot of parental pushing will end up in failure. With the kid being forced to visit school and frequently treating it as just babysitting, rather than learning Chinese.
An alternative is finding a school that uses more of a Montessori Method or what’s used in ESL where there’s a lot of conversation. I was pleasantly surprised by my daughter’s public school language teacher who spoke of like this in the classroom, rather than the traditional concentrate on grammar in learning many foreign languages. At a age, I will suggest programs that teach utilizing a lot of singing and other fun activities.
Chinese Learning Products
CD’s for Learning Chinese
CD’s come in two different kinds. One is products that are 100% Chinese of Chinese Children Songs or stories only in Chinese. Some products add a book of lyrics in Chinese, and other’s don’t. Other products are designed to teach Chinese and also have a booklet with lyrics in English, Pinyin, and Chinese Characters. The teaching Chinese products are both from from the united states (almost all) and a series from Singapore. The merchandise for Teaching Chinese are bilingual, so the songs are sung in both Chinese and English. What I love about the CD’s is they give a parent an opportunity to be part of the process where they can Sing Happy Birthday in the Teach Me Chinese CD and Book in both English and Chinese (this series focuses on popular songs in Chinese and English). Another series have specially written songs for Teaching Chinese. The Teach Me Chinese Series has Teacher Guides available. The Sing & Learn Chinese CD & Book carries a tabs on the songs without words (like Karoke). Let’s Sing Chinese is really a 3 product series from Singapore which has both familiar songs and new ones. 3 is the most I have seen of any group of Cd’s for Teaching Chinese to Children.
Video’s for Learning Chinese
Video’s such as for example from Mei Mei use more of a hands on approach teaching basic vocabulary and she currently has five video’s in her series. From learn Chinese in 5 minutes that teaches counting and parts of the body with songs through an approach that children want to later ones that progress such as her Play and Learn Chinese with Mei Mei where an actual Chinese Kindergarten is visited. What is great about this video is it gives your Child the chance to compare their experience and start to see the differences between their school and the one in the video. From lunch to PE to naps. To choose the right video for your child, I recommend reading the reviews (both good and bad).
Books for Learning Chinese
A great book for those just starting to Learn Chinese is I WILL NOT Bite. It is a touch and feel book which has Pinyin, Chinese Characters, and English. The task of using a book is often you need to know how to read Chinese, so that you can teach from it. A fun book for exposing Children to Chinese Characters is Long IS REALLY A Dragon by Peggy Goldstein An array of books for Learning Chinese Character
Learning Chinese For Young Children Including Preschoolers and Toddlers
Categories: