Mini-Book 7- 動物護照 (Animal Passport)

動物護照 (Dòng Wù Hù Zhào, Animal Passport)- I'm branching out a bit and trying something new.  This is actually a project that I have wanted to do with my own kids (ages 5 and 7).  It is a "passport" listing some of the animals at the zoo.  The book is designed to reinforce some of the animal names they already know (but haven't learned to read yet) and to introduce some new words.  It is not a teaching book; any learning the kids do will be a result of hearing the words over and over again as they are used while at the zoo.

Inside the book are 14 animals names and the corresponding animal stickers.  As the kids travel through the zoo, the animal stickers can be placed next to the correct Chinese name.

HAVE FUN!

Notes on Printing-

• Printing a file makes 2 copies of a passport.
• The passport is simply much more cooler if the cover (first page) is printed in color on white card stock.
• When you print the animal stickers, print them on Avery Shipping Labels 48863.  They can be found in the office section of large retailers.
• After printing the animal stickers, cut the stickers into sections of 2*2 pictures so that the sections fit the dimensions of the passport book and you can staple the stickers into the book.

Click here for a Video Tutorial.

動物護照- traditional characters with 注音符號

動物護照- simplified characters with 漢語拼音 (Hànyǔ pīnyīn) 
Animal Stickers
 

Halloween Vocabulary & Halloween Bingo

I know that Halloween is not a traditional Chinese holiday, but it's a plethora of vocabulary that kids will enjoy learning.  And, because stores start advertising Halloween in September, they'll have lots of opportunities to practice the vocabulary!  So, if your planning on introducing this topic, here's some flashcards and a Bingo game to get you started.

*Note- Consider cutting out the flashcards and posting them around your house, pocketing them when going for a walk, and even keeping a set in your car.  This way if you see a Halloween decoration or costume, you'll be able to talk about it using your new vocabulary!  Also, I've created 6 Bingo boards below.  If you need more, have Learners cut out their own flashcards and tape them to a blank sheet to create an infinite number of boards.

Flashcards- traditional characters with 注音符號
Flashcards- simplified characters with 漢語拼音 (Hànyǔ Pīnyīn)
Bingo- traditional characters with 注音符號
Bingo- simplified characters with 漢語拼音 (Hànyǔ Pīnyīn)
Bingo- no characters

Guess Who- Faces

Here's a fun little game that can be used in several different ways.  I've listed them in order based on Chinese skill level with the easiest being first and the hardest one listed last.

You could adapt this game to practice just about any adjectives/description-words in combination with any appropriate objects/nouns.  In the pre-made board below, I focused on the following vocabulary:

• Body Parts
• 眼睛 (yăn jīng, eyes)
• 鼻子 (bí zi, nose)
• 嘴吧 (zuĭ ba, mouth)
• 耳朵 (ěr duo, ears)
• 頭髮 (tóu fa, hair)
• Descriptive Words (Adjectives)
• Colors
• 紅色 (hóng sè, red)
• 黃色 (huáng sè, yellow)
• 綠色 (lǜ sè, green)
• 藍色 (lán sè, blue)
• 黑色 (hēi sè, black)
• Short/Long  
• 短 (duǎn, short (for hair))
• 長 (cháng, long(for hair))  
• Big/Little
• 
  大 (dà, big)
• 小 (xiǎo, little)
• Shapes
• 彎彎的 (wān wān de, bent/curvy)
• 圓圓的 (yuán yuán de, circle/round)
• 方方的 (fāng fāng de, square)
• 尖尖的 (jiān jiān de, pointed)
• Grammar
• I also created some faces with missing body parts in order to provide an opportunity for my kids to practice the 有沒有 (yŏu méi yŏu, have/don't have) grammar structure that they have already practiced.

After you have learned several adjectives and body parts you are ready to play this game of Guess Who.  The board I created practices body parts, shapes, short/long, small/big, and have/doesn't have.

1.  The teacher describes a body part and the student points to a face that matches the description.  Use the pre-made board from below.  This level allows the student to hear the Chinese vocabulary and associate it with the correct picture.  Use this level if your student is too young to draw accurately.
2.  The teacher describes a body part and the student draws that body part.  Use the blank board from below.  This level allows the student to hear the Chinese vocabulary and associate it with the correct picture.
3.  The student describes a body part (blue eyes) and the teacher draws that body part.  Use the blank board from below.  This level allows the student to practice basic vocabulary without any focus on grammar.
4.  Like "Guess Who," the student secretly chooses a face from the pre-made board.  The teacher asks questions to try to determine which face the student picked.  This level allows the student to hear how to formulate questions in Chinese and models the vocabulary.
5.  Like "Guess Who," the the teacher secretly chooses a face from the pre-made board.  The student asks questions to try to determine which face the teacher picked.  This is the hardest level because the student must ask the question using Chinese.  (The teacher might choose to focus just on the target vocabulary and not worry about the student getting the Chinese grammar correct.  Instead, the teacher can model the correct model back to the student before answering the question.)

