Motivation Motivation Motivation
It’s extremely important that kids have the motivation to learn Chinese. How to increase their motivation is not as difficult as you might think. You can simply do the following
Rewards
Offer them rewards for learning extra words or phrases (e.g., a chocolate bar from Spain or South America, a trip to a Chinese restaurant, or his/her favorite place, such as an amusement park)
Surprises
Especially for small children, including infants and toddlers, surprises are proven to increase motivation. If you play games like peekaboo (for babies) your child will be able to keep paying attention to the program.
Fun
Playing games like hiding and seek by counting in Chinese or a cardboard game will do the trick.
Keep it short and simple
Not only adults but also children automatically lose interest if what they are asked to do is difficult. When you ask them to learn only a few Chinese words at a time, they will find the task more enjoyable and increase their confidence in learning Chinese.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice makes it perfect the old saying goes. If your child has no opportunity to practice what he/she learned, you can make sure that all the efforts are in vain.
Test & Quiz
You can speak to your child in Chinese if you know how to speak Chinese. If you don’t know how to speak Chinese, you can still ask questions like “what is “this” in Chinese?” by showing an object. If you know a few words in Chinese, you can show him/her 2 objects and ask “which one is “…”?” Kids love drawing things, you can also play with your children and ask them to draw objects by calling object names in Chinese, e.g. “can you draw me a … ?”
Talking with native speakers.
Another way of practicing Chinese is giving your child opportunities to interact with native speakers of Chinese. It would also be a fun family activity to visit a place where Chinese is spoken such as a Chinese restaurant, Chinese supermarket, Chinese culture center, Chinese temple, Chinese school, Chinese community center etc.
Flashcards
Flash cards might sound like an old school method but they are effective. Similar to Dino Lingo motion images, how flashcards work is very simple: they create object-sign associations in your child’s brain after a short period of exposure. You can use Dino Lingo Chinese Flashcards or make your own and practice with your child. If you are wondering about how to use Chinese flashcards you can check out our blog post about Glenn Doman.
Songs & Cartoons
Dino Lingo Chinese is a perfect combination of songs and cartoons. You can also find tons of Chinese songs and cartoons available online. It is also not a bad idea to buy some Chinese children’s song cd and play it in the car or at home as background music. Studies have shown that even background TV can increase children’s vocabulary.
Children’s Stories
If your child knows some Polish, you can purchase Chinese storybooks on the internet. If he/she doesn’t know how to speak Chinese, you can read fairy tales by replacing some words with Chinese words.
Summary:
Let them watch Dino Lingo Chinese videos regularly and play Dino Lingo Chinese language online games. Visit places where Chinese is spoken such as Chinese restaurants, Chinese supermarkets, Chinese culture centers, Chinese temples, Chinese schools, Chinese community centers. Play with fun educational stuff like Chinese jigsaw puzzles and Chinese toys. Don’t forget the posters (Chinese alphabet, sight words, flags). Interact with other kids who can speak Chinese or study together with someone with whom they can practice Chinese.
Online Chinese lessons for kids: dinolingo.com
