Embrace Spring: Learn Mandarin Chinese Amid Blossoming Opportunities

As winter fades away, the arrival of spring brings with it a burst of new life. The once-dormant landscape slowly comes to life, with the grass turning green and the trees budding with new leaves. The air is filled with the sweet aroma of blooming flowers, and the sound of birds chirping fills the sky. Small animals scurry about, enjoying the warm sunshine and fresh foliage. It’s a season of renewal and rejuvenation, and a welcome change from the cold and dreary winter months.

In this beautiful season,  what Chinese can a child learn and how to make the learning fun and engaging?

What Chinese to Learn in Springtime?

Start by immersing yourself in essential Mandarin vocabulary related to Spring. Learn words like 春天 (chūn tiān) for “Spring”, 花朵 (huā duǒ) for “flowers”, 温暖 (wēn nuǎn) for “warm”, “grass” (草, cǎo), “rain” (雨, yǔ), and 阳光 (yáng guāng) for “sunshine”. Incorporating these words into your daily practice will help you connect with the season and deepen your language learning experience.

You can also learn seasonal activities and celebrations, such as 复活节 (fù huó jié) Easter  , the 清明节 (qīng míng jié) Qingming Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival (端午节, duān wǔ jié). By learning these words and phrases, you can better appreciate the beauty and culture of China during this vibrant and exciting season

General Springtime Chinese Vocabulary

Equip the kids with common Springtime words such as sun, flower, grass, bird, chick etc first. Kids associate these words in Chinese with the images/objects they see, which make the Chinese words more meaningful. You can display the words on the wall at home or in the classroom so that children can see them easily.

For example, the general Spring word flashcards as below are perfect for both displaying or teaching your kids the Spring vocabulary.

*Source: Spring Montessori 3-Part Chinese Learning Flashcards

As we visit farms, learning some farm animal names can be fun for kids. Here is a good resource.

*source: Farm Animals Chinese Learning Pack

And when children see all the baby animals, it’s good to teach them the names of mom and baby animals using the flashcards as below. 

source: Mom and Baby Farm Animals Montessori Chinese Learning Flashcards for Kids

Apart from farm animals, animal sounds are also interesting for kids to learn in Spring.

*source: Chinese Animal Sounds Theme Learning Pack Flashcards and Worksheets

Some other vocabulary like the clothes for Spring are also good for kids to learn
source: Theme Vocabulary Pack – Seasonal Clothes

Chinese Nursery Rhythms

Nursery rhythms are easy and fun. There are some good nursery rhymes about Spring for kids to learn. 

Here is an example of a nursery rhyme about Spring

Longer days, more sunshine, blossoms of little flowers … Spring is in the air. Spring is the perfect time to learn some new nursery rhymes.

source: Chinese Nursery Rhythms for Spring

Kids are genuinely interested in animals in general. Springtime is the perfect time to learn about animals because kids now come across  them, for example, in the park, at the zoo or simply in their community.

Source: Animals Rock: Chinese Animal Nursery Rhythms including Workbook

Learn Chinese Tongue Twister about Spring

Chanting a tongue twister is a brilliant way for kids to learn Chinese. Getting the sounds and tones correct and avoiding the tongue from getting twisted always bring lots of laughter. Here is one example:

＊Source: Spring Theme Learning and Activity Worksheets

Chinese Children’s Poem

Here is one poem for children to learn.

＊Source: Spring is Getting Near Chinese Poem for Kids and Activity Worksheets

After learning the poems, working on some activity worksheets can enhance the whole learning experience.

Chinese Reading About Spring

There are some easy books for kids to read in Chinese in our My Very First Chinese Reading and My First Chinese Reading. Let’s have a look at the video version.

Learning Chinese in Gardening

Gardening isn’t just about nurturing plants; it’s also an enriching journey of self-discovery and growth. Now, imagine combining the joys of gardening with the excitement of learning Mandarin Chinese.

This innovative Gardening and Plant Theme Chinese learning pack features a variety of engaging materials, including printable worksheets, flashcards, coloring pages, and interactive games, all centered around gardening and plants. Each resource is meticulously crafted to reinforce essential Mandarin vocabulary related to gardening while fostering creativity and hands-on learning.

Source: Gardening- Plants Chinese Learning Pack for Kids

Fun Coloring Activities

There are many other learning activities kids can do during Springtime. An easy activity kids can do all the time on sunny or rainy days is coloring.

*source:  Spring Easter Animal Chinese Coloring Pages for Kids

source： Color and Learn Chinese Vocabulary Workbook – Spring 

You can also have kids have some puzzle fun:

source: Farm Animals and Their Babies Puzzle – Fun Activity for Chinese Learning

Easter Chinese Learning

Easter is the highlight of the Springtime. Kids love it because of the beautiful Easter decoration, delicious food, especially the egg hunt!

Spring is a season of renewal and growth, making it an ideal time to embark on your child’s Mandarin learning journey. By embracing the vibrant energy of the season, integrating Spring themed vocabulary and activities, you’ll find plenty of learning opportunities for your kids. Gardening and plant-themed activities, Easter-themed activities, excursions to farms and the fields, exploring Chinese culture,  leveraging effective learning materials, it’s really the perfect season to learn and grow . Seize the opportunities that Spring presents and let your child’s  Mandarin proficiency flourish like the Spring flowers in bloom.

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Resources mentioned above:

• Gardening- Plants Chinese Learning Pack for Kids
• Spring Montessori Chinese Flashcards
• 6 Chinese Nursery Rhythms about Spring
• Spring Easter Animal Chinese Coloring Pages for Kids
• Chinese Word Wall for Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winer
• Farm Animals Chinese Learning Pack
• Chinese Animal Sounds Theme Learning Pack Flashcards and Worksheets
• Spring Theme Learning and Activity Worksheets
• Spring is Getting Near Chinese Poem for Kids and Activity Worksheets
• Animals Rock: Chinese Animal Nursery Rhythms including Workbook
• Gardening Theme Chinese Learning Pack for Kids
• Theme Vocabulary Pack – Seasonal Clothes in Chinese for Kids
• Color and Learn Chinese Vocabulary Workbook – Spring