Any serious learner in a secondary Chinese tuition class in Singapore is always looking for shortcuts to fluency. And if you’re like me—starting with Chinese, have been studying for a while, or are even just considering it, you will find helpful ideas and resources in this article to ease your way.
Use the following advice to learn Chinese quickly and effectively.
1. Pay More Attention to Phrases Than to Words
In my experience during a Chinese enrichment class, a common mistake is to focus solely on vocabulary. While learning new words is a good step toward mastering a language, it is useless without the ability to put those words into context.
2. Watch Chinese TV Shows
At first, it was challenging for me to make sense of a single word in my Chinese enrichment class. However, as I watch more and more shows with Chinese subtitles, I start to recognise individual words and begin to grasp their meaning. Hence, have your kid use a Chinese composition book to practise writing each character several times if there are any words they still don’t get.
3. Enter a Chinese Conversation
I practised testing my Mandarin vocabulary during conversations. Learning the appropriate Chinese characters to use in response to a question or statement can be honed through conversation. That’s what they teach at a Chinese enrichment class for high school students. They encourage the students to communicate with one another in Chinese.
4. Limit Your Focus Time
Attempting to juggle too many tasks at once will only lead to frustration and the temptation to give up. If I were you, you should pick something you’re interested in learning more about in-depth, and make that your primary focus until you’ve mastered it. In addition, if you’re aware of multiple areas needing improvement, focus on just one for the time being. As you succeed there, you can shift your focus to another place where you’re having trouble. This development will help you become more proficient in general as you tackle your secondary Chinese tuition lessons in Singapore.
5. Add Chinese Labels to Home Objects
Adding labels around the house is one way that helped me learn Chinese characters. Therefore, by using this technique with your child—they become accustomed to looking at the tags and will read them unconsciously before using the objects.
6. Listen to Chinese Songs
The same holds if your kid is into Chinese music. And when I started learning with a Chinese playgroup in Singapore—mastering Mandarin sounds aided in both my memorisation and comprehension, as it is a tonal language.
7. Find Other Activities that Combine Mandarin Skills
To become fluent in a language, you must practise all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. While honing these skills as an individual is essential, so is developing them in concert.
I looked for things to do that urged me to use more than one skill. Reading aloud was a great way to hone my reading and public speaking skills in my Chinese enrichment class. Additionally, combine your listening and writing practice by taking notes on your favourite podcast or movie. To improve your reading and writing skills, read a sentence and rewrite it on a separate piece of paper.
If you’re looking for enrichment classes for toddlers in Singapore, visit Edugrove for extensive info.
