Children are young learners and are often prone to boredom and overwhelming situations. These circumstances often happen in language learning, including Mandarin. As parents, guiding children in learning Mandarin is utterly important to help them maintain progress. However, how should you help your children learn Mandarin as parents? The answer is quite simple, children can focus better if they’re feeling excited in learning something new. If you’re struggling with keeping your children excited, this article will be perfect for you. With a Chinese enrichment class for kids program, you can help your children learn Mandarin while keeping lessons fun and exciting. Let’s learn more about how Chinese enrichment classes can get kids excited about Mandarin.

If your children are currently showing interest in learning Mandarin or need extra guidance to master the language, enrichment class can be a great solution to start with. This extracurricular activity is usually targeted for those who wish to expand their knowledge beyond the core subject taught in classes. At times, these classes can also become supplementary sources for students who need extra lessons to grasp their learning material. Although Chinese enrichment classes may look similar with Mandarin classes at school, these two courses have stark differences between one another. In this section, we will discuss how enrichment classes differ from mandatory academic curriculum at school. 

Optional Classes

Chinese enrichment classes are never mandatory as this course is mainly targeted to help children cultivate their interest. As these classes are optional, most Chinese enrichment classes offer smaller groups than classes at school. This smaller size can help teachers pay more attention to each student and help to guide them in learning Mandarin better. 

Flexible Curriculum

Chinese enrichment classes are not as strictly as formal education as lessons from school. Therefore, the curriculum used during these lessons are often flexible. Many Chinese tuition centres offer different curriculums that parents can choose upon enrolling their kids. For example, many children prefer having a focus on developing their conversational skills, while others may wish to find guidance in learning Chinese culture in general. 

Tailored Courses

Another big difference between Chinese enrichment classes and school curriculums is portrayed by how each course is offered to children. With its smaller size, Chinese enrichment classes encounter little to no issue in providing tailored courses based on the kids’ preferences. For example, many Chinese tuition centers provide both group and private classes. If kids require specifically tailored courses, they may choose private classes to help them in getting one-in-one learning experience with professional teachers. This benefit may not be encountered in school curriculums as the material is often set by the government and adjusted depending on the average performance of the class. 

With the rise of Chinese as a foreign language, many tuition centers can now provide strong Chinese enrichment programs for children to be enrolled in. However, it is important to realise that choosing the best Chinese enrichment class program for your kids is not only about how the teachers can assist learning materials, but also about which skills that your children need to improve. Here are some of the best Chinese enrichment class programs for kids and how it can suit their needs. 

Easy Steps to Chinese

Easy steps to Chinese are usually popular among expat parents who wish to teach their kids Chinese as a foreign language. These book series are designed specifically for non-native children around beginner and intermediate level. Aside from non-native children, this curriculum is also highly recommended for children who have been learning Chinese for quite some time but still struggle in communicating with others in Chinese. Easy Steps to Chinese is a curriculum that aims to help children learn the basic skills of using Chinese, from listening, speaking, reading and writing. Aside from learning basic language skills, Easy Steps to Chinese is an enrichment program that introduces children to popular Chinese cultures. 

YCT (Youth Chinese Test) 

As the name suggests, this test is designed to prepare students for taking the Youth Chinese Test. This exam is often used to measure kids’ ability to use Chinese as a second language. As a way to track your children’s progress in learning Chinese, this test focuses more on grammar and vocabulary acquisition. If you’re interested in enrolling your kids to the YCT enrichment class, it is important that you acknowledge which YCT level your kids are currently on. To have a more accurate measurement of your kids’ ability, you can refer to the official YCT curriculum and match it with your children. 

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MOE Chinese

This course is usually the best Chinese enrichment program if your kids are learning MOE Chinese at school. As the name suggests, this type of program is meant to help kids getting familiar with the MOE Chinese curriculum and assist them in improving their ability beyond the classroom. MOE Chinese classes often focus on vocabulary drilling, oral skills, and sentence structures. 

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Theme-Based Curriculum 

This curriculum offers a different approach from previously mentioned courses. Theme-based curriculum is often tailored specifically depending on one skill that children wish to master.This curriculum is suitable for younger children who enjoy a mix of learning and fun activities. With its creative learning method, this program can help build a stronger foundation in Chinese language.

As we’ve discussed before, Chinese enrichment classes offer a new experience for children to learn without a strict curriculum as what they’ve faced at school. Yet, how exactly does Chinese enrichment classes help with keeping kids excited about learning Chinese, especially if they’re already falling into a learning plateau? Here are a few methods on how Chinese enrichment classes can help kids excited about learning. 

Interactive Classes

Unlike school subjects that mostly follow a strict schedule and feel repetitive, Chinese enrichment classes often encourage students’ participation during lessons. This learning method will help children interact with one another in Chinese as a way to build confidence. Furthermore, interactive classes mean that children can be assessed actively based on their answers. This way, teachers can directly give feedback to help kids improve their Chinese skills. 

Test to Track Progress

Some tuition centers that offer Chinese enrichment classes will still provide students with tests or homework. However, these assignments differ greatly from school tests that will determine students’ grades. Rather than putting them on grades or ranking, assignments from Chinese enrichment classes are aimed to track progress for more accurate feedback in the future. 

Mixing Learning Method

Another advantage of enrolling your children in a Chinese enrichment class is the ability to mix different learning styles and methods to help them understand the language effectively. Many tuition centres will not only provide teachers, but also fun learning media such as Chinese storybooks, interactive videos, and workbooks. These methods are proven effective since maintaining a fun learning environment can help children get more excited to expand their knowledge. 

Having an exciting learning experience is an essential part in maintaining children’s interest while studying. One of the most effective ways to maintain this excitement is by finding the right Chinese enrichment class that can help your kids grow better in using Mandarin. Before enrolling in a Chinese enrichment class, parents are highly encouraged to explore the many different programs available to ensure that the lesson will help their kids perfectly. Explore more about the varying Chinese enrichment classes in Elitekid by contacting us.