Fun and Educational Chinese Reading Activities: A How-To Guide

Looking for FUN ways to teach your child how to read Chinese?  Don’t have much time?  Here is our family’s guide to simple, child-led, and educational Chinese literacy activities. This Chinese activities guide is for parents raising multilingual children, as well as language teachers for kids.

Fun and Educational Chinese Activities: A How-To Guide

Hands-on activities are key to building a curious, well-rounded child who is enthusiastic about learning how to read Chinese!

The best educational experiences engage many senses and provide context for the material at hand.  Therefore, new Chinese characters will be linked with fun memories.

In general, the ideal activity is:

1. Quick and easy to set up
2. Free, upcycled, or inexpensive
3. Reusable (eg, can repeat for review)
4. Sparking discussion in Chinese
5. Promoting literacy
6. Fun, fun, fun!

WHO can take part?

Preschoolers, elementary school-aged children, and adults!  There’s no upper age limit.

Adult supervision is recommended for all activities, and parental participation makes the experience extra meaningful!

WHAT kind of activities should we do?

Check out our hands-on activities for ideas on how play, games, art, and crafts can encourage Chinese dialogue and teach Chinese reading.  The activities are categorized by subject.

Show your child pictures of different activities and ask which one he or she would like to try!  The ideal activity for each kid depends on their personality and developmental level.

WHERE should we do the activities?

Set up a “Chinese Activities Station” in your home! Here are some ideas for creating an accessible area for Chinese learning:

• Activities on a desk or table.
• Activities in the corner of a room, such as a playroom or living room.
• Activities on trays on a bookcase, inspired by Montessori schools.
• Activities outside if you need some fresh air!

WHEN is the best time to do activities?

The ideal time will vary from family to family; do what’s best for your schedule!

When my kids were younger, and I worked during the day, I would brainstorm and set up activities after my kids went to bed.

In the morning, my children would be curious and want to check out what’s new!

However, sometimes, they would not be interested right away. And that was okay! I would try to introduce the activity, but if they still weren’t interested, I would leave the activities on the trays and see if they come back to it another time.

As for frequency, the right amount really depends on your family and how busy you are. Some weeks, my kids only do one new activity, and some days we do a bunch!

So….HOW exactly do we get started?

If your child is starting to learn Chinese, I suggest beginning with an activity that teaches a simple Chinese character with materials that you already have at home.  Build anticipation and tell your child you have a surprise planned for today’s Chinese lesson!

Here are five super-simple starter activities for beginners

• Form Chinese Words with Playdough:  A sensory activity that can teach basic Chinese characters
• Chinese Hopscotch and Other Sidewalk Chalk Activities:  Exercise, play, and reading practice all in one!
• DIY Cardboard Roll Projector Word Shadow Show: A fun way to mix science and Chinese learning!
• Chinese Character Sticker Tracing:  An interactive way to engage with Chinese characters by focusing on each stroke!
• Sun & Moon Paint Stamp – An activity with recycled paper rolls that focuses on 日 (rì / sun) and 月 (yuè / moon)

But before you dive in, let me share these important tips:

• Be flexible with your expectations.  It might take a little trial and error to figure out which activities piqué your child’s interest.
• Make sure the activity is developmentally appropriate.  Don’t push them to memorize complex characters or give them tools (eg, chopsticks) that they can’t manipulate yet.
• Adapt the activity to your child’s level.  Most activities can be adjusted to focus on one simple character or more complex sentence building.
• HAVE FUN!  Your participation shows that you care about this language and sharing the learning experience!

Which Chinese activities will your family do first? 

Please share in the comments below! We’d love to learn about your family’s experience.