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.

Who said primary school in Singapore is stressful?

I’ve come to the conclusion that to have a balanced childhood, is it is almost mutually exclusive of being in the top 5% of any Singaporean school’s student cohort.  I feel it’s near impossible to achieve this level of perfection without compromising on either sleep, recreation, or family time.   Of course, everyone has different priorities and expectations, which explains why the competition is so very tough. But that doesn’t mean the primary school experience has to be stressful! And we all have a role to play to make it more sustainable.

Chinese Bridging Book Review: “New Stars Island” Graded Picture Book Series 《新新岛》分级读本系列 (Set of 36)

This post is about a locally written set of thirty six Simplified Chinese picture books called the “New Star Island” collection, written and printed in Singapore, which are broadly designed to match every year of primary school in Singapore. They’re creatively written, prize winning works, and great for encouraging an older child to read broadly,Continue reading “Chinese Bridging Book Review: “New Stars Island” Graded Picture Book Series 《新新岛》分级读本系列 (Set of 36)”

Is reaching Chinese fluency a realistic goal for non-native children?

This post compares the different schooling approaches to learning Chinese in Singapore (local school vs bilingual immersion), and how this translates into learning outcomes from a native-speaking perspective. It also lists good bridging books to encourage bilingualism and biliteracy.

How to teach a child to read Chinese (when you can’t speak it yourself)

How I taught my eldest daughter to read 1300+ Chinese characters within 6 months, as non-Chinese speaking parents.

Singaporean Children’s Picture Books about Singapore!

Children’s picture books by Singaporean authors on topics which make our Singapore unique – from coolies and Samsui women, to traditional food and festivals.

Book Review: Let’s Celebrate Singaporean Malay Traditional Festivals and Customs

A locally produced series of 3 books, called 大家来过节 “Let’s Celebrate – Singaporean Festivals and Customs”, details traditional festivals and customs celebrated by the ethnic groups in Singapore. With Hari Raya Haji coming up this week, we read the book on Malay Customs, and learnt a lot along the way.

Should I opt for Chinese as my child’s Mother Tongue at primary school?

Should I enrol my child for Chinese at school if I don’t speak the language?

Being an expat at local school in Singapore

What it is like as an expat in a local Singapore school? Is it stressful?
What is it like to learn Chinese? Here’s our experience.