My First Chinese Words series is for the beginning young learner with no prior exposure to Chinese.  This set of 36 size-appropriate storybooks was designed with children in mind.  The stories contain meaningful sentence structures, teaching students to communicate in full sentences, not memorizing individual characters.  The series also uses overlapping content and a predictable narrative structure to provide a springboard for creative play-acting. This allows children to quickly apply what they learn in real-life situations and start communicating in Chinese right away.

My First Chinese Words series has been adopted by schools throughout the United States and abroad. It was also awarded the highest recognition from Hanban as the best CFL (Chinese as a Foreign Language) curriculum for its target group.  Please see our schools for an exemplary list.

Pinyin with Traditional or Simplified Characters

Animated Lessons Online: Students can review what they learned in the classroom, play additional exercises and watch level-appropriate stories, making learning Chinese relevant and fun! In addition, parents can participate in the learning progress at home.

Supportive Teacher/Parent’s Guide: Focusing on interpersonal, interpretational, and presentational skills, the teacher/parent’s guide includes task-based assessments for lesson planning and goal setting.

Additional Learning Tools: Big Book edition of the series, word and pictorial game cards, song audio CDs, and other supplementary CD-ROMs and books further facilitate learning about Chinese language and culture.

My First Chinese Words is a flexible series that accommodates to the student’s learning environment! The 36 story books can be used in various order according to the educators’ and parents’ lesson plans. 

For daily lessons/sessions: Educators and parents are recommended to teach 1 story book per school week. The series is appropriate for 1 academic year (approximately 32 weeks). 

For fewer than 2 weekly sessions: In learning environments in which students have 2 or less sessions per week, teachers are recommended to complete 1 story book in 2-3 weeks with additional cultural activities and learning. This series is recommended for 1 to 2+ academic years depending on learning objectives and goals.