Comparing Chinese Enrichment (Primary/Preschool)

[maisy]

yeap yeap i tend to agree w tamarind that the \"regimented old school method of u sit down, u listen, i say, u repeat\" method works better for P1 onwards .. or perhaps K2 onwards (to prepare them for P1)


But for preschoolers 3-5 years old, i think such method is not only \"dated\" but it will also kill the kids' interest & stifle their imagination.

I think even for P1 these days ... they no longer use the \"plain repeating after teachers approach\" ..I believe they try to make the lessons more interesting with flash cards, matching of flashcards (to let them recognise the words) & more \"activity-based\" assignments , rather than the old school method.

Hi Autumnbronze,
PM replied Cheers.

[sean wife]

Hi mummies,


If your preschoolers are attending Chinese enrichment classes, besides revising those materials from the classes, do you find that you have time to start them on your own teaching materials? Mine are in N1 and attending Berries and think they quite enjoy it (when I peep into their classrooms). Other than going through the word cards with them, I try to start them on the si wu kuai du books from Dangdang. However they can be quite resistant and always say ‘too many too many’ and start to whine….However they are quite OK when I read Chinese storybooks to them (this has improved since they started their childcare and Berries).

Those mummies who have put their kids through Berries, if we just revise the materials from school, will they be quite proficient by the time they reach K1/K2?

[tamarind]

sean wife:

Hi mummies,


If your preschoolers are attending Chinese enrichment classes, besides revising those materials from the classes, do you find that you have time to start them on your own teaching materials? Mine are in N1 and attending Berries and think they quite enjoy it (when I peep into their classrooms). Other than going through the word cards with them, I try to start them on the si wu kuai du books from Dangdang. However they can be quite resistant and always say ‘too many too many’ and start to whine….However they are quite OK when I read Chinese storybooks to them (this has improved since they started their childcare and Berries).

Those mummies who have put their kids through Berries, if we just revise the materials from school, will they be quite proficient by the time they reach K1/K2?

I am also using the Si Wu Kuai Du books to teach my boy, and he is also attending Berries. Did you use the games to teach ?

Read this page :
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w1nyHWTEh94/SzQMC_8ItKI/AAAAAAAABak/2mDzyPBKXos/s1600-h/b3.JPG

The book suggests more than 15 types of games. My boy likes to play the games, so he does not mind learning the new words at all. It is important to note that you must not use the cards as flash cards.

Actually attending Berries alone will be more than good enough to prepare your child for P1 in Singapore. But they will not be proficient enough to read any Chinese books independently. The Si Wu Kuai Du books will enable kids to read about 80% of the words in Chinese newspapers. My girl has finished K2 in Berries, and she is able to remember every word that she has learned from Berries since N2. However, when I tried to let her read Chinese story books last December, there are still many words that she cannot read and I have to teach her. I let her read many Chinese books, and she is also learning from the Si Wu Kuai Du books, and she is reading very well now.

For those who want to know what is Si Wu Kuai Du, check out my blog :
http://tamarindvillage.blogspot.com/2009/12/teaching-chinese-at-home.html

Also note that these books are recommended for 4 years old and above. It may be difficult to teach children who are too young.

To summarize, Berries will prepare your child very well for Singapore standards. But if you want your child to be as good as those kids in China, use Si Wu Kuai Du

[sean wife]

Hi Tamarind,


Thanks for your reply. Tonight was slightly better with the word cards as I tried to make it seem I ‘catch’ the cards from the window outside when I show them the cards…Actually I had also faced the same problem when I started to show them english sight words…initially I tried to play games with them like ‘peek-a-boo’ and ‘hide-the-word’ etc…each game only sustains their interest for a short while and it got quite stressful for me. Later on somehow I find that the whole process is much less painful if they just finish reading the set of words for that day and they get their biscuit treat…they seem to be OK with this approach with english words, but I guess most probably because they are much more exposed to english words and can recognise quite a number of them already, whereas chinese words are really quite foreign to them (regret not reading more chinese when they were young…)

What do mummies think? Is Chinese a much more difficult language to learn than english or just a matter of exposure? I find that it is much more difficult for them to progress with Chinese words recognition compared to english words…

[tamarind]

sean wife:

Hi Tamarind,


Thanks for your reply. Tonight was slightly better with the word cards as I tried to make it seem I 'catch' the cards from the window outside when I show them the cards...Actually I had also faced the same problem when I started to show them english sight words...initially I tried to play games with them like 'peek-a-boo' and 'hide-the-word' etc...each game only sustains their interest for a short while and it got quite stressful for me. Later on somehow I find that the whole process is much less painful if they just finish reading the set of words for that day and they get their biscuit treat...they seem to be OK with this approach with english words, but I guess most probably because they are much more exposed to english words and can recognise quite a number of them already, whereas chinese words are really quite foreign to them (regret not reading more chinese when they were young...)

