Chinese Preschool Activities by Topic

Names and greetings

• Greet the children in Chinese and coach their responses (all classes)
• Talk about Chinese traditional names. Ask the students for their Chinese names, if they have them, and explain their meanings. Help students who do not have Chinese names to choose one.
• Teach the children the song "Ni Jiao Shenme Mingzi?" and go around the circle, with each child singing their name in turn.
• Use two puppets to demonstrate different people meeting and exchanging names. Let the children prompt the puppets when they "forget" what to say.
• Sit in a circle and chant together: "<name, name> ni kan shei?" Each student in turn answers "wo kan <name of student next to them>, ta kan wo."
• Give each child a sheet of paper with their Chinese name in characters (outlines fill most of the page). Ask each child to add drawings to their name that show what their names mean.

Numbers and ages

• Teach the children a song "Ni Ji Sui?" and go around the circle, with each child singing how old they are in turn.
• Read the story "Very Hungry Caterpillar" in Chinese. Pause before each number word and prompt the students to say the number in Chinese.
• Sing song "Shi ge xiao peng you" (Sing 'n' Learn Chinese)
• Read from "Red Eggs and Dragon Boats" about birthdays in China and how ages are counted.
• Sing song "Zai Nar Li" (Sing 'n' Learn Chinese)
• Play Hide & Seek and have the children count in Chinese
• Play number 3x3 Bingo (San-ge)
• Read MFCW#16 "hong hua hong hua ji yue kai?" ask children to chant along and guess what each month is.
• Read MFCW#22 "hua hua" and pause to ask children how many balls are in each picture, in Chinese.
• Give each child a page with the numbers from 1 through 10 in pinyin and hanzi and have them illustrate each square with the right number of objects

Colors

• Read the story "Brown bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" in Chinese. Pause before each color word and prompt the students to say the color in Chinese.
• Discuss favorite colors with the children, and what colors are lucky and unlucky in China.
• Read the story "Elmer's Colors" in Chinese. Pause before each color word and prompt the students to say the color in Chinese.
• Play a memory game where each child in the circle has to remember the Chinese words for favorite colors of the children before them
• Color 3x3 SanGe (Bingo)
• Read MFCW#22 "hua hua" and pause to ask children what color the balls are being painted on each page.
• Give each child a printed page with outlines of the characters for color names, and help them color in each character with the right color
• Play "Twister" in Chinese

Parts of the body and face

• Read the story "Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes"
• Sing the song "Touer JianBang Xi, Jiao, Zhi" (Sing 'n' Learn Chinese has "London Bridge" melody)
• Play "Funny Faces" Colorforms game
• Play "Qing ni" (Simon Says) touching nose, hands, etc.
• Sing "Hokey Pokey" in Chinese (Sing'n'Learn)
• Use movable body part hand puppets. Children can change the body parts in turn if they can name them. Or remove one part and ask children what's missing.
• Sing "Liang Zhi Laohu" with extra verses to have other missing body parts (Sing'n'Learn)
• Read MFCW#25, "Ni zai zuo shenme?" or #13 "li mian you shenme?"
• Pause before parts of the body and prompt the students to say the parts of the body in Chinese.
• Have the children draw pictures of themselves. Help them name each part of their bodies that they have drawn, in Chinese. (Provide pages for them to use that have body parts in pinyin and hanzi around the edges, to point to their pictures.)

Foods

• Food Categories (only do one per week):
• Fruits
• Desserts
• Beverages
• Some other specific foods, especially ethnic Chinese foods
• Meals
• Have children name their favorite foods (within a category).
• Teach children the words for these foods and play the circle memory game (children must remember the names of the favorite foods of those who have gone before them.)
• Read the story "Very Hungry Caterpillar"
• Read the story "Yum Yum Dim Sum" (English)
• Bring play food to class- 5-10 items in a category (e.g. fruit).
• Discuss names and let each child play with one. In a circle, children take turns naming one kind of food another child has and trading items.
• Read MFCW#30 "Wo yao peng you" or MFCW#36 "qu chao shi" or #24 "xiang jiao zai nar li?". Ask students what each kind of food is in English, or pause and ask them to say the food in Chinese before reading the word.

