Writing, documenting and creating memories through travel scrapbooking in Japan
Introduction During our winter trip to Japan this time as a mother of two school-aged children, I paid special attention to, and was intrigued by the print-rich environment surrounding us every day. Colorful billboards with flashing slogans, JR maps dotted with tiny Japanese characters, and the endless supplies of flyers and brochures that line every…
Maomi Stars- 6 features that make the app a game-changer for Cantonese learning
Introduction Language options (Simplified/Traditional, Cantonese/Mandarin!)Theme-based characters Speaking component Mini-games/ interactive elements to consolidate learning Real children’s voices Curriculum that will continue to expand Conclusion Introduction I often get asked why, being Cantonese myself, I do not teach my children to read and write Cantonese in Traditional Chinese? There are just many more resources in Singapore…
Maximizing 洪恩识字 to learn Chinese (7 tips and printables)
**iHuman has kindly reached out and offered a discounted bundle for my followers (here) on the apps and add-ons: 识字永久+识字子集永久+成语永久+拼音永久 Technology can be useful to support learning so I am not entirely opposed to apps as long as children use technology with the right intentions. I started looking into Chinese learning apps after Kai finished…
How we practice writing Chinese at home without using any worksheets
This is going to be a quick post to document what I’ve been doing with Kai and Kei to encourage writing Chinese. I am not particularly fond of worksheets, and try to come up with alternative ways to incorporate writing as part of our weekly Chinese homeschooling routines. Kai- Almost 6 years old 1. Morning…
Supporting your child to write stories with a clear Beginning, Middle and End- foldable trilingual template
Every story should have a beginning, middle and end (BME). One of the many literacy skills a child needs to learn early on is is BOTH to identify BME of any stories, and to write a story with a clear BME. The Picture Book Teacher (here) has a great blog post on the importance of…
What we need to know about children’s stages of writing development
Many parents ask me: When does a child start writing? It is difficult to answer this question since writing could be anything from “meaningful scribbles,” “letter formation” to “spelling accurately.” Children as young as 2 years old begin making marks on paper to show their thoughts and ideas. Children go through stages of writing development when…
Using “Touch and Tell, Touch and Say, Touch and Read” strategies to foster independence in writing
These are the 3 strategies that I teach in the classroom which I have recently introduced at home to help Kai and Kei with writing. I find that when children are encouraged to say things aloud, they often notice things that are often overlooked when they “think silently” to themselves. Encouraging children to use their…
Supporting sentence-writing using predictable books- Odonata series
What are predictable books? Predictable books , also known as patterned books, are stories with a predictable pattern. These books contain repeating words, phrases or sentences throughout the story. Predictable books are written so that children can easily guess what comes next. BILINGUISTICS (here) has a detailed post introducing the different types of predictable books…
My favorite Chinese storybooks with a “magical” element
I am passionate about purchasing and amassing books centered around specific themes that I believe can inspire engaging reading and writing experiences. Among these themes, “MAGIC” holds a special allure for…
10 ways to use sticky notes to support literacy at home
I use a lot of sticky-notes in the classroom! I use them for assessments, I use them for Reading Groups, and I use them during Writer’s Workshops. It’s no surprise that I’ve found ways to incorporate them at home when working with Kai and Kei. I use them so much that I keep a stash…
Mommy’s Game Plan for Spring: 5-senses Goldfish Journal (Part 3)
Lahlahbanana recently introduced me to this amazing Chinese-learning platform Lingobuddies (here). After browsing the website as a premium member, the first thing I downloaded was a Goldfish Journal Template and a 5-Senses dice. As some of you may recall, I have posted about using sensory details to help a child write descriptively (See post here…
Ms. Claudia’s 10 Mandarin-pop songs for kids
My Mandarin journey began when I was 15 years old. I could read and write Chinese but never spoke Mandarin until then! I learned Mandarin pretty much entirely by listening to Mandarin songs and singing karaoke. In fact, learning songs in your target language has been said to have helped many people reach their language…
B-I-N-G-O for Reading!
During the school year, I always try to encourage students to read daily in an enjoyable way. Right before a long holiday, I usually introduce something fun to keep the reading going! Book reports, reading response worksheets are NOT my style of teaching, but I have found that my students really enjoy doing “Reading Bingo”!…
Using 5-senses to encourage your child to write descriptively
Many parents ask, “Ms. Claudia, I want my son to write about his birthday party but he has nothing to write about!” Some other issues among parents who are trying to encourage their child to write descriptively at home include: If your child simply doesn’t want to write, you can refer to my other post…
Helping my kids learn Chinese, English and Japanese through picture and sound associations
Supporting our children in learning 4 languages is no easy task. It doesn’t make it easier that I am so selective in the resources that I use. Either I research for hours just to find one specific item, or I end up creating my own teaching materials from scratch. From the process of searching…
Learning how to use prepositions with an Easter egg hunt treasure map
Sometimes the best and most meaningful activities with my kids are ones that are not planned, but spontaneous and improvised on the spot based on what they want to do! Last night, Kai wanted to do a treasure map to show where we could hide all the Easter eggs in our condo, so we decided…
Ms Claudia 