By Kate Liu, Lynn Tien
Learning Chinese can seem overwhelming, especially if your child is just starting and your family doesn’t speak Chinese. Don't worry, there is a way.
Immersing your children in a Chinese-speaking environment is the most effective and quickest way to learn Chinese.
Children are great decoders. They have been decoding since birth by observing adults’ body language and demeanor.
When children are surrounded by native speakers who guide them with fun games and animated body language, children learn Chinese as a mother language, not as a second language in a non-threatening environment.
Learning Chinese as a mother language is more efficient because no translation is involved. Through daily fun interactions that occur organically in Chinese, children have fun and learn Chinese fast. This approach is also what we strive for at Sing In Chinese.
Benefits of Immersion Learning in Chinese
Learning Chinese in an immersion environment can enhance your children’s language proficiency including listening and speaking skills. Constant exposure to the Chinese language helps improve pronunciation, intonation, and fluency. It also helps train ears to decipher different accents, tones, and speech patterns.
Immersion brings natural vocabulary acquisition. The immersive environment accelerates learners’ vocabulary acquisition as they process new words organically without translation, which leads to better comprehension skills.
Incorporating Chinese into Daily Life
Other than enrolling your children in a reputable immersion Chinese school such as Sing In Chinese, here are some ways you can create an immersive learning environment outside of a classroom.
Dedicate a time to speak Chinese at home, starting with just 3 minutes each day, then slowly increase.
Try to speak useful daily commands in Chinese whenever possible such as; sit down, come, time to eat, wash hands, please help, etc..
Watching movies or TV shows in Chinese is another great resource for creating a language-rich environment. This exposure to natural speech patterns is enticing for children and provides opportunities to pick up new words and phrases.
Listening to Chinese songs helps improve children’s listening skills and allows them to grasp new words and sentences naturally. Click here to learn more about the original and catchy songs in accurate tones of Sing In Chinese.
Going to festivals helps children learn about Chinese culture. Children enjoy seeing the excitement of Chinese New Year and be awed by martial arts performances.
Labeling objects at home in Chinese can be a fun way to reinforce vocabulary retention if your child is ready to learn to read. As your children go about their daily routine, seeing these labels will remind them of the corresponding Chinese words, helping them expand their vocabulary.
The Power of Chinese Immersion Learning
As you can see, the benefits of learning Chinese in an immersive environment is worthwhile.
Learning Chinese can be a challenging journey with highs and lows. It's crucial for children to embrace every chance they get to practice, not worrying about making mistakes while having fun learning.
We immerse the children in patent pending original Chinese songs, stories, activities, and events to deepen their understanding and passion for the Chinese language. Visit our website at SingInChinese.com to learn more about our approach and different programs.
