Halloween in Mandarin: When Learning Connects to Children’s Own Lives

This week, a little Halloween corner appeared at our reception desk. We didn’t set it up just to mark the season. We set it up so our students can feel how their learning connects with their own lives.

A language that belongs to their world

Children learning Chinese overseas often meet the language in a world that feels far away — the streets, daily life and culture of the textbook. All of that has its value. But a child is most motivated at the moment they discover that the words in front of them describe something they have lived themselves.

When language has somewhere to land, it stays. And when children have a real use for it, they are far more motivated to speak up and express themselves.

Halloween in our holiday program

In the holiday program that has just finished, our students read a text written especially for them: 万圣节的晚上 (“Halloween Night”).

The lively class discussions and the bright, clear sound of children reading aloud told us everything about the natural enthusiasm children bring to learning when it connects to their lives.

What this means for your child

Children learn best when the language belongs to their own world. This Halloween, try asking your child: how do you say “trick or treat” in Chinese?

Real Mandarin runs small-group Mandarin and English classes for children in Camberwell, Melbourne, aligned to the Victorian Curriculum and the VCE and IB pathways. If you’d like to find the right class for your child this term, book a free trial and pre-enrolment assessment, with no pressure.

Jingyi Jiang

Jingyi Jiang is the founder and director of Real Mandarin, a Mandarin and English tutoring school in Camberwell.