My boy can speak Mandarin and is receptive to the language. But his word recognition skill is still lacking. What can I do to improve this?

All children are different in terms of all areas of development. Some children are good at language expression but less strong in their fine motor skills, some are good at reading but weaker in writing.

If your child’s word recognition skills are lacking, it could be his weak area compared to other areas. We need to provide a lot of repetition through fun word games to help him to improve his word recognition ability. The more fun and practice opportunities we provide, the more he will get better and better in this area.

My child dislikes Chinese. How can I slowly make him like Chinese in a non-forceful manner?

The learning of any language must include the understanding and appreciation of the arts and cultural activities. Introduce various activities such as Chinese brush painting, Chinese calligraphy, music, dance, drama, art and stories to enable children to learn Chinese in a fun and exciting environment. This makes the language meaningful and ties it to a social context.

⇒ Related Read: Tips for Falling in Love with Mandarin

My Kindergartner writes in messy writing all the time and I am worried this habit will stay on as she grows older. Should I be concerned?

Don’t be too concerned. Understand that for young children to write neatly takes a lot of effort, especially when their fine motor skills and 3D formation are not fully developed yet. Once they get older and these skills develop fully, their writing will get better.

These questions were answered by Ms Huang Ying, Principal of Chengzhu and Head of Mandarin Programmes.

This was first published in The New Age Parents Enrichment and Preschool Resource Guide.

For more enrichment programmes and preschool tips, read our Enrichment and Preschool Resource Guide, or download it here.

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