Chinese Culture At Home: How to get your kids interested and involved
Teaching your children about their culture is a great way for them to be able to know who they are and connect with their family. It's also good for them to have a better understanding of the world around them, so this is definitely something that you should consider doing.
Here are some easy ways you can immerse your kids in Chinese culture. Let us know which tips you find useful!
Speak Chinese at home - even if you are not a native Chinese speaker.
Speaking Chinese at home and having your children learn your native tongue is one of the most important things you can do for them (if you speak Chinese!). You can speak Chinese to your children, to your spouse, to your parents, grandparents, and friends. Having them listen to conversations happening around them allows them to understand context of the Chinese language and become more fluent.
If you are also learning Chinese and want to improve for and with your children, use a Chinese-English dictionary to look up new words as you learn them and share them with your kids while you do so. This will help cement the word in your mind and theirs, and make it easier to remember later on.
You can also find a native speaker to help. If you cannot find one, then use the internet to find a tutor.
There are many language learning apps that include both audio and visual cues to help your children learn more effectively as well.
Write notes to your children in both English and Chinese, and encourage them to do the same.
As you know, Chinese is not just a language. It’s also a culture, so it’s important to try and incorporate the culture of the language into your writing. You can do this with small details like writing the date in both languages (e.g., 今天是11月29日), or even by including Chinese characters in your notes to add additional meaning or context: 你要好好學中文。
You should also try to write as much as possible in Chinese, even if you are a beginner! Even if your child can understand everything you say, they may not be able to read what you have written without help from an adult. Try using cartoons or funny pictures instead of words when introducing new concepts for younger children so that they can associate those new words with something familiar before learning how to read them independently later on down the road!
Teach them how to cook traditional dishes.
Cooking and food is a great way to teach your kids about their culture and heritage. They'll be able to connect with you more when they know that they have something in common with you.
Eating and preparing traditional dishes and the stories around them are also a great way to spend time together as a family and bond over some delicious food!
If you're looking for some inspiration, here is a list of Chinese dishes that I grew up with as an Asian American that you could try to cook or buy at the Chinese grocery store! They're perfect for anyone who wants to try something new or just needs a little inspiration!
1. BBQ Pork Buns
2. Green Onion Pancakes
3. Pot Stickers
4. Three Cup Chicken
5. Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry
6. Soy Sauce Chicken
7. Lion's Head Meatballs
8. Mapo Tofu
Watch cartoons with them in Chinese.
One of the best ways to get kids interested in their Chinese culture is to show them cartoons. By watching cartoons together, your children will learn about the language and culture as they watch characters speaking it. Many cartoons also include educational elements that teach kids lessons about life and social behavior.
In addition to learning about the language and culture, watching cartoons with your child can give you an opportunity to talk with them about what they've learned from the program or how it relates to real life. You may even find that this leads into a conversation on other topics such as history or geography!
Watch Chinese movies or TV shows with them.
Watching Chinese movies with your kids is a great way for them to learn about Chinese culture and language! It doesn't matter if you're a native speaker or not, language is an essential part of your children's identity. And there's no better way to learn than from the popular culture you consume on a daily basis.
You can show them TV shows that you may have grown up with, or even shows your parents may have grown up with! Chinese culture is nuanced, and so are mannerisms and ideals. You will learn about these by watching how Chinese people behave and interact in these movies and shows. It will hopefully inspire them to want to learn more about their culture or teach them more about why their family is the way they are and why they are unique from Americans!
A really easy way to get find more modern Chinese shows is to subscribe to Mandarin channels on Netflix or Disney Channel Asia.
Netflix has an excellent selection of Chinese content for children, as does Disney Channel Asia (which also streams in English).
In addition to exposing your children to the culture through film and television shows, perhaps you could even introduce them gradually into some real Chinese online content too. The internet has plenty of options available including music videos on Youku (China’s YouTube / Hulu equivalent), and educational shows on IQiyi TV...the list goes on!
Celebrate the important holidays together.
There are many holidays the Chinese celebrate, but here are some of the most popular ones you can begin marking on your family calendar to celebrate! Traditions that happen during these holidays are a great way to teach your children about the culture.
Chinese New Year
Lantern Festival
Dragon Boat Festival
Mid Autumn Festival
Winter Solstice
Take them to China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong to show them where they are from.
One of the most important things you can do to immerse your child into Chinese culture is take them to your home country!
Taking a trip overseas will show them firsthand how different life is outside their comfortable bubble in North America. It will be an eye-opening experience for them and they’ll gain an appreciation for what it means to live somewhere else besides Canada/USA/UK etc!
Conclusion
Chinese culture is a beautiful thing to experience and share. The more you know teach your children about their culture and family traditions, the more they'll know about themselves. This is especially true for children who have grown up in a Western society (like America).
Help them learn more about their roots by speaking to them Mandarin or Cantonese, writing notes to them in Chinese, make traditional dishes together as family, watching cartoons and movies in Chinese (or subtitled), celebrate holidays together, and take them to visit your home country! You can do all these things! We believe in you!