What do mummies think? Is Chinese a much more difficult language to learn than english or just a matter of exposure? I find that it is much more difficult for them to progress with Chinese words recognition compared to english words...

Hi sean wife,
I also think that games are fun for kids but very stressful for mommy ! My girl is able to learn by just pointing and reading the new words, so I don't play games with her.

My boy does not learn well by just reading, so he must play games. I only play for a few minutes with him everyday, so it is not too stressful for me. Anyway, the book advises that we must stop when the child's interest level is highest, that is, when he is having the most fun. Then he will be keen to learn again the next day.

As for whether Chinese is more difficult, it is definitely a matter of exposure. My mother and I have been reading Chinese books to my kids since they were babies, so to them, English and Chinese have no difference in terms of difficulty. For Chinese, they don't need to learn any phonics rules, don't need to decode the word. They see each Chinese word as a picture.

It is very important to start teaching Chinese from a very young age. Your kids are only 3 years old, this is the perfect time to start learning Chinese. Just make sure that they read Chinese consistently everyday, and also find more interesting and fun Chinese story books for them, they will develop a love for the language.

[sean wife]

Thanks Tamarind. Think I will work harder on their Chinese…and hopefully it gets easier as they become more comfortable with the language. Actually playing games not only stressful for mummies, it can very messy too. Like when we played hide the cards game and they were having a good time throwing the cards all around and hiding in cabinets…when all was over, I had to pick up one by one and arrange them nicely again. I thought the hiding the cards in sand idea is good, but I can’t imagine the mess. Also thought of replacing sand with those foam beads, but think they will end up playing with the beans instead. And I have experience when they get so excited running around while playing such games that they end up chasing each other and forget about the intended ‘game’… and for games like matching the cards, they dun seem to keen either. I guess it’s all a matter of trial and error.


It will be very helpful if anyone can share fun and effective games which hopefully isn’t too messy…

Many thanks!

[jesschan]

Tamarind,

What is the cost of the entire set of 四五快读 books? I believe there are about 6 or 7 books in the entire set, right? How long do you take to complete 1 book?

[minnie]

maisy:

hi autumnbronze


i think it would be better if they can tweak the programme / structure to \"engage\" the students better ... their method might work very well for the older kids... cos it is very \"u sit-down , u listen , i tell u , u repeat after me approach, which works fairly well for older children who are \"more mature\". But for the tots, can be a little mundane.

honestly i have yet to see any introduction of nursery rhymes, music/song (apart from a CNY song which lasted only 5 mins) or anything else to further engage the tiny tots (nursery). For younger kids, what we need is to inject ideas to stir their interest level... only then will we be able to engage them & capture their attention.

I can see other kids \"losing focus , or interest\" in class - i do not blame them cos i understand the syllabus could be too dry for them at this tender age.

I think this is as much as I would like to say... i don't wish to say any further in case I get misunderstood & misconstrued that i have something against the centre.

Let's just say they are doing great .. just that it is not suitable for my child ..

Hi Maisy,

I just enrol my K2 gal to Molin beginning of this term. When i called to make enquiries, the staff did tell me their centre is more towards academic, meaning is like normal tuition centre. I know this is what i want as my gal is already K2, i do not wish her to go there sing song and play. However, i decided not to enrol my N2 boy becos i know my boy will not be able to sit there for the lesson.

[pokemon]

Tamarind,


Tks for introducing Si Wu Kuai Du. My ds in p1, he is quite ok on chinese reading since i hv faithfully make him read aloud with me simple chinese story books w/o hanyu pin yin. His chinese word recognition is ok for his level. Thought what u have recommended is good as its w/o hanyu pin yin. In singapore, most children story books come with hanyu pin yin which i dislike as the child will look at the alphabets more than the chinese characters. I actually love the story passage on Si Wu Kuai Du which u have shown on your blog, I believe it will enrich my ds. I dun really need the section on playing the games but juz more reading materials for his level. Any idea what other series of chinese books u have come across.

[cafelatte]

Dear all,


I read through the first 50% of this thread and also tried using the search function. My old eyes hurting already and I think this has not been asked before :

Berries P3-P6 WOL (写作与口试班)
I think most of the comments here are about preschool or P1/P2. I would appreciate feedback from anyone regarding the above programme at Berries (P3-P6). How often and how effective are the oral practices ?