My husband and I are both Chinese (I am first generation and he is second) but we have an English-speaking household. It was a deliberate decision on our part because we want our children (all 3 of them – 6, 4, and 2 year old) to have their first language be English, as this is the language they will be using here in the US. However, once they have some grounding in English, we really want to give them the gift of a second language, Mandarin Chinese.

But, as a busy mom of three young children, I rarely have the time to sit-down one-on-one with each child to foster the love of a new language. However, to be fluent in a language, children need roughly 2 hours of exposure to the language a day. You ask… ‘How is a busy mom to accomplish this?’ I say, ‘By getting a little help from many of the materials and resources available out there.’

What has worked well for me is using whatever Chinese language TV programs designed for children I could find. (Though, some work better than others. The ones with a storyline are the favorites.) Using videos work for me because I don’t get grumbling about having to “learn Chinese”. My kids get exposure to the language, they think they are getting a treat (because they only get between 20-40 minutes of TV a day), and I can get dinner on the table! It’s a win/win solution!

My husband also gave me a suggestion. Have a lot of Chinese material around. His logic is that if the materials are around, the kids will stumble upon them. I have to say that he is correct! Shocking! I have added quite a number of Chinese language DVDs, CDs, and books to my collection and the kids do find them and learn from them! Chinese songs on CDs have worked great in the car. We don’t listen to them all the time, but the kids do ask for them! Amazing!

I am of the philosophy that some Chinese is better than no Chinese. Do your best and that is all you or your children can ask for.

Min Tung

Min Tung is the founder of Mandarin Advantage (www.MandarinAdvantage.com). They develop educational materials to teach children Mandarin Chinese. The first DVD is Journeys to the East – The River Dragon King available at My Panda Paws!