Foreign language studies are important in our homeschool. We study Latin, French, and Mandarin Chinese. This is our second year studying French and Mandarin and our third year studying Latin. We have tried several curriculum’s for these including French Essentials for French, which we are still using, Latin Not So Tough and Latina Christina from Memoria Press for Latin, and Rosetta Stone for Mandarin.
We love our language studies. We also know that it is important to get started on language studies early, when a child’s brain is soaking up everything. We tried flashcards and naming words but most studies say that immersion is the best way for ANYONE to learn a foreign language. We have looked into immersion programs but most are geared toward older students.
When we were studying Spanish the previous two years I would record Diego and Sesame Street in Spanish and let my toddler watch these. But my cable company does not have any Chinese stations to record preschool programs from. However, after looking on You Tube, I was fortunate to find a Mandarin Chinese Sesame Street series that is becoming a big hit here in our house. What a great way to introduce the little ones to Mandarin without having to spend a lot of money. Check out this great You Tube Mandarin resource.
Leave a Reply