Anna Maria Richards
If you’re interested in encouraging your kids to learn Chinese, Spanish, or any other language, you might want to know how to keep them feeling entertained while they’re learning. How do you make learning more enjoyable for your child? Is it useful to implement a reward system while your child is trying to learn Chinese? In what ways do children learn Chinese most effectively?
Having difficulty trying to get your child to learn a new language is not at all uncommon, so you’re certainly not alone. If you’re interested in making learning a language more exciting for your kids, you’re in the right place. Allow us to give a few tips and tricks for helping your child to learn Chinese, Spanish, or any other language you’d like.
Use Flashcards
If you’re trying to help your child learn a new language, you might be able to help them by using flashcards. Especially if you’re trying to help your children learn Chinese, for example, flashcards might be useful for much of the learning process.
You can make flashcards for your Chinese lessons as you’re assisting your child in recognizing the written symbols, testing their pronunciation, gauging their understanding of the different tones, and the meanings of the words they’re beginning to learn. This can also easily turn practicing with flashcards into a game where your child can earn points, making it even more fun for them.
Find Entertaining Children’s Shows
Another efficient way to help your children learn a new language is to find a kid’s show in the given language. This might be helpful when it comes to getting the language into their ears, allowing them to get used to hearing others speak and aid in understanding the spoken word more quickly.
A children’s show in the chosen language might also allow them to learn more basic phrases and words, especially if the show is geared toward children who are learning the language for the first time. Before you know it, they might be able to communicate with the characters and feel excited about learning the language more often as they’ll better understand what the characters are saying.
This might facilitate your child feeling more accomplished while they’re learning as they can track their own progress. As your children are watching these shows, try to sit in with them and share their excitement over how much they’ve learned. You can also encourage their feelings of pride and excitement by communicating that you’re proud of them. If you can’t find a show in the given language, another excellent way to help your children learn is by finding their favorite cartoon and switching the language option to whatever they’re trying to learn; many streaming services offer dozens of different languages.
Learn With Your Children
Learning a new language might also be more fun and engaging for your children if you elect to learn the language with them. This might make you a more educated instructor as you are teaching your child, but it might also make you more likely to accurately track your child’s progress.
Additionally, if your child feels as if they are able to use their new language with someone else more actively, they may begin to feel a sense of community and camaraderie with you. However, if you don’t have the time to learn with your children, or you are otherwise unable to learn the new language as well, you may be able to consider another option.
Consider getting your child a tutor or allowing them to learn in more of a classroom setting. This will allow your kid to receive constructive criticism and assistance whenever they’re having a difficult time learning or understanding what’s being asked of them. This may also offer your child a sense of community if you’re unable to provide that feeling sufficiently.
Implement a Reward System
If your child is feeling less than enthusiastic about learning a new language, you may be able to encourage them to learn more and tend to their studies by implementing a reward system for them to follow. You might also be able to combine this reward system with other systems already in place.
For example, if your child is using flashcards, you may want to develop a point system. Once your child gets enough points or a high enough percentage of flashcards correct, you might want to tell them they’ve earned a prize or reward of some kind. And these prizes might be a number of different things, including getting them a toy they’ve wanted, a trip to their favorite restaurant, or anything else you know they might value.
This can also be done if they meet certain goals. For example, if you want your children to learn Chinese so they might be able to communicate better with their grandparents or other friends and family, you might want to reward them every time that they are able to exchange a few words or engage in a short conversation with someone in Chinese. This doesn’t only apply to the Chinese language, as it may also be useful for your child if they’re learning any other language as well.
Conclusion
These tips may be helpful if you’re planning on teaching your young children a new language, and this may especially be the case if your child has previously had a difficult time setting aside efforts for learning. If you’re interested in teaching your child a new language, these tips and tricks might be helpful for you and your family.
