New Concept Literacy Course for Young Children - Volume 1

Author: Wang Shunmei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-09-01
Features: Teaching children to learn Chinese characters before school age helps improve their cognitive abilities and language skills, while reducing the learning burden in later years. However, Chinese characters, as symbols, have a certain degree 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. Experts from East China Normal University, based on the psychological development of children and drawing on successful teaching experiences from both China and abroad, designed this innovative Chinese character learning program. It integrates enlightenment, interest, and motivation, helping children recognize characters through listening, storytelling, identification, reading, and drawing. This program enables children to understand moral principles, gain knowledge about life, train their language skills, and develop reading interest and ability. It provides an excellent teaching material for parents and teachers to help children learn Chinese characters.
The New Concept Chinese Character Learning Program for Young Children is divided into two volumes. This volume is the first, consisting of six books, with content suitable for children aged 2-4 and including 158 new characters. Parents and teachers can guide children through stages, allowing them to recognize characters in the naturally.
Stages:
1. Listening to stories: Children listen to stories while looking at the book, helping them understand the story's name and content.
2. Storytelling: Children retell the story while looking at the book, aiming for accuracy without omitting or adding words.
3. Learning new characters: Children learn the large-print characters in the book.
4. Reading stories: Children read the story aloud, pointing to the characters to achieve hand-eye coordination (a gradual requirement for children under 3).
5. Doing exercises: Adults read 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 enhance their cognitive and language skills. Parents and teachers should avoid rushing and instead encourage children to maintain their enthusiasm for learning. With this approach, success is guaranteed.