There are so many Chinese language learning textbooks on the market today. It can be overwhelming to determine which is the best for your child’s proficiency level and learning goals. To help you navigate the market, here are our suggested guidelines that we hope will help you plan a learning path for your kid.
Age-Appropriate, Interesting, and Relatable Content
When selecting textbooks, age appropriateness and degree of interest should be considered first. A Chinese textbook designed for elementary students will bore teens, and a middle or high school-level book will overwhelm a six-year-old, so it is essential to choose well. The themes and topics should align with your child's cognitive development, emotional maturity, and life experience. Ask yourself if the topics covered in the textbook connect with your kid’s daily life, culture, and individual interests.
Finding the Right Level Textbook
You should choose a textbook at the right level, so your kid feels confident, engaged, and empowered. According to Stephen Krashen's "comprehensible input" hypothesis, widely known as "i+1", learning is most effective when you match the learner’s current level (i) and add one level of difficulty (+1). If the content is too difficult, it will lead to frustration; too little of a challenge will lead to boredom. So, the textbook you choose should be at the "just right" level for your kid, which stretches them just a bit – not so much as to make them frustrated but enough to continue their growth.
Good Level of Language Recycling
An excellent Chinese textbook should include a good level of recycling, providing opportunities for students to encounter words and sentence patterns many times in different contexts. This is not only crucial for long-term retention but also helps them to use the language in a variety of real-life situations. If recycling is neglected, kids will forget things taught in previous lessons, wasting all the effort they’ve already put into learning them.
Aligning With Globally Recognized Language Standards
We recommend that you choose a Chinese textbook that aligns with globally recognized language standards, such as those of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL), International Baccalaureate (IB), Youth Chinese Test (YCT), Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), etc. Textbooks designed using these standards embrace a communicative and proficiency-based approach to teaching the language that is well-supported by decades of research.
Learning Beyond Textbooks
Can kids achieve mastery in Chinese from just one textbook? The answer is NO. To achieve a high level of Chinese proficiency, kids also need to be exposed to a wide selection of supplementary language materials – for instance, videos, songs, stories, non-fiction books, etc. Incorporating additional learning materials allows kids to experience how Chinese is used outside the textbook and to engage with authentic contemporary language.
LingoAce has many helpful and innovative learning materials to make Chinese learning fun, interactive, and effective. Check out these fantastic online resources today to enhance your kid’s language skills:
Ace Chinese Books: an e-book app with a library of more than 1,000 children’s books in Chinese with a read-to-me option.
Chinese Videos and Songs: LingoAce Global YouTube Channel
References
Krashen, S. (1985). The input hypothesis: Issues and implications. Longman.
