Princesses Learn Chinese, Our Free App!

As a family we are going to launch mid-September a free iPad, iPod and iPhone app, Princesses Learn Chinese.

Princesses Learn Chinese features a story-based approach, with games and songs, to expose children to Mandarin Chinese words and expressions.

Each story will have new Mandarin Chinese words, integrated in timeless tales. The stories are told by professional narrators, with classical music by Tchaikovsky (Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty).

The Chinese words in the story will be reinforced through games and songs. Our objective is to make it fun for children to learn their first words and expressions.

Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are the first books in the collection. The application is free, and the 1^st book is free. The other books will be available for purchase.

This is an exciting project for us. We hope to get your help and feedback to continue to inspire children to learn new languages.

Enjoy discovering Chinese with the Princesses!

A great example of parent commitment to teach a language

The 5 Questions: How do you inspire your children to learn a new language?

Profile: Jesse and children Ryan (6), Charlotte (2 ½) and Violette (2 months)

Location: San Francisco Area

Language learned with Mom and Dad: Mandarin Chinese

What do you do with your children to help them learn Mandarin?

I learned Mandarin in college, and my wife speaks it also (better than I do). English is my native language. Before Ryan went to pre-school, we spoke mainly in Chinese with him. We currently do the same with Charlotte.  Ryan split his time between Mandarin and English day care when he was younger, and now Charlotte attends all-Mandarin day care. Ryan just finished Kindergarten in a dual-language immersion school, about 50% Chinese 50% English and is going to continue his schooling there for the next year.

What are some of your favorite activities with the kids?

We enjoy organizing play dates with other Mandarin speaking kids, although sometimes they switch to English. So we also organize a gathering at one of the parents’ home, once a month. We have a chinese teacher over that helps with organizing chinese cultural activities. The children have fun discovering new things!

Besides that, our children enjoy cartoons in Mandarin, we listen to a lot of Mandarin (and some Taiwanese) kids' songs, and I have a subscription from Taiwan for Chao the Tiger (books, games, DVDs in Mandarin). They send fun materials over once a month.  Since we live in the Bay Area, we also have Mandarin television available, and both Ryan and Charlotte enjoy watching a Mandarin kids' show called Fruit and Ice Cream that's imported from Taiwan.

What is your #1 challenge? How do you try to overcome it?

The limits of my own mandarin skill as English is my native language. Right now I speak with him 70% in English and 30% in Mandarin. I keep to Mandarin for simpler everyday conversation. But I do worry whether I speak with the right particles of speech, or say things the way a native speaker would express themselves (as opposed to translating English diction).

Sometimes I use a translation app if I can't recall a word and want to say it to Ryan. We also go with Ryan to Chinese martial arts classes. It is only in Mandarin, and the teachers are from China.

What keeps you motivated?

I want to make it easier for my kids so that they do not have to struggle to learn Chinese as I did in college (laughs!)

I believe it will give them a more open mind and greater opportunities in the future.  I suspect it also strengthens brain development.

I would love at some point to take the family over to China and live there for a few years.

Do you have a piece of advice for other parents that want to raise their children bilingually?

It takes a lot of effort and a real time commitment! There is no real short cut. You have to really want it and to enjoy the journey.

7 Habits that will help your child become bilingual

Raising bilingual children starts with a few small steps, a few minutes per day. It should not be overwhelming. We are all busy and we are trying our best. Using everyday activities to teach a language is key. Integrating these habits into our week will generate huge language learning pay-offs. Just like compound interest.

The goal is to fit these habits into each day of the week, between 5 and 10 minutes at a time. You will get a sense of accomplishment by doing each of them with your children. When you look back at the week, you will feel pretty good.

7 habits – 1 per day - 5 to 10 minutes each:

-       Monday: Songs on the go. When you drop your kids off at school, listen to two songs in the car in the target language and sing them while driving. They will eventually start singing with you.

-       Tuesday: Breakfast tales. Have your son or daughter select her favorite story in the target language and read it to her while having breakfast together.

-       Wednesday: Play their favorite sport. If he or she likes soccer and you want your child to learn Spanish, pretend both of you are the 2 best Spanish soccer players.

-       Thursday: Cartoon night. Browse on YouTube and find a 10 minute cartoon to watch together in the language you are teaching.

-       Friday: Shopping day. Go to the corner store near your home. Take time to explain what you put in the cart in the target language.

-       Saturday: Let’s cook together. Have them repeat all the names of vegetables, fruit or other ingredients. Added bonus: not only do they learn a new language, they also take pride in eating what they cooked with you.

-       Sunday: Draw a picture. Recap the day and draw together a picture of an activity you did during the day. Describe the colors and shapes you draw in the target language.

What are the habits or fun activities you do for 10 minutes to teach a language to your children? Do you have a routine you do every day or every week?