In Singapore, parents face the uphill task of helping their children master mother tongue languages from a young age, in a society where English is the dominant language. The scramble is on for parents to find time, energy and resources, to pass down a “mother tongue” that is sometimes “foreign” to themselves even. In this article, we explore various tech-based resources that can support you in this journey to introduce more Mandarin Chinese into your child’s daily life.
A Handy Toolbox of Mandarin Chinese Resources for Your Child
As parents bear the “burden” of bilingualism in Singapore, some local Mandarin tech-based resources have been developed to enrich Mandarin learning for kids. These tech tools can be used in the comfort of your home to immerse your kids in Mandarin, even if you are unfamiliar with the Chinese characters yourself.
- Chinese Yoto Cards
- Mandarin Learning Apps and Conversation-based Online Classes
- Printable Activities and Learning Kits
- Online Bookstores for Mandarin Chinese Children’s Books
Chinese Yoto Cards (Optional: Yoto Player)
- Koala Spark
Koala Spark offers Chinese Yoto Cards, with curated songs and stories suitable for children up to 6 years. You can play Yoto Cards directly from your phone without needing to purchase a physical Yoto player. That said, the Yoto player is an ideal screen-free audio player for children, with child-friendly buttons that they can control on their own.
While Yoto Cards with English songs and stories are widely available, Koala Spark meets a gap in the market for Chinese songs and stories on Yoto Cards. Whether you are looking for fairy tales in Chinese, short stories or preschooler songs, Koala Spark has curated them all on their Chinese Yoto Cards to engage your child.
- Our Echo Tales
If you are looking for stories that are closer to home, Our Echo Tales offer audio stories on their Chinese Yoto Cards that relate to life in Singapore. Their collection “Little Days, Big Stories” consists of six audio stories about adventures around Singapore, such as at the Gardens at the Bay, the hawker centre and at the zoo!
You can also find a Singapore Chinese New Year collection of six festive stories featuring reunion meals, visits with relatives, red packets and local festive favourites like pineapple tarts and tossing yusheng.
Suitable for 3 to 8 year olds, these audio story cards are made by bilingual sisters born and raised in Singapore. The stories are read in a local Singaporean accent, and the cards can be played on a Yoto player or via the free Yoto app on your phone.
Listening to stories help your child to build listening skills, cultural understanding, and emotional connection, and eventually enable them to express themselves in Mandarin Chinese.
Mandarin Learning Apps and Conversation-based Online Classes
- BrookieKids
Designed to help parents who are non-native speakers provide Mandarin exposure at home, BrookieKids is an AI-powered interactive storytelling app for 3 to 8 year olds.
Developed with the Confucius Institute at NTU, it features over 50 voice-activated, animated stories that adapt to a child’s verbal responses, focusing on building conversational skills and confidence in a low-stimulation, ad-free environment.
The app offers a self-paced and subscription-based model that gives your children unlimited access to a growing library of stories. There are also physical activity cards that scan to unlock themed Mandarin stories and games, blending hands-on play with screen time, while kids get to pick up everyday, practical Mandarin terms.
- TalkingBrij Parties
Talking Brij Parties offers an online Chinese Conversation Club for children to build confidence and fluency in Mandarin through active, peer-based interaction.
Small group sessions are designed for children aged 6 to 13 years old, with a maximum of 6 participants per group to ensure personalized attention from the teacher. The focus is on real conversations, vocabulary building, stories, and idioms rather than just rote memorization.
These Talking Parties are held online once a week for 55 minutes, providing a safe and supportive space for children to speak in Mandarin Chinese, without pressure or anxiety.
Printable Activities and Learning Kits
- Yo Chinese
Yo Chinese provides PDF printable materials mainly for 4 to 6 year olds, focused on teaching Chinese characters for kids, using activity sheets, flashcards, character lists, and parent guides.
Made by Chinese teachers in Singapore, the Level 1 and Level 2 packages are designed to make learning Mandarin simple and fun for children through hands-on activities, covering over 25 characters per level. Parents are supported as the printable kits include advice on milestones and schedules.
Online Bookstores for Mandarin Chinese Children’s Books
- My Story Treasury
My Story Treasury specialises in curated Mandarin picture books for children up to 12 years old, focusing on interactive Montessori-friendly titles. Supporting bilingual learning through story sets, soundbooks, and resources aligned with local MOE curriculum needs, My Story Treasury also organises Mandarin storytelling sessions and workshops from time to time. If you are looking to build a home library of Chinese books for your child, look no further!
- Flip for Joy
Flip for Joy, another Singapore-based online children’s bookstore, is helmed by a former Chinese teacher. Specializing in Mandarin books and resources for preschoolers to lower primary kids, Flip for Joy is a perfect resource for families who do not have Mandarin fluency to begin with, as the founder provides recommendations on suitable titles to help parents cultivate a love for the Chinese language in their children.
