Conversational skill is one of the most important parts in staying connected with others, including in learning Mandarin. Although it is quite possible to learn Mandarin as an adult, conversational skills ideally should be taught while little. Teaching kids from an early age can help them achieve better fluency in the future. This trend then raises a question among non-native families about what to do when parents themselves are not fluent in Mandarin. Many expats with kids enrolled in Singaporean schools often face this challenge. However, the good news is that non-native parents can still teach their children Mandarin effectively with the right strategies. Through this article, we will discuss how to help children learn Chinese at home as a non-Mandarin speaker.

Conversational Chinese is a way to start teaching children to master a second language. Aside from how accessible it is to learn speaking and listening Chinese as a basis for a stronger Mandarin foundation, here are a few reasons why learning conversational Chinese can be a great beginning. 

Early Interaction

Conversational Chinese is perfect for children’s first interaction with Mandarin. This is because learning how to speak Chinese will not require children to dive deeper into other aspects such as Chinese characters. With conversational Chinese as its foundation, children will learn better grammar, vocabulary drilling, and sentence structure. 

Easier Application

Unlike writing and reading skills, conversational Chinese can be easily implemented by speaking with others directly. It can provide the basis for kids to learn more about a language and build confidence on how to utilize it in day-to-day activities. 

Active Learning Methods

Another reason why learning conversational Chinese is recommended for kids is because of its nature as verbal communication. Unlike other skills, learning conversational Chinese is not achievable if children are using passive learning methods such as reading and memorizing. When it comes to communicating, the best practice is by listening and speaking directly, which will motivate children to actively participate with others while trying to improve their skills. 

When it comes to learning something new, family often serves as the first touch in children’s lives. Having to spend their time mostly with their family such as parents and siblings, habits and knowledge are often passed from generation to generation. However, it is also important to note that family isn’t the sole learning environment. Despite family’s bigger influence, children can also learn from different environments. If you’re a parent that wishes to teach your children how to speak Chinese, here are a few other environments that can help your children improve their skills. 

Formal School Education

With how integrated Mandarin is in different parts of the world, many schools have opted to incorporate Chinese as their curriculum. For instance, Singapore is known for its MOE Chinese curriculum to help provide a solid language foundation for students. 

Friends

Learning conversational Chinese for kids is not limited to studying from adults. Oftentimes, children can show better improvement if they have peers of similar age to motivate them along the way. This improvement can be achieved due to their similar objective and expertise level, helping them build confidence along the way. 

Other Educational Centres

Aside from attending formal education through school, another alternative learning environment that can actively encourage students are educational centres. These centres are perfect if your children need extra lessons or if your local school is not teaching Chinese as one of its subjects. Apart from the obvious opportunities to be connected with experts, educational centres can also provide your children with the benefit to find similar peers. 

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Social Media and Internet

Social media and the internet are proof that the world is more connected now. With this advancement, social media and the internet can act as another learning environment for kids. Given its wide accessibility nowadays, the internet is able to provide extra resources for children to learn conversational Chinese through videos and interactive audios. However, it is important to understand that children still need to be supervised while interacting with digital technology. 

Family, especially parents, is the first touch when it comes to children’s learning journey. Although it is completely plausible to encourage children learning Chinese through formal and informal education, parents’ support remains important along the way. As someone who can’t speak Chinese, providing support might look challenging at first, but it’s not impossible. Here are a few practical tips on how to support children learning conversational Chinese as someone who can’t speak the language. 

Find Chinese Tuition Centre

One of the most effective ways to help your children learn better Chinese without having to worry about your own skills is to enroll them in Chinese classes. If your local school has Mandarin as one of their focused curriculum, learning conversational Chinese will not be a major problem since the students will be guided by teachers and peers of similar age. However, if your school doesn’t have Chinese as its learning material, you can instead consider enrolling kids into tuition centres. Tuition centres are commonly found nowadays, some of them even having the privilege of collaborating with native teachers to provide better teaching results. 

Provide Reliable Resources

Children usually learn better when they have different media to look into. Although a common textbook can be a great beginning to help them understand more vocabulary for conversational Chinese, utilizing different materials such as Chinese storybooks, educational videos, and even flashcards can provide them with a better understanding and avoid them from boredom. Given how easily accessible resources are right now, parents should make sure that the learning materials can suit their children’s needs to enhance learning effectiveness. 

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Guided Reflection

After learning, it is ideal for children to reflect on their process. However, this method might be harder for younger children. As a parent who wishes to help your children in mastering conversational Chinese skills, a solution that you can offer is by asking how far they’ve learned and which part they struggle with the most. You can keep a record on how your children learn and encourage them to recount what they remembered. 

Learn with Your Kids

Learning along with your kids is another effective way to help them learn conversational Chinese. Apart from the obvious benefit of understanding Chinese on your own, learning with kids can also act as a way to build emotional connection between one another. You can also treat your children as your learning partner and encourage them to start communicating with you using Chinese instead of their mother tongue. 

As mentioned before, finding courses is another way that you can utilize to support your children in learning conversational Chinese. With how prominent Chinese’s existence right now is, finding different tuition centres can be particularly easy. However, a thing that you need to keep in mind is how these classes can suit your children’s learning style and preference. Before enrolling children to courses, it is important to browse your options and preferred method of learning. If you’re looking for Chinese courses that can implement fun learning without hindering children’s performance, Elite Kid offers a different curriculum that you can match to your child’s learning objectives. Check out our website to understand more about how we help your children master the Chinese language for non-native speakers.