Chinese Mandarin for Children

Interest in Mandarin is soaring in New Zealand, as more and more people realise the importance of China as a trading partner.  Now this might not seem particularly relevant to 7 or 8 year-olds, but in ten years’ time they may well see things differently.   Schools are starting to catch on to the importance of Mandarin, but there is a shortage of suitable teachers, and provision is patchy.  This may be your best opportunity of introducing your child to Mandarin.

While it’s true that the writing system of Chinese is tricky, the spoken language – which is what we concentrate on – is really not that hard.   Children will have great fun with the four tones which are at the heart of the sound pattern, and will soon pick up an impressive basic vocabulary!  If they are then able to continue to learn Mandarin later, they won’t be put off by the image of difficulty which the language sometimes has for adult learners!  Euroasia’s children’s courses in Mandarin are a great first step.