Most of my blogging is about learning Chinese language and culture. Here are some of the most popular posts on the subject!
Ting xie word lists and apps for Singapore curriculum
This post has links to all the wordlists I have created which align with the MOE Primary Chinese curriculum 欢乐伙伴. They’re ready-made in Skritter and ready for you to use.
Christmas gifts for preschoolers 2022…. with a Chinese literacy twist!
It’s my final blog post for the year! As always, the entire month before Christmas will be dedicated to a social media free Advent period (so please forgive the spelling errors, as this is being hurriedly typed in the few minutes before we jump on a plane). Given there is still time to buy Christmas…
Alpha Egg AI Writing Pen: Parent Review
A smart digital pen which teaches a child how to WRITE Chinese characters using traditional pen and paper.
Parent Review: Alpha Egg Dictionary Pen T10
This post is a review of iFlyTek Alpha Egg Reading Pen T10 – a handheld multi-language dictionary and translating pen. It can scan just about any printed text and give an explanation or translation. The Alpha Egg T10 is designed to be kid-friendly and allows the user to accurately and quickly translate from/to different languages…
Le Le Flash Cards for learning-to-read in Chinese
Le Le flash cards are designed to reinforce learning from the Le Le Reading System.
New Chinese Learning Apps for Kids in 2022
In edu-tech, nothing stays still. This post is a round up of the new entrants and major upgrades that have happened in the Chinese Learning Apps for Kids space during first half of 2022. The exciting part is that there are some small “mumtrepeneur” businesses, along with homegrown Singaporean startups, that are now rivalling the…
Review: The Dim Sum Warriors Club
Review of what it’s like to be part of the Dim Sum Warriors Bilingual Club, where Chinese is learnt through creativity, stories, and doodling.
Maomi Stars: review of the best Chinese literacy app for preschoolers
What is Maomi Stars? Maomi Stars is a Chinese literacy app for children, perhaps an equivalent to the English kindergarten literacy apps like Starfall, ABC Mouse or Reading Eggs. It’s been meticulously researched, and tested on children, and offers several great advantages over other Chinese learning apps out there. My kids have road-tested A LOT…
Review: Vitamin M – a fun dose of Chinese online
What it’s been like learning online with Vitamin M for the last five months, with an innovative concept targeted at primary school students, blending online modules with weekly live teaching sessions.
Youdao Dictionary Pen 3 Review
有道 Youdao Dictionary Pen 3.0 offers quick translation between Chinese, English and Spanish! This is an honest comparison between the 3.0 version and earlier versions.
Review: Youdao Pocket Printer for Chinese home learning
Super cute little thermal printer, which is ink-less and wireless, and connects to your phone. You can print notes, photos, flashcards, invitations, and much more, including Simplified Chinese character range, with OCR text extraction.
Are phonics or pinyin needed to learn Chinese?
Hanyu Pinyin is a contentious topic among non-native Chinese speakers (and no, I’m not referring to any politics here either). This is my take on it, and some observations about how different countries tackle literacy and phonics in Chinese.
Teaching kids Chinese in a monolingual home – how to start?
How do you encourage a child to love and speak Chinese when you don’t speak it? Here are ideas for non Chinese speaking parents on ways to teach the language and increasing Chinese exposure to enable children to attain fluency,
Best Chinese Pop Songs for Kids: Mando pop & C-pop for families to enjoy
Songs are a great way to learn a language. This post shares catchy and clean Mando pop / C-pop songs for children from across the decades.
Skritter review: app to learn Chinese characters and tingxie
Skritter is the BEST way we’ve discovered to practice tingxie. Spaced repetition, customised wordlists, and effortless progress tracking. It includes pronunciation, tones, and much more.