8 Tips to encourage your children to appreciate their Mother Tongue

8 Tips to encourage your child to appreciate their Mother Tongue

daphne

14 Nov 2017

1/8
Educate them on its importance
Have you ever experienced the “Why should I? Nobody speaks Mandarin, anyway,” comeback when you try to get your child to excel in Mandarin? Instead of merely telling them it’s important, give them some examples of when they would need it in situations – like travelling to other countries where Mandarin is mainly spoken, ordering food from restaurants, or even giving directions to help others.
2/8
Speak to them
The trick is to get one of you to speak in English and the other in mother tongue. In that way, your child would be forced to learn both languages fluently in order to converse with the both of you. If you consistently stick to speaking only English in the house, they would do the same.
3/8
Put labels around the house
Try putting labels around the house in mandarin. For example, on lunchboxes, books, drawers and kitchenware. Just to make sure they are learning every step of the way.
4/8
Read
The key is to let your child pick a book that they like and would read by themselves. As they read, they will soon get caught up in the plot, and yearning to learn more Chinese vocabulary so they can read faster and understand more.
5/8
Travel
Taking a trip to a country that doesn’t use English at all will help your child see the point in learning Chinese. Let them ask for directions, order food and speak to locals. By then they will know that learning Mandarin will be more of a need, rather than a "nice-to-know". This will instantly motivate your child to get a grip on their mother tongue.
6/8
Karaoke
Learning Mandarin with Karaoke is no surprise the best way to spark your child’s interest. If they love to sing and dance, it would be your perfect choice of activity on weekends. Let them have fun while singing and at the same time, read the lyrics to the song. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.
7/8
Watching movies (with subtitles)
If your child doesn’t like to sing or dance, the other choice would be to watch a movie. I mean who wouldn’t enjoy that. Select a Chinese movie that would interest them and make sure to turn on the subtitles!
8/8
Encourage
They say compliments and cake are the best ways to motivate a child. I mean, it doesn’t only apply to kids. By seeing how they fair in exams is a way to gauge their learning and to see if your hard work paid off. Even a slight improvement from their previous results deserve a compliment. Let’s say they are not doing well on the other hand, don’t just bluntly push the blame and scold them. Instead, figure out what they are struggling with and help them out.

Get your kid to learn the importance of their Mother Tongue!

True story: we once encountered a teenager asking his mom to help him to order his lunch because he didn’t know how to speak with the cashier who was conversing in Mandarin. Plot twist: he was a Singaporean Chinese kid.

It’s a real situation today where children and teenagers, who grow being predominantly exposed to English, are unable to converse as fluently in their Mother Tongue. While it is applaudable that your child has a good grasp of the English language, there are also benefits in having your child appreciate and speak their second language comfortably.

For one, numerous studies have established the positive impact being effectively bilingual or multilingual has on your child’s upbringing. In addition, being conversant in their Mother Tongue is a great way to stay connected to their cultural roots, forge stronger ties with the older folks in your family and also boost their job prospects.

In the gallery above, we’ve outlined 8 tips to encourage your child to appreciate their Mother Tongue better. Scroll through to find out more!

Daphne Leo

Photo: Getty Images

6 Damaging habits parents of unsuccessful kids have in common

How to apply the “Five Love Languages of Children” as a parent

Schoolyard Scholars: 5 Effective ways to raise a reader

'Keto Diet': The diet to reverse diabetes and lose...