Online Chinese Learning Resources for Kids

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At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, all training centers in Beijing were forced to shut down. On top of that, schools – both local and international – were also forced to close their doors to students, instead switching to online classes. Since then, most English and Chinese language training centers have continued offering online classes to students. This is especially convenient for families who are still stuck outside of China, or families who are looking to provide extra practice for their kids when mastering Chinese. Online classes are also an important resource for homeschooling families, or even those currently considering whether or not to switch to homeschooling.

But if you aren’t up to shopping around for courses in various private Chinese language training centers in Beijing, or don’t even know where to start or what exactly to look for in terms of quality, what do you do? Luckily, there are fantastic resources online, both local and international, to help your child along their language learning journey. Here are a few recommended by Beijing parents.

Little Fox Chinese

Complete with a fully interactive website, Little Fox Chinese (https://chinese.littlefox.com) is perfect for young children as an online resource for learning Chinese. The site uses a combination of songs, games, stories, and videos as learning aids. Little Fox Chinese’s courses are divided into five levels that are great as a foundation for learning the language or fine-tuning the skills already gained, depending on the child’s level of fluency.

Level 1
- Learn tones, pinyin, and correct pronunciation.
- Practice listening skills with short sentences from the stories.
- Learn basic vocabulary and form sentences.

Level 2
- Learn everyday expressions.
- Improve listening skills with simple, easy-to-read stories.
- Gain conversation skills for everyday settings.

Level 3
- Continue to learn everyday expressions.
- Learn the word order in sentences.
- Continue to practice listening skills.

Level 4
- Review sentence structure by reading stories.
- Summarize the stories after reading.
- Learn more complex characters.

Level 5
- Understand complex sentence structures.
- Expand vocabulary by reading and listening to the stories.
- Begin to practice speaking skills by saying simple sentences to express thoughts and feelings.

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Outschool.com

Described by one parent as ‘Taobao for extra lessons’, Outschool.com is a community marketplace of online classes for kids aged 3-18 years offered by independent teachers. Based in San Francisco, California, parents are able to register their kids for lessons and subjects unavailable in the kids’ schools or just extra tutoring lessons. Parents can watch demo videos of teachers offering their services, with teachers ranging from amateurs with a passion for teaching to professionals in the education industry. Classes also range in price, length, and frequency. Outschool.com also focuses on small-group, live online classes. All you have to do is browse through a catalog of classes on offer and match them up with your schedule and level. You can also find other lessons on the platform, from arts to sciences and even Minecraft social clubs.

That’s Mandarin

You might already be familiar with That’s Mandarin’s (www.thatsmandarin.com) popular minute-long Chinese learning videos posted on a regular basis on WeChat. That’s Mandarin is one of the more popular options for adults wishing to learn Chinese in a more fun setting. They also offer online classes for kids. With no fixed start date for courses, you can decide when you wish your child to start taking the one-on-one online lessons. Each lesson lasts for 25 minutes with students being advised to take an average of two classes per session, once or twice a week. Seeing as it's based in Beijing, you don’t have to worry about working around time differences, thus making it convenient. Here is a breakdown of lesson prices.

• RMB 4,320/person for 32 classes
  

• RMB 7,680/person for 64 classes
  

• RMB 13,440/person for 128 classes
  
  

Culture Yard

Culture Yard (www.cultureyard.net) has quickly become a Beijing institution, offering foreigners a chance to explore and experience Chinese culture in authentic ways. With everything from Mahjong classes to other fun cultural activities, Culture Yard can be considered a curator of Chinese culture. Chinese is also included in the long list of fun and interactive classes offered by Culture Yard. With the help of teachers with extensive experience teaching Chinese to kids as a second language, the Culture Yard online kids courses focus on using Chinese to communicate, with an emphasis on speaking and listening skills, and encouraging the young learners to hone their reading and writing skills at home. If you wish to sign up for classes, you will be required to purchase a minimum of 10 lessons. Scan the QR code in the poster above for more information.

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Photos: Unsplash, littlefoxchinese.com, outschool.com, That’s Mandarin, Culture Yard

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