Family members and friends

• Read the story "The Day I Got Up Early"
• Have children draw pictures of their family members. Help children name each family member in Chinese.
• Sing song "Zai Nar Li" with different family members. Use dolls or puppets or illustrations to guide students to know who they are looking for in each verse. (Sing 'n' Learn Chinese)
• Bring a small dollhouse with an extended family of dollhouse dolls. Mark dolls with labels in Chinese. Children can put a doll in the dollhouse if they can say the name of the family member they want.
• Ask the children to suggest things different family members say to each other. Show how these things are said in Chinese. Invite the children to interact with the dolls or puppets, using the phrases they have just heard.
• Sing song "Shi ge xiao peng you" (Sing 'n' Learn Chinese)
• Read MFCW#17, "wo de yi jia ren" or #28 "zhe shi shui de shou tao" or #18 "wo de jia". Ask children to guess which family member is on each page, in Chinese.

Animals (domestic, farm, zoo) and animal noises

• Read the story "Elmer's Friends"
• Read the story "Brown bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"
• Sing the song "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" in Chinese (Sing'n'Learn)
• Use puppets or stuffed animals to introduce common animal names
• Circle memory game. Children can hold animal toys or just say the name of their favorite animal.
• Play "Wo Shi Shen Me?" (Charades). Children take turns pretending to be animals, other children have to guess the animal's name in Chinese to get a turn.
• Animal 3x3 SanGe (bingo)
• Read MFCW#19 "dong wu de jia" or #20 "ni zhu zai na li?" and ask children to say the Chinese name of each animal. (Note that the names don't appear in the text of these books.)
• Give each child a page with names of animals (hanzi and pinyin) around the sides. Ask each child to draw an animal and circle the Chinese name of their animal.

Important people (e.g. doctor, police officer, teacher)

• Bring small figures of each kind of person. Introduce the jobs.
• Play the Memory Circle game with the figures, or ask each child what they would like to be when they grow up.
• Play "Wo Shi Shei?" Each child pretends to be a grownup with a job. Others have to guess what their job is.
• People 3x3 SanGe (bingo)

Clothing

• Bring a dressable doll. Children can take turns adding clothes to the doll if they can say the name of the clothing item.
• Use Colorforms dress-up doll to make a game similar to "Funny Faces" (will require a new spinner)
• Memory Circle game - Each child names one item they are wearing, e.g. "lan se wazi". Each child must remember the items from the previous children before naming their item.
• Have the children draw pictures of themselves. Help them name each item of clothing they are wearing in the picture. (This could take a little imagination, depending on how old the children are.)
• Read MFCW#11, "chuan shang yifu" or #28 "Zhe shi shui do shou tao?" Pause and ask children to say the Chinese name of each article of clothing shown.

Toys & Games

• Read the story "Kites: Magic Wishes" (English)
• Read the story "Grandfather Tang's Story" (English) and use tanagrams
• Show & Tell/Memory Circle - ask each child the week before to bring in one toy from home. Teach the class the name of each toy. Play the Memory Circle game with the names of the toys.
• Play a game that Chinese children play, even if the game is played in English, such as Chinese Jumprope, the Chinese version of duck-duck-goose, etc. (There is a game in which one player pretends to be a wolf and the other children try to sneak up before the wolf can turn and catch them. This game has a short song in Chinese which the children can learn.)
• Help the children make simple kites

Places kids go (just a few, e.g. school, park, restaurant) and Vehicles

• Play "four corners." Each corner of the classroom is named for a place kids go. The caller closes their eyes and each child picks a corner to go to. The caller names a place and opens their eyes. Children in that corner are "out." The last child "out" wins and can be the next caller.
• Read MFCW#29 "wo qu shang xue" or #12 "na shi shenme?" and ask children to repeat the names of each of the vehicles used in the pictures.
• "Stepping Stones" game - Provide full-page card with a picture of each place the students are learning, one per student. Place the cards on the floor in the circle. Play music as the children move from card to card. When the music stops, each child gives the Chinese name for the place shown on their card, or they are "out". Remove one card which was answered correctly each turn.
• Provide a sheet of paper with names of places along the edges (pinyin and hanzi). Ask each child to draw a picture of a place, and circle the Chinese name of the place they have drawn.
  

