Writing Chinese with Food

Sensory play + Chinese writing!

I have a drawer with expired, dry pasta and beans dedicated for sensory play.  When I need to cook dinner or take care of the baby, I set out a large aluminum mixing bowl and a bag of uncooked pasta.  My daughter picks out some cups and scoops and voilà – 30 minutes of quiet time while she peacefully scoops, pours, digs, sorts, and count!

To promoted self-directed literacy, I printed out the Chinese characters of the food names 豆 (dòu / bean) and 面 (miàn / pasta), and my daughter kept herself busy “writing” each word!

This activity is fun, very easy to set up, and involves all senses!

You can also practice counting number of beans or seeds per character and compare which character has more!

Explore this: How I Taught My Child 1000 Chinese Characters as a Non-Fluent Speaker

Important vocabulary

1. 豆 (dòu / bean)
2. 面 (miàn / pasta)

What you need:

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1. Dried pasta and beans
2. Block character templates (free download – simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese)
3. Optional
   1. Laminator and laminating pouches for repeat use
   2. Spoons and tongs to vary fine motor activities

Note: If your child is just learning these Chinese characters for the first time, I recommend printing out the characters in regular, solid font.

In contrast to block font, solid Chinese characters provide more visual input to what the character is.  Some children can recognize the outlines of Chinese characters quickly, but others may find it too difficult.

What to do:

1. Fill the inside of the character with the related food
2. For older kids, can add arrows to show stroke order
3. Use tongs and scoops for added fine motor fun!
4. Count number of pieces in each character for more learning!

If you try this activity, please let us know in the comments below! What age(s) are your kid(s), and how did it go? We’d love to hear about your learning experience!