How I Taught My Kids Chinese
This post is for overseas families whose first language is not Cantonese but are hopeful that their children will learn it. I was in this exact position when we started our journey - a CBC (Canadian born Chinese) who has only spoken English my entire life who dreamed of having bilingual children. My kids and I have been on this journey for more than 5 years now and we have made so much progress! So here are my tips that has helped my family with our language learning adventure and I hope it inspires you to take on this journey!
One of the key methods that I used to get my kids learning Cantonese was by creating an immersive, language-rich Cantonese environment. Creating an immersive environment for Cantonese means creating an environment where there is a favourable condition to learn Cantonese. It does not necessarily mean that everything will be in Cantonese, especially in bilingual households. For us, that meant having a lot of Cantonese exposure through music, books and screen time. I strategically limited our exposure to English songs and screen time in favour for Cantonese. My kids knew and were aware of this strategy. We did speak and read in English - because I value connection and quite honestly an entire day in Cantonese as an English speaker would burn me out. We did what was manageable for our family.
You can create an immersive environment for Cantonese by:
- listening to Cantonese songs or podcasts
- sing Cantonese songs together
- reading/listening to books in Cantonese
- creating a print-rich environment with books or labels in Chinese
- watching Cantonese shows and movies
- playing Cantonese games and activities together
- arranging playdates with other Cantonese families
- arranging regular meet ups or calls with relatives that speak Cantonese
- making Cantonese apart of your daily routine
These are all things that you can do together and enjoy with your child to build the environment together. None of these include having Cantonese classes! My goal was to create a positive association to Cantonese. So we had a lot of fun with the things we did in Cantonese.
Consistency is key! This could be as short or as long as you can commit to. An example would be listening to one or two Cantonese songs every morning after or during breakfast, or reading a book in Cantonese every night at bedtime. You choose the time and activity that you can commit to on a daily basis. Start with one and over time you can add more or increase the duration.
For us, we read Chinese books together every day with our chameleon reader. We also listened to Cantonese songs daily. Every bit of exposure helps. At the beginning, my main focus was to get my kids listening and understanding Cantonese.
Resources to Creating an Immersive Cantonese Environment
I have created several blog posts highlighting different resources to learn Cantonese, many of which are free! Check out the posts below to find resources in the areas that you want to work on. If you are just starting out, start with just one thing, like listening to and singing songs. When you feel that you have gotten a good rhythm with those, add more Cantonese to your daily routine.
*NEW* – download our favourite resources for kids learning Cantonese in an easy to read pdf format.
Links provided for all the resources.
Our Favourite Cantonese Resources for Kids
Cantonese Classes
Cantonese classes are not necessary to create an immersive environment, but if you are in the position like me where you are not fluent and want your children to be immersed with the language with a native speaker on a regular basis, classes can help. I would opt for classes that are age appropriate with fun activities like singing, story telling and playing games together. My kids had fun in these classes and looked forward to them every week!
Here are some live zoom classes that my kids have personally enjoyed.
- Roundabout – a 30 minute class where children sing songs together
- Locy Lee Learning LLMC – a 30-45 minute class where children learn about music, sing songs and play games to learn about music. Bells and piano classes are additional add-ons to the 30 minute class
- Locy Lee Learning Sing & Speak – a 30 minute class where children learn everyday conversation and vocabulary through songs and games.
Cantonese Story Times Resources
You can also look for weekly story times. Some local libraries may offer this service on a weekly or monthly basis.
- Live Online Cantonese Story Time: Yuto | Cantonese in Ireland
- Read Alouds Videos: Cantonese
- Libraries with Cantonese Story Times: Toronto, ON | London, UK | San Francisco , CA | Melbourne, Australia
Toronto Public Library has a free program called “Dial-a-Story” where you can call a phone number and a story will be told over the phone. There are 16 languages available, including Cantonese. Click here for more info.
Creating a Print-Rich Environment & Activities
Even if reading Chinese characters is not apart of your goal, I found that having the Chinese characters visible was a helpful reminder to use Cantonese. I have personally created these printables to help my own family get started in learning Cantonese. I have included jyutping in a lot of my printables to help those who cannot read Chinese characters.
Routine Flashcards
Master these functional daily routine vocab with flashcards. Use them to create a schedule or display them in the area they will be used (i.e. “brush teeth” put in the bathroom).
Homeschool Schedule Cards
Create a homeschool schedule with these cards. It includes daily subjects such as math and science as well as preschool/kindergarten activities such as exploration time, outside time and crafts.
Cantonese Games
Learn how to play a variety of hand games (rock, paper, scissors) and group games (What time is it Mr. Wolf?) in Cantonese. Included are the game instructions with Cantonese dialogue for each game. These are fun for both little ones and school age kids.
Heart Messages
Start learning Cantonese on a positive note with these affirmation heart messages. There are 18 messages in total to build a child’s confidence.
Seasonal Scavenger Hunts
Take learning outside with these nature scavenger hunts. Kids will get fresh air and movement while learning Cantonese outdoors.
First Words Posters
Extend your child’s vocab with these first word posters. These are cute and colourful posters that are perfect for your playroom or as a book. Learn colours, numbers, seasons, weather, family and much more.
DIY Bilingual Busy Book
Learn about colours, numbers, seasons, weather and much more in this matching and interactive busy book. The vocabulary follows the First Words Posters but in a puzzle matching format. Download, print, and cut these for your child to play over and over again.
Parenting Resources to Learn Cantonese
Looking to brush up on parenting daily vocabulary, check out the following resources by Little Canto Learning and Mooliprint. These books cover every day vocabulary for communicating with your child as an infant to school age years. I have used both of these books to help me improve my Cantonese.
Daily Conversation at Home
This book includes jyutping pronunciation, basic grammar and phrases for: daily routine (getting up, brushing teeth, getting changed, hair, toilet, bath time, bed time), eating meals, homework, screentime, affirmations, working through conflicts and lots more.
Every Day Cantonese for Parents
This book includes jyutping or yale pronunciation, basic grammar and phrases for: daily routine (morning, feeding baby, breakfast, brushing teeth, getting washed and dressed), health and personal care (changing nappy, potty training, going to the toilet, bath time, feeling unwell, body), daily activities (weather, in the car, visiting friends, school, housework) and early learning and play (toys, reading together, at the park).
Now that you have the resources to get started, get to it! Again, consistency is key. Make this an enjoyable experience for your little ones and yourself! You got this!
Family Members or Trusted Mentor
A lot of the tips above are things that you can do as a parent to help build a connection to the Chinese language and your child. If you have other family members who can speak the language and are available to your child on a regular basis, that will definitely help! For us, that was their paternal grandma.
We are very fortunate that their grandma wanted to spend time with them every week. She played lots of games with them and chatted with them. They got along and there was no pressure on speaking Cantonese correctly - she did not overly correct them or criticize them. Since they learned so much Chinese in the above methods - they didn't need to solely rely on grandparents to teach them the language. They just had fun together and picked up things here and there through their conversations without any formal instructions from her. The best kind of learning is when you don't even realize you are learning.
Looking for more resources? Check out my other blog posts, my collection of free printable downloads and my store for more activities to add to your Cantonese adventure. Feel free to tag me on instagram @sweetnotelearning to share your journey with me.
contact: sweetnotelearning@gmail.com