Learn the days of the week in Chinese (Mandarin) using the simplest of props – clothes pegs, string and a print out of Chinese characters (see below)! The kids will have such fun fiddling with pegs. This teaches them about sequencing and at some point, they learn they can make predictions about what will happen on a certain day.
Copy and paste these characters to print them out:
Monday: 星期一
Tuesday: 星二
Wednesday:星期三
Thursday: 星期四
Friday:星期五
Saturday: 星期六
Sunday: 星期天／礼拜天
TRANSCRIPT
Hi there. My 4-year-old will sometimes tell me, on a Friday, that “Mommy I don’t want to go to school tomorrow.”
And I will say, “ Ok, that’s fine.”
By the time your child gets to 3, you can start introducing the days of the week to him. The good news is, in Mandarin, the days of the week is a lot easier than in English. Let’s get started!
Here’s what you need:
– A roll of string or raffia
– Clothes pegs: The more colorful, the merrier!
– Print outs of the days of the week (download from the link below)
– Cue cards
(Step 1): First, print out the characters and cut them to size.
(Step 2): Stick them onto the cards – you can get your child to help! As an added bonus, I gave her stickers to mark her “calendar”.
(Step 3): Now, let’s find two stationary points to hang our clothesline!
: As you hang the days of the week, say them out loud slowly….If your child is willing, encourage her to repeat after you.
Here’s my tip: Your child probably won’t get everything right in one sitting, and that’s all right. Repeat this activity whenever you get a chance. Have fun!