As time permits before your trip - and definitely after

The longer waiting periods that the CCAA has imposed have one positive effect: you have more time to learn about Chinese culture and language before your travel date.

When you’re all home, of course, you and your child have a lifetime of learning ahead of you.

Since our return, we’ve gradually collected a small library of China-related music, books, and games to introduce to our daughter as she grows up. Lullabies in Mandarin are in her bedtime rotation, Chinese pop music and the occasional language lesson sometimes play on the morning drive to daycare. Documentaries and Olympics coverage are enjoyed by the whole family, and we shop our local Asian market more than monthly.

With our backgrounds in the educational community, we understand the effectiveness of language and cultural instruction at the earliest possible age, and look for quality materials to help us. The companies we’ll talk about here have earned our dollars as well as our recommendation.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet many of these authors and businesspeople professionally. Their passion and dedication to improving children’s lives is one of the reasons why I started this business!

Asia For Kids began in 1994 when Selina Yoon decided to teach her son Chinese. Not being a native speaker herself, she sought reference materials but found nothing available. Her quest to find effective tools turned into a second career, and today her companies distribute teaching materials for not just Mandarin, but 50 other languages as well. From textbooks to software, flash cards, games, and literature, Asia For Kids is now the top source for instructional media for preK through college-age.

I’ve known Selina since 2006, and value her personal service, excellent memory, and thoughtful selection.

Kingka is a beautifully-designed and durable lotto-type game for teaching basic Chinese characters and their pronunciation. The game play is very flexible, depending on the players’ familiarity with the language. A fluent speaker can play with a person who’s never seen the characters, and both can have fun. An audio CD is included to help with correctly speaking the words and tones.

There are three games in the series, each one adding further characters. The games have won an impressive number of awards, including the Dr.Toy Best Products Winner of 2007. You get a lot of material and long-lasting play value for just $25.

I met the president and developer of this company at the 2008 National Association for the Education of Young Children conference. Sholeen Lou-Hsiao created Kingka when she was not able to find just the right game to use teaching Chinese at home. (This is a familiar theme!) She is expanding her product line beyond games to include phrase books and a series on cultural sensitivity - well-written and beautiful:

                       

East West Discovery Press is both a publisher and distributor of multicultural and bilingual books, with strong representation of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish-language titles. East West is also a good source for books regarding ethnic communities in America, and the experiences of American citizens of diverse heritage. Owner and author Icy Smith has written Mei Ling in China City, a well-researched and lovingly illustrated history of two girls’ friendship and the hardships they experienced in Southern California during the Second World War, the Japanese-American internment camps, and life in Los Angeles’ forgotten Chinatown.

I met Icy at the 2008 NAEYC conference. She is another dedicated entrepreneur working to support the evolution of our kids’ blended cultural identities.

                   

ChinaSprout, as the name implies, focuses solely on China. They too offer a deep and ever-growing listing of Chinese-language learning materials, but also offer Chinese music and DVDs - new favorites and classic productions, and literature about current events and Chinese history. They are a great source for gifts (especially if you didn’t have enough time to shop during your adoption trip) - jewelry, home decor, clothing from t-shirts and pajamas to qipaos for kids and adults. On top of that, they carry party supplies, games, and craft materials.

ChinaSprout is also an official outlet for Bejiing Olympics licensed goods, which we refer to on our Olympic Souvenirs page.

Founder and president Xiaoning Wang started the company back in 1999 as a resource specifically for adoptive families. It has grown to serve a much larger customer base, but still offers helpful and insightful information for families like ours.

                               

ChinesePod, part of Praxis Language, is a service from Shanghai that we found indispensable during the wait for our travel date, and that we continue to use for Mandarin lessons as well as up-to-date cultural insights.

With over 1000 podcasts, added to daily, ChinesePod is a flexible, low-stress, fun tool that lets you practice at your own pace, with lessons that you select based on your interests and ability level (plenty of material for newbies!). Podcasts run 10 to 15 minutes and are free - even downloadable from iTunes. When you subscribe to the service, you get access to PDF files with lesson printouts and expanded activities.

The program is run by English-speaking expatriates and is oriented toward native English speakers; however, there are many local Chinese behind the microphone and behind the scenes to ensure the content is correct and relevant. “Star” of the site is the charming and knowledgeable Jenny Zhu, who is a fan favorite the world over.