Many mothers want their kids to learn English and learn Mandarin, but what is the best to develop bilingualism in young ones?

 

TEACH BOTH LANGUAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY. A little one has the inborn nature to learn English and learn Chinese. As such, young ones under three or four need not be able to distinguish which sentence is English and which is Mandarin. To naturally help child to build up the language logics, we need to teach them to express themselves in correct, fluent sentences in a conducive environment which will lead to successful bilingualism. Flashcards is also good tool to help children acquire the languages.

 

AVOID MIXING THE TWO LANGUAGES. When talking with children , consistently use language that is correct and standardized. To main the purity of each language, we should not mix both languages in a single sentence.

 

BUILD A CONDUCIVE HOME ENVIRONMENT. The most ideal home environment for bilingualism is to have someone talking with the little one wholly in English, and someone communicating with the little one wholly in Mandarin.

 

CHOOSE THE RIGHT SCHOOL. Some families lack the environment for bilingualism. Thus, selecting a good bilingual school for the child will be important. When learning a language, a little one requires more than one or two hours of lessons in class – the language environment in their daily lives also plays a big role. In class, children learn through nursery rhymes, songs and storybooks. Although most kids are able to read and speak Chinese, they are unable to communicate with others and express themselves appropriately in their daily lives. Therefore, when it comes to bilingual schools, mothers should evaluate the classroom lessons as well as the bilingual environment.

LOOK FOR ENRICHMENT CLASSES IN CHINESE. For a kid to master bilingualism, Chinese lessons alone may not achieve the best results. To balance children’s exposure to the two languages, parents can look for calligraphy, dance and music classes that are taught in Mandarin.

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