中文幼儿园 - Mandarin Preschool - Bilingualism the Easy and Natural Way

When to Learn?

Currently in Australia, hardly any non-Chinese background students studying Mandarin continue to Y12. This is a reflection of the fact that Mandarin is difficult for older children and adults to learn, let alone to achieve fluency. This applies to some extent to all languages, but less so when the first and second languages are related [e.g. English/German; the Romantic languages].

However, there is one way to break the barrier: start young, the younger the better. The critical time to learn is well before Y7 – ironically, this is when compulsory language lessons kick in under the quite inadequate current education system! On the other hand, any infant can achieve conversational fluency, as with all languages, within two or three years, given the right environment. The human brain is “hard-wired” to absorb new language, from birth to about age 7. By the age of puberty, the brain has been “re-wired” to deal with other tasks. After this, learning any new language is a completely new ballgame! Achieving conversational fluency as an adult is a daunting task. Even the most dedicated scholars, who may struggle with Mandarin for decades, will find it difficult to reach a level of fluency typical of a child of 4 or 5 who has been exposed to a Mandarin-speaking environment.

A girl called Rachel, whom I taught in the University of Newcastle, lived in China for a few years before the age of 5. Despite a gap of 15 years with virtually no exposure to Mandarin, she still could understand me speaking Mandarin at normal speed!

Our charter is to provide a safe and happy Mandarin-speaking environment for children from the age of 2 years. Mandarin is the standard language throughout China, and is the lingua franca of much of SE Asia.

Why Mandarin?

The potential benefits to your child’s future of learning Mandarin are huge... Read More

How to Learn?

Learning is self-paced. It includes channeled learning and is continually monitored with enough flexibility to change tack if required... Read More