Being able to speak and read Mandarin is seen as being of increasing strategic importance. As the Chinese economy continues its rapid growth, and Chinese businesses are looking abroad for more opportunities, knowing Chinese can be an extra boost to one’s professional life.

Singaporean parents are encouraged to help their children learn Chinese, or their mother tongue better, to tap the economic opportunities of fast-growing Asia. However, children need to enjoy learning a new language and a child may not appreciate the worth of learning Chinese for their future career.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong pointed out in 2019 that 71%of Chinese households with primary aged schoolchildren speak mostly English at home today, up from 42% two decades ago. For children whose parents do not speak Chinese, will often only have the opportunity to speak in Mandarin during Chinese lessons in school. Even in Chinese lessons, most people still continue to speak in English.

When it comes to language learning, there are different levels and methods to consider. This is especially true for children who can lose interest quickly and turn their attention to new things.

In My Childhood Place Student Care Centre, we help students to grow their Chinese skills by arousing their interest and giving them the confidence to speak, listen and write the language.

In our Student Care Centre, we encourage children to do the following:

1. Improve their handwriting by systematically practising and preparing them for their school spelling test (TingXie). This increases a child’s confidence and good results motivates a child to continue to learn.
2. Using media that is pre-screened by our teachers such as Chinese YouTube channels from native speakers, including interesting cartoons and documentaries suitable for primary students.
3. We speak in Mandarin to those children, who do not have a chance to speak Mandarin at home, to improve their conversation skills.