Guess Who- Faces, Blank Board
Guess Who- Faces, Pre-made Board

Hot and Cold Game

In the familiar version of this game, an object is hidden from one child and his friends watch him/her bumble around the room trying to find it.  The friends give the person who is "It" clues such as "You're getting warmer" when the person is getting closer to finding the object, and clues like "You're freezing" when the person who is "It" is very far away.

In this Chinese classroom version, one child is still "It" but instead of his/her friends giving clues such as hot/cold, the friends chant the name of the object hidden (or of the target vocabulary word on a hidden flashcard).  As the person who is "It" gets closer to the hidden object/flashcard, the children chant louder and louder.  And as the person who is "It" gets farther away, the children chant softer and softer.

What a great game to get the kids to practice saying the target vocabulary!  Kids remember better when they are having fun!  Also, this is a nice game for helping quiet kids find their voice in the classroom.

I must acknowledge that Nicholas O'Brien, from Kalona Elementary, Iowa showed me this game (here's his blog).

Clapping Game

Clapping Game- Here is a wonderful game to use with young kids who are learning new vocabulary.  What's really nice about this game is that every kid can participate at the same time and they are all actively engaged in the activity.  In addition, this is a great way to encourage children to say new vocabulary several times (which can help them memorize the target).  Not to mention, this is a great way to get quiet kids to practice saying the vocabulary as well.  I picked this up from Mr. Nicholas O'Brien who is the Chinese language instructor at Kalona Elementary, Iowa (here's a link to his blog).

Here's how to play the game- Create a set of flashcards.  You can use a picture of the target vocabulary or the Chinese character.  Make sure the cards are large enough that the whole class can see the picture/character.  Show the class one of the flashcards and say the name of the picture/character.  Have the kids repeat it back to you several times.  Then ask them to chant the name as you mix the target card back into the deck.  Next, hold up one card after another.  Tell them to clap/applaud when they see the target card.

What Does the Wind Blow?- Game

My understanding (and please, correct me if I'm wrong) is that 吹什麼吹? (Chuī shénme chuī?, What does the wind blow?) is a traditional Chinese children's game.  It is similar to musical chairs in that there is a ring of chairs and one child sits in each chair.  There is another child that stands in the middle with no chair.  The child in the middle says, "大風吹," (Dà fēng chuī, A big wind blows) and the children sitting in the chairs respond, "吹什麼吹?" (Chuī shénme chuī?, What does the wind blow?).  The child in the middle then calls out something that some of the children have in common like a color.  For instance, if the child in the middle called out "藍色," (Lán sè, blue) then every child wearing blue would stand up and try to get to a different chair.  The child in the middle will also find an empty chair so that (hopefully) a new child is left in the middle standing and the game begins again.

This game helps to develop listening skills and practices target vocabulary.  Colors and clothing are natural vocabulary to use with this game, but you could also get creative and call out things like, "有第第得人." (Yǒu dì'dì dé rén, (People that) have a younger brother.)  You could also pass out papers with the target vocabulary (for example, 在, 是, 很 (zài, shì, hěn, to be at, to be, very).  Just be sure each vocabulary word is passed out at least twice.

Travel Bingo

Here's a way to practice Chinese in the car- Travel Bingo!  Print of one of the sheets below and then have your child look for the various items on his/her sheet.  Reminder him/her to call out the items as he/she sees them so you can verify it's correct.  Then let your child cross it off her sheet.  Try to find three in a row (up and down, across, or diagonal) or try to find everything on the sheet.

Here's several options for checking off the items.

• Reusable:
• Place sheet on a small magnetic board and use large (kid-safe) magnets to check off various items.
• Place sheet inside a plastic coat and use a dry erase marker.
• Got an iPad?  Save your Bingo card as a pdf file and then open it on your iPad using the app "pdf-notes."  It's free!
• One-Time Use:
• Check it off with a marker directly onto the sheet.

