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How you (as a parent) can play a role in your child’s language development?

By Jia Ying, Ng on 22/05/2020

In pre-school, your child will learn two out of four basic skills of language: listening and speaking. We encourage parents to use interesting instructional materials and activities to engage your child in the learning of the Chinese language.

As a parent, it is important to adopt a positive attitude towards learning Chinese Language and provide a conducive home environment to use the language. Here are some tips on how you can support your child’s learning:

• Sing Mandarin songs with your child coupled with hand gestures or simply be your child’s audience. Children who enjoy singing helps them learn the language in an enjoyable way.
• Expose your child to Chinese culture such as celebrating traditional Chinese festivals – “Lunar New Year” and appreciating Chinese music and songs with him/her.
• Interact with your child in Mandarin and encourage the child to verbalise his/her thoughts in Chinese Language. Be nurturing and provide support and encouragement along the way. It will boost your child’s confidence in using the language.
• Try to read Chinese Language materials as often as you can with your child. Use real life scenarios to explain words and phrases that are unfamiliar in simple spoken terms. Explore the content further by letting your child ask questions and discuss with you about the characters, plot events and themes.
• Play language games with your child to make learning of Chinese Language fun. Use resources such as Prep Junior app and bring your child along to the actual site of the learning journey of Prep Junior

These activities will increase your child’s exposure to Chinese Language in authentic settings and support his/her learning of the language. Keep these sessions short and as frequent as you can. Always be positive and encouraging.

Yours sincerely,

Prep Junior Team