At BrookieKids, we’re always on the lookout for ways to enhance your child’s Mandarin learning experience. One of the biggest milestones in our journey has been our partnership with CI-NTU (Confucius Institute at Nanyang Technological University), and today, I’m excited to share some insights about the 亲亲华文 curriculum, which has been a major influence on our content.
Photo (subtly) taken during one of our meetings with CI-NTU.
Through the incredible expertise of Ms. Han Bing, Head of Student Programmes at CI-NTU, I’ve had the honor of working with a curriculum that is not only locally rooted but has also gained international recognition. The 亲亲华文 Picture Book Readers, in particular, are used in over 500 preschools here in Singapore, with many more students benefiting worldwide.
Let’s dive into what makes this curriculum so special and how it has helped shape the quality of BrookieKids content. 🌍👧👦
(Above) Photo of the Picture Book Series from the theme "My Neighbourhood".
1. The Name Says It All: Making Mandarin Feel Close and Natural
The curriculum is called 亲亲华文 for a reason—亲亲 (qin qin) means “close” or “intimate,” and the goal is to make Mandarin learning a natural, affectionate process for children. The focus isn’t just on rote learning but on building a relationship with the language that feels fun, personal, and engaging. 🌟
(Above) Photo of how the Picture Book content from 亲亲华文 curriculum are seamlessly integrated into BrookieKids stories.
2. Mandarin Learning Designed for Classroom Learning, but Perfect for Home Use Too!
The 亲亲华文 curriculum is specially designed for preschool classrooms, complete with comprehensive teaching plans aligned with Singapore’s MOE (Ministry of Education) frameworks. But don’t worry, you don’t need to be a teacher to use it at home! At BrookieKids, we’ve adapted their 68 Picture Book Readers to be family-friendly, integrating them with our own characters. This means your child is accessing school-quality Mandarin resources right at home! 🏫🏡
(Above) My daughter, EJ with a set of readers we bought. She is currently 3 years old, and we use the readers like any other storybooks.
3. Emphasis on Listening (听) and Speaking (说) Skills
Unlike more traditional preschool curriculums that might lean heavily on reading and writing, 亲亲华文 puts a strong emphasis on listening (听) and speaking (说) skills during the early years. We’ve carried this philosophy into BrookieKids by incorporating interactive questions into our stories to help your child practice their listening and speaking in Mandarin—skills that are essential for long-term language mastery! 🎙️👂
(Above) Photo of a title from the Picture Book series which features birthday celebrations that kids enjoy and can relate to.
4. Child-Centered Scenarios for Relatable Learning
The stories in 亲亲华文 are designed around everyday scenarios that children can easily relate to—like going to the park, playing with friends, or visiting a grandparent. By keeping the child at the heart of each story, Mandarin learning becomes more engaging because children can connect with the situations. The result? More natural language acquisition that feels less like “work” and more like play! 🌳🎈
5. A Comprehensive Collection of 68 Picture Book Readers
The curriculum includes a whopping 68 titles that cover a wide range of basic stories and scenarios, offering rich variety. These stories serve as the foundation of our collaboration with CI-NTU, and we’ve used them to expand our BrookieKids story library. With this partnership, your child gets access to high-quality, diverse storylines that align with the curriculum used in preschools across Singapore. 📖
How This Partnership Elevates BrookieKids Content
Our collaboration with CI-NTU has been instrumental in enhancing the quality of content we offer through BrookieKids. Here’s how:
Support from a Strong Curriculum Team: With the backing of a well-researched and respected Mandarin curriculum, we ensure that your child is exposed to the best resources available for language learning.
More Variety of Storylines: The child-centered scenarios from 亲亲华文 provide us with a solid base to create new stories that focus on everyday life, making it relatable and fun for young learners.
So here's the end of my sharing about 亲亲华文's curriculum! We have a special giveaway for our mailing list subscribers ⬇️
We are running a special giveaway from 9th to 15th October 2024. Click on the button to participate! T&Cs apply.
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