When it comes to children enrichment programs, Nick and I have decided that we would let the kids try everything at least once. And if they want to go back and explore more, we would support them. If they don’t, we’ll drop it. We are pretty laissez-faire that way.

Except for Chinese. For us, it is a MUST for our children to learn and love the language. We are Chinese, after all. Now that we are living in Singapore, it is the perfect opportunity for Lauren and Georgia to pick up Chinese as a language and understand where they come from – their ancestry anyway. The younger they start, the better. You know what they say about children’s language learning ability diminishing as they grow older right? With my half bucket full and Nick’s non-existence command of Chinese, we HAVE to hand over the task of teaching the language to someone else.

Enter Youle Mandarin Learning Centre. Located conveniently at Tanglin Shopping Centre, Lauren and Georgia have been attending classes for a term now. Read on to find out what we do in each class and what I think about learning Chinese at Youle.
 

Georgia in Toddler’s Mandarin Playgroup (60 minutes per class)

Coming from a zero-Chinese home, Georgia took a while to get used to the full Mandarin immersion parent-accompanied playgroup. Frankly, it took me a while to switch to speaking to her in (my very limited) Mandarin too. Luckily there’s always a transition period before each class begins. The children engage in free play with musical instruments, while the adults chat casually. I think the welcoming atmosphere makes it easy for children to settle in.

The class officially begins with a Ni Hao Ma (How Are You?) song and a quick introduction to everyone in the room. The children are roll-called by their Chinese names, no less! They get to learn their Chinese names by sound and sight. I’m very proud that Georgia can now recognise her own name written in Chinese. A small feat for some, a HUGE deal for a non-Chinese illiterate like myself!

This term, the children learn about insects, namely ants and caterpillar. So most activities are based on ants and caterpillar. For example, on day four, Teacher Joanne told the story of The Hungry Caterpillar. The children then sang and danced to Mao Mao Chung (Caterpillar) song, spotted butterfly on walls, and did an artwork based on the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly.

And when the children were busy an (press), chor (rub) and cieh (cut) their playdough, they get to learn about hand movements too.

Besides insects, we also learn about shapes through songs, counting with abacus and colours through play!

Yes, all of the above and more are covered in one class. The hour goes by in a flash.
 

Lauren in 4 years old class Mandarin Nursery (75 minutes per week)

First of all, Lauren’s class is a drop-off class. That means I get the whole 75 minutes to myself while she’s in class. Yay!

Lauren warmed up to the teacher immediately and she had no problem with me leaving her at all.

Similar to toddlers playgroup, the 3-4 years old class has a different theme every term. It is not a sit-down and listen to teacher kind of one-way communication class, it is very interactive. The teachers are great at making conversation and prompting the children to reply in Mandarin. A few English words are thrown in here and there to get children to understand words they may be hearing for the first time.

While I’m not there to observe the class, Lauren’s teacher fills me in on Lauren progress at any given opportunity. I always see her chatting with parents on what their children learnt in class and how to take the learning further at home. Hence, homework for parents to do with their child every day.

At first, I wasn’t thrilled to find homework. But I get it. When it comes to language, a little every day goes longer than just once a week class. Each ‘homework’ takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Lauren is usually more than happy to do them. Actually, she is the one who reminds me to do it with her every day.

One of her favourite homework is forming sentences using Chinese characters. For parents who can’t read Chinese, you will be pleased to find the English definition and pin yin on the back of the cards. I sure needed to refer to those, but hey, I can now recognise more Chinese characters too! I love that I get to learn Chinese alongside my kids.

What I like about Youle Mandarin Centre

1. Low Student-Teacher Ratio

The small-sized playgroup and nursery class are conducted by the main teacher and an assistant teacher. There are usually about 5 to 6 students per class. With the low student-teacher ratio, teachers could focus on each student and make sure no child is left out.

2. Animated and Passionate Teachers

Teacher Joanne is enthusiastic and clearly loves what she does. She understands children, and she knows how to get make the classes fun for kids (and parents). I also like the fact that her Mandarin is crisp and clear without any hint of an accent.
 

3. Interactive Learning

Catching bubbles, passing coloured balls and finding butterflies on walls, new words are slowly reinforced into the young minds. Youle Mandarin Centre believes in students’ active participation during a lesson. Most of the activities and lessons are planned around the interaction between teachers and students. During the nursery class, they discuss everyday topics like the Olympics, swimming, etc. I think this is definitely most beneficial to the children when it comes to learning languages. How can one learn when all you do is sit back and passively listen to the teacher, right?

4. Home learning

Once you have registered your child, you get access to Youle’s Mandarin @ Home section on their website. There, you can replay all the songs the children have learnt in class. You could also borrow books from Youle’s library and listen to the audio books. Great for parents who can’t read Chinese to their kids.
 

Our Verdict:

Lauren enjoys every lesson and can’t wait to go back week after week. She proudly shows off her Chinese characters cards and read them out loud to her Ah Ma and Ah Kong during their weekly Skype calls.

Georgia replays the songs on Youle’s website again and again and again, singing and dancing with lots of laughter every day. So it’s pretty clear to me that she enjoys learning the language.

For me, it is good to see the kids having great fun as they display their new-found knowledge. Even the reluctant mummy in me found the one hour toddlers playgroup goes by in a flash. Chinese enrichment classes have definitely come a long way, and no longer are they just boring “sit down” classes where you just go through worksheets. Youle makes learning Chinese engaging and joyful.
 

*****

Youle Mandarin Centre | Website | Facebook

19 Tanglin Road #03-38 Tanglin Shopping Centre S247909 | Tel: 6262 0070 / 8102 0422