Chinese Cultural Night

Date:  Sep 19, 2014

You want your kids to learn something, it is better to 

1) Tell them, you are learning too.

2) Not only to tell them, but show them that you are learning too.

3) Be able to show the difference of before learn and after learn.

4) And don’t force them.  

HaHaHaHa...

Wife wanted to enrol in a Chinese Calligraphy class.  Because she wanted to write “good Chinese” on to her clay (陶瓷) works.  She told me, she can ad-hoc attend some class (1.5 hour) while Jay Jay is doing his Brain Fit class at Marine Parade.

So, she secretly doing practice on his Chinese Calligraphy after dinner.  

We bought from Taobao a lot of Chinese Calligraphy brushes and practising pad.

You don’t even need to use the Chinese Calligraphy Ink.  Just dip the brush into the water, and then, it will appears dark black just like ink on the practising pad.

好用功哦！She is not from Chinese School background from Malaysia.  That is why she said she never learn how to write.

When you look closely.  She is like “filling” in the stroke, instead of “stroke” it.  HaHaHaHa… 

She also seems like holding the pen so hard too.

I cannot “tahan” so, I said, let me show you how it should be done.  Not colouring it.  HaHaHa

So I picked up a brush and start writing.

“Jay Jay, come and see who’s writing better…"

Then, Kay Kay came.  And asked for the paper and brush too.

Automatically.

Because kids is like this when they are young.  

They will follow what parents do.

They are like a copy cat.

So, while they are young, it is better to take huge advantage of this, to teach kids a few tricks.

They will want to learn “automatically” but not being force.

You will always need to prepare extra writing pads and extra brushes there. 

Just like what Kay Kay did.  Came and sit in, and write.

And he watched.  He learned, and we write.

As for Jay Jay, he has past that age.  

More intelligent now, know what he likes and why he does not like.

But to join the fun… “Mommy, you want to hear I do Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars” on Er Hu?

Yes of course.

Now, very important.  Let the kid do finish his song.

Don’t interrupt.  Even it is out of tune.

I never learned Er Hu, so, I cannot tell him what is the right way to do it.

But I am very sure the Er Hu teacher in school be able to teach him, and tell him that it is out of tune.

I learn this the hard way from Kay’s swimming class.  The parent always wanted to teach, but it always end up teaching the wrong way, and the kid will always become confuse about it when teacher say otherwise than the parents. 

We have to always be aware that, 1) kids always listen to teacher.  2) kids always listen to parents.

Now, imagine, if teacher teaches one way, and parent teach another.  Who will be confused?  Who the kid need to listen?  Listen to the teacher?  Listen to the parents?  Or don’t listen at all.  I know it is hard.  But parents does not always know the thing well.  And we really have to be careful, be mindful about it.  

So parents sometime have to "let it go”.  We parents always think we doing the write thing for the kids but are we that right?  Are the way we taught conforms to MOE teaching?

But not always every thing we have to consider that way.

For example, teaching Kay Kay write Chinese Calligraphy.  We can teach whatever we like, as long as we know they are not learning it from school.  We then use the best way to teach.  Our own way.  So, when I said “don’t correct his way holding the brush” because, I know if we teach him the correct way, he will find hard to hold and he will eventually give up.  Build up his confident by practicing, let him do it many times before correcting him.  I know there will be danger that he will fix into that holding brush style, but that will be our decision to correct or not correct him.

Now Jay Jay is trying to listen to the tune he played.

I was away for a while, and when I come back, I can’t help it, must take a photo of this.

Mommy teaching Kay and Mommy learning too.

Jay Jay playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars with his Er Hu behind the scene.

It does not matter at the beginning stage how Kay hold his pen.  

The most important thing is to make him do it on himself.

You don’t do it every day, but you simply just do it once or twice a month or so.

Let him feel the fun, and let him “experience” the Chinese Culture.

Then, after writing a page or so, Kay Kay joined his brother, and watch him play.  

Btw, that is the Er Hu I bought for him from Taobao.  It’s made in plastic, cost about S$20.

As you can see the kids are having fun.  The most important thing is that they are having fun.

Let’s call it a Chinese Cultural Night.

Jay, why don’t you sit on the chair and play for your Mommy and Kay Kay.

Please take note.  Parents has zero knowledge of Er hu.  Jay Jay learned that entirely from school.  All I did is buy an Er hu for him.

Now, the two brother play together.  Sound nice.  hahaha

After the Chinese Cultural Night, don’t forget to “reward” them.  A nice 10-15min of iPad is a great reward.

Kay Kay says “Check”.

See, even playing chess can be influenced by parents and push it into their day to day lives.  The first game they play is Chess.  And it is a battle between the two brothers.

After that, it’s time for bed.

And it is time to read to the kids.  

Reading to the kids with proper pronunciations is very important.  As a parent, you got to make sure all the ending sounds are read.  So that Jay Jay will learn it too.