Travel Bingo- Blank  Draw in your own items to be found around town.  Don't forget to include the Chinese characters at the bottom (This is good exposure even if your child isn't reading yet!) and the pronunciation guide if they have learned that.

Stuck for ideas?  Check out the examples below:
Travel Bingo-Sample with 注音符號
Travel Bingo- Sample with 漢語拼音 (Hànyǔ Pīnyīn)

Ni Hao Kai-lan

Ni Hao Kai-lan is a good resource for young children who are just being introduced the Chinese.  Not only is some Chinese introduced, there is also an attempt to familiarize viewers with the Chinese culture and traditions.  Check out the website for a complete list of the activities they have available.

朋友, Friend

Try learning this Sesame Street song and substituting the word 朋友(péngyǒu, friend) for amigo.  My preschoolers love this!

朋友, 朋友, another word for friend.

Come with me, 朋友. There's lots of time that we can spend.

Together, 朋友. We'll have a lot of fun.

It's so nice feeling friendly towards someone.

(Refrain:)  La-la La-la La-la La-la La-la 朋友

A-La-la La-la La-la.La-la. I like you.

A-La-la La-la La-la.La-la.You're friendly.

A-La-la La-la la. 朋友

朋友朋友, come on and take my hand.

A friend is a good thing.

A friend can really understand.

And wherever we go, we'll each have someone near.

 朋友 I'm so happy that you're here.

(Repeat Refrain)

So let's you and me go a'running down the hill.

Make wishes, catch fishes.

Or sit awhile and just be still.

I need a 朋友 and I can be one too.

朋友 I'm so glad that I have you.

(Repeat Refrain)

朋友, 朋友!

Measure Word List

Chinese uses something call Measure Words (MW).  MW are the classifiers stuck between "the number of something" and "the noun."  For example,  in English we say "four grains of rice."  If we said "four rice," we would have left out the classifier that is necessary for proper English grammar.  As I said before, Chinese also uses MW; however, unlike English, Chinese uses MW everywhere!  Every Chinese noun has a MW.  Chinese employes several dozen measure words; it takes finesse to use them properly.  When you are unsure which MW to use, you can rely on this one basic rule to get you through:

When in doubt, use 個 (gè).

There are some imprecise rules governing the pairing of MW to nouns.  You can view them at Wikipedia.

For precise MW usage for a particular noun, I recommend checking with a dictionary such as YellowBridge.com.  Please, keep in mind that different regions sometimes use different MW to express the same idea (for example, see the MW for apple listed below).

And, because like you I sometimes need a quick "Go To" page to find a MW I know I've looked up before, below is a list of MW I've used recently.
apple- 顆 (kē) OR 個 (gè)

animals, in general- 隻 (zhī)
banana, a single- 根 (gēn)
bananas, a bunch of- 串 (chuàn)
flower, single- 朵 (duǒ)
grapes, a single- 個 (gè)
grapes, a bunch- 串 (chuàn)
moon- 個 (gè)
orange- 顆 (kē)
peach- 顆 (kē)
people- 個 (gè)
stars- 顆 (kē)
tomato- 顆 (kē)
umbrella- 把 (bǎ, used in mainland China) OR 支 (zhī, used in Taiwan)
watermelon- 顆 (kē)

Balloon Extravaganza

Balloon Extravaganza- I just tried this one with with a group of kids ranging in age from 4-6 years and it went really well.  Blow up a bunch of balloons; we had 10 balloons for 7 kids.  Then, use a thick permanent marker to write a Chinese character along with the pronunciation. 

If you are teaching colors, think about whether you want the color of the balloon to match the character.  For kids who are learning color vocabulary, color-coding the balloons may be a great idea; however, if you are targeting reading skills, you should avoid matching the names of the colors with the same colored balloon.

Have your kid hit the balloons into the air until you say "stop."  Then ask them to pick up one balloon and read it.

Ridiculously simple, but a lot of fun!  Best of all, you can have many repetitions and get lots of practice in while playing this "game."

Venn Diagram, Who Live in Water & Who Lives on Land?

Venn Diagram, Who Live in Water & Who Lives on Land?-  This is a cute idea to help review animal names and the characters 水 (shuǐ; water) and 土 (tǔ; land).  It also introduces the character 都 (dōu; both).  Cut and paste animals into the correct section in the diagram.  Who lives in water; who lives on land; who can do both?  The pictures and the idea come from http://kinder-pond.blogspot.com/. I've adapted it to make it Chinese friendly.