The Most Mandarin of All?

My youngest son got to go to Language Stars* for the first time this week.  His older brother was sick and make-ups are difficult for us because of our schedule, so I took Will instead.

I knew he would love class before we walked in the door.   We've been working on Mandarin since he was about 6 months old, so hearing the language is nothing new to him.  In fact, I talk to Will in Chinese more than my other 2 children.  Perhaps it has something to do with him being a captive audience in his high chair during lunch time . . . But when I talk or sing to him in Mandarin,  his face just lights up.  He knows it's different and special somehow and he loves it.

So, needless to say, Will seemed to feel right at home in our parent and tot class at Language Stars.  Even though he's only 15 months old, I was still expecting that "what-in-the-world-are-they-saying-mom" look of confusion.  (Maybe I'll own that one:  I probably have that look at lot!) Yet, my son had no such response.  He plowed right on, playing with toys and being all shy with the teachers as if it was perfectly normal that everyone around him was speaking Mandarin (There were 2 teachers this week.  One is a new teacher in training.)  To me, it's just more evidence of how young children process language much differently than we do.  He didn't care if he understood every word or not.  It was as if he was saying, "As long as there are toys and fun activities, count me in, Mom!"

Will probably did recognize some words, though.  The theme was "bedtime routines." We had already learned some of the words from a video that we have.  We use them every night as we get ready for bed.  As the class practiced the vocabulary, Will was so excited to take a washcloth and pretend to give the teddy bear a bath.  (Perhaps he was just glad that, for once, he wasn't the one in the tub.)  Kid-friendly, age-appropriate activities like this kept him engaged the whole time.

The class pretended to give Teddy a bath

I think Will is going to be able to speak the most Mandarin of all.  Even though his only words so far are "Ma Ma," "uh oh!" and "deng" (light in Mandarin), he seems the most interested in the language and has received the earliest exposure.  It will be interesting to see if I'm right.  But whether I'm right or not, there is one thing I'm sure of:  All 3 of them will be able to speak more Mandarin than me!



* We get 50% off our tuition for blogging about our experiences at Language Stars.  I say "we," but I guess it's just me since my 4-year-old can't type yet!

Developing the Mandarin Habit

"It's more important for preschoolers to develop habits than to learn material."  

         --Teacher Ling from Language Stars

When I first heard Ling say this to one of the other parents a couple of weeks ago, it was like a light bulb went on in my head.  This was what I was trying to do!  I hadn't known how to put it into words, but I had realized that pushing my children to learn specific vocabulary each week didn't work very well.  Sure, I could decide that we were working on "colors" or "animals," but beyond that, there was a point at which they would stop being interested.  And here's why:

Children learn language differently than adults.  We all know this from the research.  So, in order to learn a second language, it has to be presented to them in a manner unlike what adults need.  For example, I love the Little Pim DVDs.  My children don't.  The videos show people performing actions or using objects while the name for the action or object is repeated.  What a great visual way to teach vocabulary--to adults.  I still play them in the car so they can hear the words from a native speaker.  But, unless I learn the word first (from the tapes or otherwise) and then use it daily with them, they CANNOT learn it!  Even after watching a DVD several times, when I ask them how to say a word or even point to an object that was presented in the video and ask in Chinese, "What is this?" they give me a blank stare.  

At first, this made my heart sink.  I had tried so hard.  I had invested time and money.  Then, I stepped back and realized that they had to learn Mandarin by someone using the word in everyday conversation. Sure, I can decide to work on "animals" or "colors," but it has to be presented as a game or I have to put related objects out to play with, or I have to ask about the color of a new or favorite toy.  While, as an adult learner, I would love to sit down and memorize all the colors at once, compare their names and repeat them until I learned them, my preschoolers simply cannot do this.  It's not the way they learn language.  

Here's where the "habits" come in.  The way Ling presented the concept to me was sheer genius.  The idea is simple:  Don't push vocabulary, push a schedule.  So that's what we do.  Projects that the kids bring home from LA are reviewed, shown to grandma and anyone else who might vaguely be interested, and posted on the fridge.  They remind the children of their last class and that there will be another one soon.  While they play, we listen to Chinese songs from Language Stars  or other CDs that we have.  We purchased some preschool games for the computer, so they can choose to play these during computer time.  We do coloring sheets, cut out the pictures and play games with them.  We watch Chinese DVDs in the car.  We play some games with the Little Pim cards and I'm starting to make some on my own (see the end of this post).  And, we read (or I attempt to read) at least 1 book in Chinese every night before going to bed.

Our favorite is Brown Bear, Brown Bear:

(If you purchase the book, there are 2 or 3 videos

of people reading it in Chinese on YouTube.)

Developing the habit of learning Mandarin is a lot easier and less stressful than pushing vocabulary.  This way, there's a lot less pressure on Mom to present material and more emphasis on simply using the words we have learned in daily conversations.  Getting into the routine of having Mandarin sprinkled throughout our daily lives is still a challenge, requiring forethought and effort on my part.  But, I have to say that hearing Ling say those words was like lifting a burden off of my shoulders.  I can just relax a bit now and try to enjoy learning Mandarin with my little ones.  Well, right after I look up a few more animal names . . .

Teacher Tam

If you are learning Mandarin with your child(ren) or

would like a fun activity for Chinese New Year (usually in February),

here's a new game I made.  Just click on the picture and visit 

my TPT store to get your FREE copy.

*I get 50% off tuition at Language Stars for blogging about our classes.