Having Lola speak Mandarin and being fluent in Chinese is hugely important to me and Michael, and as a result factors, and will factor, in how we raise her. It is such a difficult language that we are keen to introduce the tones, and to ensure prolonged and consistent exposure to it, as soon as possible.
Of course, I would love for Lola to pick up a third language, maybe down the road (something I failed to do) but I know how hard it is just to achieve full-fledged fluency in two, especially when one of them is Chinese, so the focus is on that first and foremost.
We have a few strategies for this so far - I speak to Lola only in Mandarin, and our confinement nanny, by virtue of not speaking any English, also only spoke to Lola in Mandarin.
In anticipation of my return to work, we are in the process of hiring a Mandarin speaking nanny to come and interact and play with Lola on a near-daily basis. This has been harder than I expected, one, because a lot of the nannies that I've found here speak Cantonese more than Mandarin, and two, because a lot of the nannies also work as confinement nannies, which means their schedules fill up quickly and are rather sporadic, often booked up for a few months here and there. Of course I would rather work with one nanny exclusively for the long term, rather than having to train and find a new nanny every couple of months. I've also found that hiring a caretaker for your baby is incredibly challenging - as you try to size up a nanny's abilities, background, demeanor, attitude, intentions... it's hard to trust a stranger with your baby! I am crossing my fingers that this will work out soon.
I ordered a bunch of picture books in Chinese so that the nanny and I can read to Lola in Chinese. This was really challenging at first, as I couldn't find bookstores in Hong Kong that carried the kind of books I wanted (English picture books translated into Chinese). I bought some from Singapore, but the shipping costs alone were frightful.
Enter.... Taobao, for the win, again! They are definitely legitimate books, not fake copies, and in perfect condition. Lola's bookshelf has grown exponentially since her birth and now the Chinese books surpass the English ones. Some are way too advanced (i.e, too many words on the page to keep her attention for more than a few seconds) but I already can't wait to read these to her when she's ready. One of my friends told me that her two year old kid negotiates with her for six books before bedtime. That's a lot of books!
Here are some of the ones that I've gotten that I love and that seem very suitable for Lola right now:
We plan to have Lola go to a Mandarin-only playgroup maybe once or twice a week once she gets a little older, in the hopes that she will learn to use the language to interact with a broader group of teachers and peers.
And finally, if we are out here for long enough, we want Lola to go to a dual language school where at least half of the daily instruction is provided in Mandarin.
In sum, this is a multi-pronged approach that takes a lot of effort, patience and time, but I'm hopeful that with all of these avenues of opportunity, we are giving Lola the best chance of being fully fluent in English and Mandarin.
Of course, I would love for Lola to pick up a third language, maybe down the road (something I failed to do) but I know how hard it is just to achieve full-fledged fluency in two, especially when one of them is Chinese, so the focus is on that first and foremost.
We have a few strategies for this so far - I speak to Lola only in Mandarin, and our confinement nanny, by virtue of not speaking any English, also only spoke to Lola in Mandarin.
In anticipation of my return to work, we are in the process of hiring a Mandarin speaking nanny to come and interact and play with Lola on a near-daily basis. This has been harder than I expected, one, because a lot of the nannies that I've found here speak Cantonese more than Mandarin, and two, because a lot of the nannies also work as confinement nannies, which means their schedules fill up quickly and are rather sporadic, often booked up for a few months here and there. Of course I would rather work with one nanny exclusively for the long term, rather than having to train and find a new nanny every couple of months. I've also found that hiring a caretaker for your baby is incredibly challenging - as you try to size up a nanny's abilities, background, demeanor, attitude, intentions... it's hard to trust a stranger with your baby! I am crossing my fingers that this will work out soon.
I ordered a bunch of picture books in Chinese so that the nanny and I can read to Lola in Chinese. This was really challenging at first, as I couldn't find bookstores in Hong Kong that carried the kind of books I wanted (English picture books translated into Chinese). I bought some from Singapore, but the shipping costs alone were frightful.
Enter.... Taobao, for the win, again! They are definitely legitimate books, not fake copies, and in perfect condition. Lola's bookshelf has grown exponentially since her birth and now the Chinese books surpass the English ones. Some are way too advanced (i.e, too many words on the page to keep her attention for more than a few seconds) but I already can't wait to read these to her when she's ready. One of my friends told me that her two year old kid negotiates with her for six books before bedtime. That's a lot of books!
Here are some of the ones that I've gotten that I love and that seem very suitable for Lola right now:
- Anything by Eric Carle. The pictures capture Lola's attention very well and she is fascinated by the vivid, beautiful colors. I think the interactive components of the books will also help once she gets a little older. In our collection so far we have amassed:
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
- Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
- Mister Seahorse
- Daddy, Bring Me the Moon
- Mixed Up Chameleon
- Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? - Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell. This one is highly recommended in a lot of circles and is so fun, with interactive pages where you can flip open the box/cage/crate to see what animal is inside.
- Press Here and Mix it Up, by Herve Tullet. This a book about colors and shows dots multiplying and changing color.
- Olivia, by Ian Falconer. Olivia is a great character in the form of a little pig, who wants to do anything and everything. She hates naps, loves museums, has interesting thoughts, and is adventurous and brave.
We plan to have Lola go to a Mandarin-only playgroup maybe once or twice a week once she gets a little older, in the hopes that she will learn to use the language to interact with a broader group of teachers and peers.
And finally, if we are out here for long enough, we want Lola to go to a dual language school where at least half of the daily instruction is provided in Mandarin.
In sum, this is a multi-pronged approach that takes a lot of effort, patience and time, but I'm hopeful that with all of these avenues of opportunity, we are giving Lola the best chance of being fully fluent in English and Mandarin.
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