Children love looking through pictures, which was the inspiration behind our vocabulary section. It is set up like a scrapbook with polaroid photos that your child can look through and tap on to hear the vocabulary word. Why not turn it into a fun activity and look through the photos together?
Here are some engaging question examples you can ask your child that will help reinforce his English and Mandarin vocabulary. Keep in mind that you don’t have to constrain the activity to the iPad. Use toys, props and movement along with the vocabulary to keep your child connected.
friend • péng yǒu
Doudou is Miaomiao’s best friend. Who is your best péng yǒu? Does she have big brown ears like Doudou? No? What kind of ears does your friend have?
Does your péng yǒu bark? How about wag his tail?
Children love mashups, and asking silly questions while using the vocabulary will keep your child laughing and encouraged to use the words.
play • wán shuǎ
If I could play anywhere, I would play on the moon with moon bunnies! Where would you wán shuǎ? Who would you take with you? How would you play?
pool • yóu yǒng chí
I would fill my yóu yǒng chí with gummy bears so I can swim in them and eat them at the same time! What would you fill your pool with?
If you find that a Mandarin word is hard to pronounce, ask your child to teach it to you — they’d be happy to take on the responsibility. In fact, you can turn it into a classroom role-playing game where you’re the student, and your child is the teacher.
Feel free to change the questions and format as you see fit. The important thing is that both you and your child have a great time socializing!
For more preschool vocabulary in English and Mandarin, check out our Miaomiao apps. We mix fun games and adorable animations with learning and repetition to introduce preschoolers to beginner Mandarin.
