• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GO TO EXPAT LIVING SINGAPORE
GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Expat Living Hong Kong HomepageExpat Living Hong Kong

Moving to Hong Kong and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Hong Kong.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living In Hong Kong
      • Living Here
      • Where To Live
      • Schools
      • For Guys
        • Win a dinner for 2 at Basin (worth $2,000)
        • SCMP Posties summer camps - journalismInteractive camps for budding journalists – and more!
        • Exciting summer programmes for kids – in HK and abroad!
        • Horoscopes for June 2023!
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things To Do
      • What’s On/Calendar
      • Competitions & Offers
        • Designing Circularity ExhibitionTop 35 Best Things To Do In Hong Kong This Weekend
        • Horoscopes for June 2023!
        • 10 things about the Dragon Boat Festival 
        • What to watch this month – Netflix & more!
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Activities & Things To Do
      • Education & Enrichment
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mums & Babies
      • Podcasts
        • SCMP Posties summer camps - journalismInteractive camps for budding journalists – and more!
        • Exciting summer programmes for kids – in HK and abroad!
        • International schools in Hong Kong - HKABest International Schools In Hong Kong, Primary to Secondary
        • Choosing a university and finding the right fit
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Décor
      • Readers Homes
        • BoConcept Danish furniture and interior design services in Hong Kong - roomsetBoConcept celebrates a decade in Hong Kong!
        • Home design and décor tips - ginger jarsHow to bring your living room to life!
        • Rebecca, Brian and daughter Billie in their newly renovated Fortress Hill homeTransforming a Hidden Gem in Fortress Hill
        • Horizon Plaza stores - Indigo Living Boston Brownstone CollectionOur guide to furniture shopping at Horizon Plaza
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Short Breaks
      • Further Afield
        • Pets and Planes: 5 Things to Consider
        • Sri Lanka - Where to go for a girls tripWhere to go for a girls’ trip
        • Best Surf Breaks in Southeast Asia - padang padangBest Surf Breaks in Southeast Asia
        • Outdoor activities in Hong Kong - hikingOutdoor activities for all the family
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Recipes & Groceries
      • Bars & Restaurants
        • Win a dinner for 2 at Basin (worth $2,000)
        • Beef & Liberty burgers in Hong Kong - Falafel burgerTaste Test Burger Edition #1 Beef & Liberty
        • Seafood restaurant in Hong Kong - Lobster Shack4 restaurants to satisfy your cravings
        • Taste Test: Chinese Cuisine in HK
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • hair treatment at Glow Salon in Hong Kong4 hairdressers and their styling solutions
        • Considering getting hair extensions?
        • Paraben-free skincare for men
        • Skincare anti-ageing products, overnight creams, face and eye serumsTried and Tested: Anti-ageing Products 
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Medical & Dental
      • Fitness
      • Wellness
        • 11 great gyms & studios to keep in shape
        • recurrent miscarriages – causes, risk factors, ivf treatmentHealth help: A focus on recurrent miscarriage
        • lung cancer - symptoms and treatmentLung Cancer: 8 Common Myths
        • Osteopathy in Hong KongOsteopathy for Body Aches & Pains
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • Magazine
    • Advertise With Us
    • Close

How to encourage your child to speak Mandarin at home

23 November, 2016 by Expat Living 2 Min Read

https://expatliving.hk/how-to-encourage-your-child-to-speak-mandarin-at-home/

As a parent of a bilingual child and a language teacher with many years of experience, PEILIN LEE, founder and managing director of Jumpstart Mandarin has some tips for helping children with their Mandarin learning at home.

 

Learn Mandarin in Hong Kong

 

To be or not to be…

With Mandarin being taught in most schools in Hong Kong, it’s not unusual to find parents who are grappling with the idea of having to help their kids with this new language at home. Here are five things you need to be when raising Mandarin-speaking children in a non-Mandarin speaking environment.

 

#1 Be prepared

This is a long and ongoing process, especially for the families that don’t have a Chinese background. If you’d like your child to be fluent in Mandarin, make your plans as early as possible (even from the newborn stage).

 

#2 Be consistent

If you’re a Mandarin-speaking parent, stick to the language when you speak to your child. Your child will register and identify you as the provider of Mandarin, and it will become the only language used when you interact with each other. My daughter speaks English with my husband at home, and with her teachers and classmates at school, but only Mandarin with me. Therefore, I have to be aware that when she talks to me, English doesn’t creep into our conversations, as it will eventually take over if we aren’t consistent.

 

lf-jumpstart-hong-kong

 

#3 Be resourceful

If you’re not a Mandarin speaker, set up a daily routine for your child to practice Mandarin at home, and stick to your schedule. For example: listening to Mandarin audio programmes in the morning, flashcard practice after dinner, or singing Mandarin songs before bedtime. You may even learn some of the language yourself!

 

#4 Be supportive

Even if you and your spouse do not speak Mandarin, you can still maximise your child’s exposure to the language in their daily life. Other than the tuition your child is getting from the school or outside language centres, there are many things you could do at home to help out: for example, watch TV cartoons that can be switched to Mandarin; play Mandarin computer games or apps; enjoy playdates with Chinese friends; have a Chinese pen pal. Even going on a Mandarin camp in China could be a good choice for older children. Children need to feel they have all the support and assistance from home in planning their Mandarin learning.

 

#5 Be persistent

Try not to stop or take a break from your child’s Mandarin learning. Once you do it, you’ll likely have to start from the beginning again, and you may miss that “golden period”. (According to some research, a child’s ability to learn a new language or skill starts to decline from around the age of seven.)

 

To find out more about Jumpstart’s classes for children from 18 months to 11 years of age in Sai Kung and Hang Hau, visit Jumpstart

Categories: Kids Living In Hong Kong Schools

Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox
Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox

You May Also Like

10 things about the Dragon Boat Festival 

Hong Kong based author M.L. Wright at book signing of White Glove Life

Meet the Author: M. L. Wright

BoConcept Danish furniture and interior design services in Hong Kong - roomset

BoConcept celebrates a decade in Hong Kong!

Primary Sidebar

  • COMPETITIONS & OFFERS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Expat Living Hong Kong, All Rights Reserved.