Actions and Hobbies

• Ask each child for something they like to do, and teach them the Chinese name of that activity.
  
• Play "qing ni" (Simon Says) with actions.
• Read MFCW#10 "zai xue xiao" or #31 "zai xue xiao zhen kuai le" or #14 "yun dong hui" or #26 "wo hui pa" or #32 "houzi zai zuo shenme?" and pause to ask children to say the Chinese name of each activity shown.
• Play "wo zai zuo shenme" (Charades) with actions.
• Provide a sheet of paper with names of actions and hobbies along the edges (pinyin and hanzi). Ask each child to draw a picture of themselves performing an activity or hobby, and circle the Chinese name of the activity they have drawn.

Feelings and Polite Phrases

• Use the poster of situations to discuss polite phrases and how people feel in different situations.
• Act out different situations with two puppets. Let the children help one puppet who "forgets" how to say the right thing in Chinese.
• Play "qing ni" (Simon Says") with feelings/expressions
• Read MFCW#27 and pause to ask the children to describe the expressions in Chinese
• Play "Wo zai zuo shenme?" (charades) with feelings/expressions
• Ask each child to draw a face with an expression. Provide pages with Chinese words (pinyin and hanzi) for different feelings along the side. Help each child pick the word which matches the feeling they have drawn.

Daily activities (wash face, brush teeth, go to bed, etc.)

• Read the story "Elmer's Day"
• Read the story "Mei Mei Loves the Morning" (English)
• Sing "Wo you liang ge shou" (Chinese Children's Songs)
• Sing "Women zhe lai xi liang" (Sing'n'Learn)
• Play "Qing Ni" (Simon Says) with motions of daily activities
• Read MFCW#15, "lao lang lao lang ji dian le?" Pause and ask children to say the time for each page.

Rooms of a House, Furniture

• Bring a small dollhouse. Mark rooms with labels in Chinese.
• Children can put some furniture or a doll in the room if they can say the name of the room they want.
• Have children draw a picture of their house. Help them name the rooms in Chinese.
• Play "four corners." Each corner of the classroom is named for a room of a house. The caller closes their eyes and each child picks a corner to go to. The caller names a room and opens their eyes. Children in that corner are "out." The last child "out" wins and can be the next caller.
• Read MFCW#35 "xiao mao zai nar li?" or #18 "wo de jia" and pause to ask children to say the Chinese name of each room of the house. (#35 also uses furniture words.)
• Bring a small dollhouse with furniture. Mark dollhouse furniture with labels in Chinese. Children can put some furniture in the room if they can say the name of the furniture they want.
• Have children draw a room from their house. Help them name the furniture in the room in Chinese.

School supplies (crayons, paper, book -- just a few words)

• Ask each student to show the items they normally bring to class. Give names for each of these items.
  
• Bring in some small, inexpensive school supplies (crayons, pencil, eraser, etc.) Tell the children the name of each in Chinese, and have them repeat the names. Then mix the items up in a bag and pull them out, one at a time. The first child to say the name correctly in Chinese (who does not already have an item) gets to keep the item.
• Memory-chain game. Sit in a circle. Each student says the name of their item from the previous activity, and then adds the names of the items from everyone who has gone before them.
  
• Read MFCW#23 "zhe shi ni de ma?" Pause before saying the name of each school supply and ask students to fill in the name of the item shown.

Chinese Characters

• Read a book such as "At the Beach" "In the Snow" or "At the Park." Each time a character is shown in the book, have the children show how to make the character with their bodies, suggest things the character looks like, etc.
• Give each child a page to color which has a single large character on it with some illustrations to help them know what the character means. Explain each character. Play Chinese children's songs in the background while the children color in the characters.
• Let the children experiment with brushes and watercolors or washable ink to write some Chinese characters, 1-3 per page.

Chinese Arts

• Arrange for a demonstration of a traditional Chinese instrument, dance, or other folk art. Let the children ask questions of the demonstrator.
• Make Beijing Opera masks with the children. Provide blank masks and show them some examples. Talk about the kinds of stories in Beijing Opera and especially the kinds of characters in the stories. Let them color their blank masks. Ask each child to explain what kind of person wears the mask they have made.