I’m Betty, and I’m so glad that you’re here!
CHALK Academy is just me, my kids…and families that want to raise bilingual/multilingual children!
I love sharing ideas and resources that have helped us learn Chinese against the odds, and I hope they can bless your family, too.
How our language journey began
I’m a second-generation Chinese-American mom of a 7-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy. I’m married to my best friend, a Korean-American guy, and we are raising our kids in a small town in California.
Over the years, I’ve been a pediatrician, medical writer, piano teacher, and tutor for various subjects. But my favorite role is being my children’s teacher.
Since none of us are fluent in our heritage languages, you might be surprised that my children can speak Chinese fluently. When they were younger, they were also learning Korean.
One of my biggest childhood regrets was rejecting my Chinese heritage. When my parents passed away in my 20s, I forgot almost all Chinese that I had learned as a child.
Now as a parent, I appreciate culture and language and hope my kids can, too. When my daughter was 2 years old, I began to learn Chinese with her. Due to lack of community support and personal doubt, the first year was extremely difficult.
At that time, Chinese learning resources for were limited and unattractive. With my experience in teaching and content creation, I knew I had to follow my kids’ interests. By immersing my children in a prepared, multilingual learning environment with fun and relevant activities and media, Chinese has become our heart language.
About CHALK Academy
CHALK stands for Child-Led, Hands-on, Active Learning for Kids
In hopes of reducing obstacles for other busy families, it’s my passion to share our experiences, tips, and resources with you.
Since many Asian-Americans like myself failed to acquire the minority language through traditional methods, I believe the next generation can have a better chance at learning and embracing minority languages.
The website is organized into 6 main categories:
- Our family’s journey – reflections about raising a trilingual family; my children’s progress, challenges, and schedule; home organization
- Teaching tips for parents and teachers
- Educational activities organized by topic
- Chinese resources for kids
- Korean resources for kids
- Interviews with multilingual families
Celebrating minority languages
Since Chinese has been the main language that my children and I use together, most of the articles feature Chinese characters.
However, many tips and activities on this website can be adapted to other non-dominant languages.
Whenever possible, I try to include my children’s other languages, Korean and English.
Since Korean resources for overseas learners are relatively sparse on the internet, I hope to gradually add more to this website over time.
On the other hand, the internet is saturated with English resources, so I remain committed to prioritizing resources for our family’s minority languages.
Raising multilingual children – where do I even begin?
If this is your first time here, I want you to know how overwhelmed I felt at the beginning.
The feeling is normal and common, and I’m here to help.
I’ve written a number of guides on frequently asked questions which can jump-start your multilingual journey.
Before diving into language activities, books, and other resources, please review these guides on how to teach kids a second language at home:
- Tips on creating a multilingual learning environment
- Raising a Bilingual Baby: 5 Things Parents Should Do
- Teach Your Child a Second Language at Home with 5 Key Steps
- 10+ Ways to Find a Language Teacher for Your Child
- Raising Multilingual Children as a Non-Fluent Parent: 7 Lessons Learned
- Transitioning from Dominant to Minority Language
- 20+ Ways to Get Your Kids to Speak Chinese
- How To Learn Chinese as a Busy Parent: 10+ Strategies (This post focuses on how I have been learning Chinese)
- Teach kids how to read Chinese
- When and How to Introduce Chinese Characters to Kids?
- Memorize Chinese Characters with 5 Basic Tips
- 15 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read
- Create a Print-Rich Environment with Labels that Promote Literacy
- When Should My Child Learn Hanyu Pinyin?
- How I Taught My Child 1000+ Chinese Characters as a Non-Fluent Speaker
For an overview of fun Chinese activities for kids, please review our How-To Guide!
In addition, check out the FAQs!
Let’s raise multilingual kids together!
I’d love to learn more about your parenting and teaching experience and welcome all feedback.
Please me know if there are any printables, activities, or other advice you need.
If you’d like to get in touch, feel free to leave a message in the comments section or email me!
Due to high volume of inquiries, I am not able respond to each individual message. However, I read every note and will try my best to find a solution for you via social media, email newsletter, or a detailed post!
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Together, we can make Chinese language and culture a positive part of family life!
谢谢 ! Thank you!
For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me – Philippians 4:13