Teaching your kids a second language can be nerve wracking, especially if you don’t speak a second language yourself. Chinese is the most spoken language in the world currently and it’s been a major language to teach kids in school. So how can you teach your children Chinese in a homeschool setting?
The best way to teach children any language is through independent study and free-thinking learning. Teach kids to have fun while they learn and not just how to pass an exam.
Learning Chinese can be a fun immersion activity for homeschool. Introduce the culture, food, music, hands on activities, books, etc. This way learning Chinese becomes interesting. Focus on vocabulary and phrases rather than learning how to read written Chinese at first. Writing Chinese can be very difficult for young students first starting out so learning to speak and understand it verbally is the best route for beginners.
Make sure you practice every single day, even if it’s just a little bit. Practice makes perfect and with a language, it’s really easy to forget. And track your kids’ progress too with certificates and rewards. You’d be amazed at how fast they will gain knowledge.
Learning a second language can increase brain knowledge so the sooner you start, the better. Usually under the age of 12 is the best for learning a second language.
Even though the Chinese language might look hard, if you can learn at least 2000 Chinese characters, you can read most Chinese books and newspapers. Using the root memorization method is the easiest way when learning the written aspect of Chinese since a lot of characters are built on it.
If you’re not sure which Chinese language to teach your kids, here are two options. Mandarin is the main language for mainland China and it spoken in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. Cantonese is perfect for Hong Kong, and other parts of China. Typically speaking, Mandarin is the most popular choice in schools.
And don’t worry if you don’t speak Chinese yourself either! If you make it a habit to study and learn with your kids, it can be an amazing bonding experience for both of you. And you can both learn the language together! Plus, you can help each other stay motivated in learning as well.
Start off by making a Chinese learning environment at home. In a section of your homeschool classroom or even a basket, add things such as Chinese books, games, videos and toys. During your lessons, let your kids explore and see what catches their eye. Use things like Chinese labels on things in the house, read aloud together each day, play Chinese language games, eat Chinese food, listen to Chinese music and play games in Chinese as a family.
Here are some curriculum recommendations for you to teach Chinese in your homeschool:
- Sagebooks Traditional Chinese helps kids learn 500 basic Chinese characters through stories. It’s a 25-book set and well worth it.
- Mandarin Chinese Picture Dictionary is a must with its key of 1500 words and phrases.
- Coffee Break Chinese is a great podcast to learn conversational Chinese
All of these methods are very helpful when teaching children Chinese in homeschool. But if you think you might need a little extra help, then looking up variation of Chinese tuition in your area will give you a better understanding of pricing.
