"New Concept Chinese Character Tutorial for Young Children" Volume 2

Author: Wang Shunmei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-09-01
Features: Teaching children to learn Chinese characters before they start school helps improve their cognitive abilities and language skills, while also reducing their learning burden in primary school. However, Chinese characters, as symbols, have a certain level of abstraction, making them challenging for young children to grasp. Moreover, the rigid, one-way teaching method of traditional flashcards ("I read, you learn") can be boring for children, resulting in limited learning effectiveness. To help children learn Chinese characters effectively, experts from East China Normal University, based on the stages of children's psychological development and combining successful teaching experiences from both China and abroad, have specially designed this innovative literacy program. It integrates enlightenment, fun, and motivation, enabling children to recognize Chinese characters through listening, storytelling, identification, reading, and drawing. This helps children not only learn characters but also understand the principles of conduct and gain knowledge about life. Their language skills are trained, and their interest and ability in reading are cultivated and improved. It provides parents and teachers with a great teaching material to help children learn Chinese characters.
The New Concept Literacy Program for Young Children is divided into two volumes, with this being the second volume, consisting of six books. The content is suitable for children aged 4–6 and includes 366 new characters. Parents and teachers can guide children through stages, allowing them to recognize the characters in the books naturally.
Stages:
1. Listening to stories: Let children listen to stories while looking at the book, so they can learn the names and content of the stories.
2. Telling stories: Let children retell the stories while looking at the book, aiming for accuracy without omitting or adding words.
3. Learning new characters: Teach children the large characters in the book.
4. Reading stories: Let children point to the characters while reading the story, ensuring hand-eye coordination.
5. Doing exercises: Adults read the questions, and children complete the exercises as instructed.
6. & 7. Picture recognition and self-assessment: These stages focus on recognizing characters through pictures and self-testing.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the goal of teaching Chinese characters to preschool children is to improve their cognitive abilities and language skills. Parents and teachers should not rush for results but instead encourage children to maintain their enthusiasm for learning. In this way, success is guaranteed.