My Chinese Mischa

I am not an expert at learning different languages. I do know that learning a foreign language is really hard sometimes. I also know that learning a foreign language can be really fun. No, my daughter is not Chinese... but she'd like to think that she is. About 2 years ago my husband and I watched a movie that only spoke Chinese (Cantonese) and she was captivated by the language. Shortly after that movie I decided to teach her Mandarin and her joy for learning new words and phrases hasn't faded. (I chose Mandarin because my grandfather speaks it so it just seemed obvious.)
Below I am going to go over the variety of things I do to teach Mischa a language even when I don't know how to speak it that well. Hopefully, these things I do with her will spark ideas for you on how to reinforce any language that any child desires to learn.

First, I ought to point out that I do try to learn alongside her so we can try to have conversations. Only problem is I rarely remember the words well. Anyway, two programs I use for learning a foreign language are Rosetta Stone and Little Pim. Both of these immerse the learner with the language and teach them their second language in the same manner they learned their first. I recommend both because Mischa has learned from and likes both. I use these as my foreign language staples for Mischa. Some days Mischa will watch a Little Pim dvd and other days she will do a couple lessons on Rosetta Stone. Little Pim is for younger children so as she gets older I noticed her liking Rosetta Stone more. For instance, right now I am listening to her use Rosetta Stone in the other room and whenever she answers correctly I'll hear her whisper, "Yes!"

However, I have to admit, even though these are my main forms of curriculum and I know Mischa gets a lot from them they are not my only source. While these programs teach you the language they don't get you interested in the culture of that particular language. How is anyone, especially a child, supposed to continue to desire to learn a language when they don't even know about the people who speak it or the interesting culture that surrounds it?

Another way Mischa enjoys learning Chinese is through various youtube videos. I found a girl who teaches and is constantly posting new things about Mandarin and the Chinese culture on youtube. Mischa likes her and will watch her channel all day. I noticed you can find people teaching most languages on youtube. It's a great free resource for any child to have extra practice and gain a little extra pride in the language they are learning. Another thing I've looked up on youtube is shows in Mandarin Chinese. One of Mischa's favorite shows is called Qiau Hu. It's a little tiger show straight from China. Every now and then I'll let her watch a 30 minute episode- all in Chinese.

Also, since Mischa likes to sing lately, I've been finding Chinese children's songs and teaching her the words. I downloaded an app onto my phone that is just a bunch of songs in Mandarin and she will listen to it as we shop, drive, or just hang out around the house. Learning the songs actually comes much easier for her than it does me just as it would for most children. Mischa learned how to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in Mandarin just from listening to it however many times over a 1 or 2 week period. Songs are definitely one of Mischa's favorite ways to learn Chinese. She can sing the songs all day.

The last thing I do may seem strange but I do it anyway... I try to find Mandarin speakers for Mischa to communicate with. One main place I go to is a Chinese restaurant near our house owned by people who speak Mandarin. I think they enjoy the little blonde girl who is so interested in everything Chinese... except the food. Once she gets a bit older I hope to find a Mandarin teacher she can do lessons with... but for now I'll stick with the above.

So there you have it... how do I teach Mischa Chinese? I just throw a bunch of stuff out there for her and see what she catches. Even though she doesn't get every word and phrase perfect I'd say she is doing pretty good at picking it up just like any child would if they are given the chance.

Mischa singing a traditional Chinese song...

Breakdown:

1. Rosetta Stone

2. Little Pim

3. YouTube learning videos

4. Foreign Children's Shows

5. Foreign Children's Songs

6. Find Native Speakers

Basically, immerse them in that language. 

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions or comments feel free to comment and I'll get back to you. 

Happy Homeschooling!

~Mickaela