Comparing Chinese Enrichment (Primary/Preschool)

[ChiefKiasu]

Yes… K2 is way too late.


I’m also in the market for some Chinese enrichment classes for my 2.5 yo daughter. Will probably check out Tien Hsia.

[AAs]

I am a mother of 2 girls, age 9 & 5.

I have tried both Tien Hsia & Berries. I think they are both good. I believe if the teachers are dedicated, kids will learn & enjoy. Currently, my 5-yr old is in Berries which she is enjoying as much as she was with Tien Hsia.
My older girl has been to another one, which I withdrew after 1 term, cos’ I feel that the teachers are "just doing their job" kind.

[berriejam]

side track a bit, since we want them to excel in mandarin, so do you think it’s better that they attend SAP school? Or are normal school’s CL just as good?

[ChiefKiasu]

SAP schools do Higher Chinese. Normal schools do… normal Chinese. So clearly SAP schools do Chinese at a higher level. Whether the children can handle that depends entirely on their parents’ ability to create the necessary environment at home.

[lizawa]

In general, I think children in SAP schools are better in Chinese because there is this "Chinese culture" within the school that helps the children to be more immersed in the language. But if you are comparing Higher Chinese and Normal Chinese, there is not a great deal of difference in the text books and syllabus at the primary level.

[ChiefKiasu]

That might be true in some schools, but my son is in one of the SAP schools and I think the kids and staff speak more English than Chinese amongst themselves. Also, the 听写characters are quite hard - for me :).

[titank]

So Tien Hsia & Hua Language Centre which is better?


Quite very limited chinese enrichment class in Singapore. Is there such things as Chinese Phonics in here?

[ChiefKiasu]

They both provide very similar chinese enrichment environments, and are equally well supported by parents. I suggest you just choose the one that is the most convenient for you - remember you have to provide the chauffeuring service :).

[lizawa]

I think both centres really provide lots of drilling, and follow the school syllabus very closely. If this what you think your child will benefit from, then, go ahead.


There is also another Chinese enrichment centre called "Eduplus". This is run by an ex radio station DJ. Besides the text book, they also do stuff like 3-minute speech whereby the child will be given a topic to go home and write about and then present it in class. I find this very useful because it trains the child in public speaking, raises his / her confidence level. The creative writing training is also quite good. Based on the new Chinese syllabus, oral has a much higher weightage than before. It’s 50 marks or 25% of the whole examination.

[phantom]

Lizawa, Thanks for the tip on eduplus. Those interested can get more info http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/enrichment/eduplus-language-centre.