Nursery World - Training Talk

One deputy head found a Little Mandarin course boosted children’s confidence. By Gabriella Jozwiak

‘Ni hao’ (‘hello’) is not yet the standard greeting at Young England Kindergarten in London. But after completing the first term of a one-year Mandarin course, the three- and four-year-olds are beginning to grasp the basics of the language.

Delivered by language school Little Mandarin Classes, an external teacher takes three classes of up to eight children once a week for 20 minutes.

Young England Kindergarten deputy head teacher Lucy Oldman (pictured) says the sessions are age-appropriate and taught interactively using songs and visual materials such as puppets. As well as Mandarin, the teacher uses British Sign Language.

The teacher will tell a story, which the children act out and sing along to, or engage the children with role-play topics. She also runs cultural activities, such as making Chinese lanterns or red envelopes for Chinese New Year.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included