Whether you want to or not, living in China means you and your kid are going to have to pick up some measure of Chinese.
Even as a Chinese speaker, I still struggle with helping my child learn the language, especially since my own fluency is a bit of an embarrassment, as my uncle loves to point out at every Chinese New Year reunion dinner. But I’m not giving up without a fight. So I found ways that I could boost my child’s Chinese language skills using readily available resources.
Free introductory online Chinese classes
Culture Yard is a familiar name to most expats in Beijing, but you may not know that they offer free introductory Chinese classes!
Try out online Chinese learning, get to know their teachers, meet fellow students, and learn some useful Chinese for daily use, all from the comfort of your own home – and for free! Topics change weekly and include an introduction to Chinese characters and pronunciation; daily Chinese for life in China, such as taking a taxi and ordering food; Chinese culture classes; business Chinese; HSK classes, and much more. To join their Free Classes group, message “Free Classes” on WeChat (@ cultureyardoffice).
Watch Chinese language cartoons and films
With China’s foray into the international film industry making waves, there are plenty of films that are either made in Chinese or have Chinese audio available. Pixar’s recent animated film Turning Red which features a 13-year-old female protagonist whose onset of puberty unlocks her genetic ability to turn into a giant red panda is a great example, and another would be Dreamworks’ Abominable (2019). My son and I have watched both these films in English first, then Chinese, so that we know the plot and characters to better understand the films when we re-watch them in Chinese.
Another method would be to turn on the Chinese language for familiar cartoons that your kids might enjoy repeatedly. such as PJ Masks, Paw Patrol, or any other series on streaming platforms that support dual languages like Netflix. Since they already know these cartoons so well, it may be time to turn the language setting to Chinese (with English subtitles)! This is a 2-in-1 as it exposes the kid to hearing more Chinese while affording them the opportunity to practice reading the English subtitles. The fact that they’ve already watched the series before also means they’ll have a sense of what is happening and won’t be totally lost.
Download free Chinese learning apps on the iPad
Yes, I’m thrisfy, so I sourced free digital apps for my kid to work on his handwriting, build up vocabulary, and listen to stories.
Below are just a few apps suitable for beginners. LinguPinguin is particularly useful because it has different app versions that support different native languages. For example, you could have German to Chinese, or Spanish to Chinese. If your kid is old enough to navigate it, Duolingo is great for learning practically any language on Earth!
Bilingual books
Many Beijing expat educator has taken it upon themselves to write children’s books that are in two languages, which usually contain a bit of local culture to boot! While it may be tricky for you to read the Chinese parts, a translation app can help with that.
Otherwise, you might want to buy a cup of tea for your Chinese-speaking friend in exchange for helping you with the reading and pronunciation of the characters. If not, you could also consider cornering your kid’s Chinese teacher after class and ask for help, or just drop her an email with pictures of the book. Here are a few recommendations:
This Read Aloud! series, available on Taobao for less than RMB 100, features a number of familiar English titles such as The Ugly Duckling, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Rabbit and the Turtle, with a simple Chinese translation. As you can see, I’ve annotated my own copy to help me with the characters!
北京是个好地方 běi jīng shì gè hǎo dì fāng What a Place! was written by Lana Sultan, a long-time Beijing expat. I picked up this copy from Roundabout but you can also find it on Taobao.
北京哈巴狗-疫情中的历险记 běi jīng hǎ ba gǒu: yì qíng zhōng de lì xiǎn jì Peking Pugs: A Covid Caper is probably my favorite of the lot, as it even pertains to the recent Covid crisis, albeit in a light-hearted fashion suitable for its intended young audience. This cute read was written by Janice Stewart-Yates and it is through her that you can also purchase copies of the book. Scan the QR code below to do so!
KEEP READING: How Difficult Is It for International Students To Learn Chinese?
Images: Pexels, Vivienne Tseng-Rush
