Five iPad apps for Teaching Kids Chinese 五大幼儿 iPad app 教中文

I'm starting a Chinese Club for young children this winter - and by saying "young children," I mean kids in graders 1-3. As I am trying to think what ways of teaching would work for these little ones, a parent recommended that I look into iPad apps. So I did. It was a great idea. I found quite a few cute, colorful, and animated apps that seem perfect for engaging young children. In the meantime, I found a couple apps useful for students of all ages.

iPad apps for teaching young - e.g. elementary school - children Chinese:

1. Kids Learn Mandarin Free app

1. Kids Learn Mandarin Free - An amazingly cute app. What I love most about it is that even it is designed as a pretty, fun and entertaining app for kids, it teaches effectively through repetitions and "drills" without making you aware of them. It also teaches stroke order through a game. The free version only comes with the lesson on numbers, but it is very well done. It may just be worth it to purchase the full app!

2. LoveChinese app

2. LoveChinese - Great fun with memory and flashcards games. The free version teaches numbers, shapes, and colors. Every time you get something right, the recorded praise goes effusively encouraging.

3. Kids Animal World app

3. Kids Animal World – Good listening exercises; great music as well! This free version shows you animals in different habitats, how they "speak" and what they "eat."

4. Lingu Pinguin (English, Chinese) app

4. Lingu Pinguin – Choose a theme and select objects to hear their name and sounds. The free version has lessons on animals and transportations. The paid version adds lessons about body parts, food, farms, toys, nature, clothes, and houses.

5. Chinese Balloon Lite app

5. Chinese Balloons Lite - A fun game for character recognition: you hear a word being spoken, and you have to poke the ballon with that word written on it. The Lite version actually comes with quite a few words, so it can be quite challenging!