When it comes to learning a second language, it’s always best for children to start doing so at a young age…
Mandarin is one of the most popular languages that children are learning in school. Aside from it being the compulsory Mother Tongue Language subject for ethnic Chinese students in government schools, Mandarin is also a popular second language choice among international school students in Singapore. As with all languages, it’s best to get your kids to start learning it from a young age – and there’s no better time to start than during their preschool years.
Here are some reasons why your kid should get a head start in Mandarin from preschool
1. Kids are more adept at picking up a second language before six or seven years-old
There is research that shows that a child’s second language acquisition skills peak at or before the age of six or seven. Should your child be interested in learning Mandarin, it’s best to do so during their preschool years as that’s when it’s easiest for them to pick it up. Learning Mandarin during preschool years will also prove super helpful for students who will be studying it as their Mother Tongue Language subject in primary and secondary school, providing them with a strong foundation in the basics of the language.
2. It increases their opportunities as they grow older
Not only is it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world (1.3 billion speakers!), Mandarin is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Hence, giving your kid an early head start in learning Mandarin also gives them an added edge when it comes to future education and career opportunities.
3. An opportunity to really learn about another culture
Language is culture – when your kid is learning Mandarin, they are also learning about Chinese culture. For ethnic Chinese students, this helps them to understand and connect with their roots. On the other hand, this also gives non-Chinese students a chance to learn and appreciate another culture.
How to help your kids pick up Mandarin when they’re young
Whether you’re a fluent Mandarin speaker or not, teaching a child a whole new language isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s best to enlist the help of professionals, which we as parents can support by making the learning experience enjoyable too.
Parents can try out LingoAce, a global edutech platform that delivers authentic, engaging, and effective language learning to children. It offers online Mandarin learning programmes for children as young as three years-old, which covers 70% of the Chinese characters and more than 25 key sentence structures that students are required to know at Primary One level.
The programmes are taught by native Mandarin speakers, all of whom have more than three years of teaching experience. The online lessons are conducted in a live one-to-one format, so that the teachers can tailor them according to each student’s learning pace. Each lesson is also fixed at 25 minutes for preschool learners, as this is found to be the optimum learning duration according to the attention span of children aged three to six.
LingoAce also automatically records each lesson, so you can revise and review your kids’ lessons together with them after every class. You will also receive a personalised lesson report to keep track of your kid’s learning progress.
Last but not least, the programmes include gamification elements that are engaging for preschool children. This allows them to learn through play, which makes lessons super effective and fun at the same time!
Sounds interesting? You can sign up for a FREE trial class!
If you are keen but still unsure if your child should embark on Chinese-learning in preschool, fret not! The great thing about LingoAce is that all new students are eligible for a free trial class, and parents will receive an assessment report to understand your kids’ strengths and areas of improvement.
To find out more about LingoAce, book a free trial with them today!
This post is in partnership with LingoAce