What to do (or not do) if your child rejects Chinese

When the Big One declared “I’m English, not Chinese”, I was devastated.

In retrospect, I reckon that if there’s a Chinese equivalent of the K-pop phenomenon, our youngsters will be clamouring to pick up Chinese just like how K-pop fans are learning Korean (not an easy language to learn).

It all boils down to interest.

In the absence of the said Chinese equivalent, how can one create the interest?

🤍 Make interest possible. Be positive. At the very least, don’t be negative.

🤍 Build interest. Incorporate Chinese into everyday activities. Make it fun.

🤍 Banish interest-killers. Place less emphasis on grades. Reduce the stress.

🤍 Make interest possible. Be positive. At the very least, don’t be negative.

From a tender age, many of our kids have heard (or overheard) negative comments like:

o Chinese = spelling + composition + all things torturous

o Chinese is so difficult right? Got any tuition centre to recommend?

o Grumblings about how difficult the spelling words and comprehension passages are.

Can we blame them for avoiding Chinese like the plague? They need all the support we can muster to counter the “brainwashing” they have been subjected to. We can’t control what others say, but let our homes not be an echo chamber for comments about Chinese being difficult, uncool or boring.

Mindset is important. Let’s be positive. Don’t pass on negative vibes to junior. We can’t be ruining the chances for interest in Chinese by being negative about it, can we?

🤍 Build interest. Incorporate Chinese into everyday activities. Make it fun.

Find areas that your child enjoys. Art? Craft? Music? Wushu? Dance? Magic? Learn them in Chinese. Celebrate Chinese festivals. Play word games. Watch Chinese shows. Listen to Chinese songs. Go beyond the school syllabus to explore Chinese in our daily lives and heritage (great fodder for oral and compositions 😉).

It’s natural to gravitate towards fun. With interest and enjoyment, we are motivated to learn more, do more. Just look at how motivated K-pop fans are in picking up Korean.

🤍 Banish interest-killers. Place less emphasis on grades. Reduce the stress.

😕 Did your child use to like Chinese before starting primary school?

🙁 Is academic stress turning your child off Chinese?

☹️ Are your child’s fun activities taken over by drilling for Chinese spelling?

😔 Is your child exhausted from attending tuition?

🙂 Take up Normal instead of Higher Chinese (if the latter is a struggle)?

😁 Recognise effort & celebrate progress (vs insisting on a perfect score)?

😃 Less rote learning and more fun learning?

🙃 Consider tuition only if help is really needed (vs going for the “A”)?

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