Make Spanish and Chinese Fun with Small Group Lessons for Kids

Please share.
Tweet
Learning pods, homeschoolers, and families looking for fun enrichment activities for kids are turning to online language lessons with groups of friends.

During the current pandemic, parents are looking for safe educational opportunities and social interactions for their children. Many parents already understand the benefits of foreign language learning – from improving children’s performance in core subjects like math and English, increasing their empathy and out of the box thinking, and opening doors for their future. Now, new opportunities to do language lessons online with friends, offer an opportunity to combine the benefits of learning a new language with the social connection children need and crave.

In response to requests from parents, PandaTree has announced the launch of online small group language lessons for children, complementing its existing offering of online private Chinese and Spanish lessons for kids. Now, parents can arrange a group of 3-5 friends and PandaTree will set up a series of lessons at the day and time that works for the group. Lessons are just $10 per child per lesson for a 25-minute lesson, offering a considerable savings over private lessons. Lessons are available for students 2 to 17 years old. The lessons are appropriate for learning pods, home schoolers and other groups of friends.

Are small group lessons right for your child?

Taking lessons with friends is an excellent way for children to have some safe social contact and enjoy learning Spanish or Chinese with other kids they like. During the group lessons there are opportunities to practice talking with each other as well as with the tutor.

At just $10 per lesson the affordable group lesson price means the group can do lessons several times a week, or even daily, which is an excellent way to reinforce and accelerate foreign language learning. Lessons can be arrange as a monthly series.

Of course, during a small group lesson, each child will get less talk time than during a private lesson, but they will also be able to learn from their friends’ learning.

 

Image of computer screen with a learning pod and a teacher in an online group language lesson. Learning Spanish or Mandarin Chinese in with a small group of their friends is a great way for kids to safely combine learning and social interaction.

How the small group lessons work

Small group lessons work in a similar way to PandaTree’s online private lessons. During the lesson students see the tutor and each other on PandaTree’s proprietary platform, and the tutor shares a screen with engaging content. After the lesson parents get an update email about what was covered in the lesson, and students can visit their Kid Hub to play games with the new words from the lesson and do other learning activities.

PandaTree tutors are carefully hired for their language teaching skills and an engaging approach that makes learning fun. Parents can feel confident knowing they have all undergone background checks and reference checks. During group lessons, the tutor will make sure every child is getting a chance to participate. Tutors will even use special group games, not available in one-on-one lessons, to keep the learning fun.

Who are small group foreign language lessons ideal for?

Group lessons are ideal for learning pods, home schoolers, and students who aren’t yet enrolled in a foreign language program at school. The tutor will tailor the lessons for the groups language level, whether beginner or intermediate.

Small group lessons can also work for students who are taking an in-school foreign language class or immersion program together and who want to get some extra speaking practice outside the classroom. The tutor can even help reinforce the in-class curriculum.

When do small group foreign language lessons not work?

For children who are extremely shy, private lessons may be a better approach. On the other hand, some shy kids will rise to the challenge when they see their friends participating.

Additionally, for a child who is at a significantly different language level than their friends, a private lesson may be better able to offer content targeted to their level.

Learn more

Parenting is already challenging, but current circumstances have caused parents to scramble to find safe education and social opportunities for their child. By combining lessons with an expert tutor and safe social interaction with friends, PandaTree’s small group lessons can help families out during these challenging times.

Learn more about small group lessons here or email customercare@PandaTree.com if you are interested in getting a group started.

 

 

 

 

Please share.
Tweet

Chinese New Year Activities for Kids

Please share.
Tweet

Chinese New Year is on January 25, 2020, and it’s the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar. For a fun celebration, try these Chinese New Year activities with your kids. Whether it’s making Chinese dumplings, learning the Gong Xi, Gong Xi song, making “hong bao” red packets or writing greeting cards, your kids will love them.

Continue reading “Chinese New Year Activities for Kids”
Please share.
Tweet

12 Questions with Spanish Tutor Ana

Please share.
Tweet

“If I have the power to change something I would want to make everyone happy, especially children.”

Spanish Tutor Ana poses with a panda
Spanish Tutor Ana loves having students around the world.

1. When did you know you wanted to be a teacher? Since I was a little girl I knew I was going to be a teacher. My mom tells me that I loved to play school and teach my dolls. Then when I grew up I enjoyed being my friends’ tutor when they didn’t understand something.

Continue reading “12 Questions with Spanish Tutor Ana”
Please share.
Tweet

An Interview with Santa Claus, Polyglot

Please share.
Tweet
Picture of Santa Claus reading in his library

Ever wonder how Santa Claus copes with letters from kids in hundreds of different languages?

Interviewer: Mr. Claus, thank you for joining us today. I know it is a really busy time of year for you.

Mr. Claus: Ho ho, glad to be here. Some of the elves were starting to get testy so I’m glad for a little break.

Continue reading “An Interview with Santa Claus, Polyglot”
Please share.
Tweet

The Best Way to Learn Foreign Language Vocabulary: Spaced Repetition

Please share.
Tweet
Spaced Repetition is the secret to learning foreign language vocabulary quickly and retaining it longer.

Building your vocabulary is a powerful way to help boost your foreign language fluency. But cramming vocabulary lists isn’t an effective way to learn. Sure, you might do okay on the quiz in your Spanish or Chinese class, but how much will you really remember two weeks later… or in two years? And since the point of learning a language is to be able to talk to real people, busy learners need a technique that is both efficient for learning and effective at retaining new vocabulary for the long term. That’s where Spaced Repetition comes in. It’s the powerful technique for helping students learn foreign language vocabulary quickly – and ensuring they won’t forget it.

Continue reading “The Best Way to Learn Foreign Language Vocabulary: Spaced Repetition”
Please share.
Tweet

14 Questions with Spanish Tutor Aileen

Please share.
Tweet

Don’t be afraid of making mistakes or sounding silly; just practice a little bit every day and have fun!

Photo of online Spanish tutor for kids in her garden.
Online Spanish Tutor in her garden in New Jersey.

1.Where did you grow up? In a very small town in Panama called Caisán. It’s famous in Panama for the production of all kinds of beans.

2. What’s your most memorable story from growing up? Climbing a mango tree and chilling on a branch while eating yummy mangoes!

3. When did you know you wanted to be a teacher? Somewhere between giving lessons to my dolls and stuffed animals as a child and assisting a Sunday school teacher at church as a teenager.

Continue reading “14 Questions with Spanish Tutor Aileen”
Please share.
Tweet

5 Games to Help Your Younger Child Build Fluency

Please share.
Tweet

As the world becomes more globalized and interconnected the need for multilingual people grows一and it goes without saying that it’s simply cool to be able to speak more than one language. Nowadays many parents are enrolling their children in foreign language classes or tutoring lessons to develop fluency in a second or even third language. A special shout out to those parents一by doing so they are helping to shape future citizens who are welcoming and culturally aware of other people’s language, history and traditions.

Continue reading “5 Games to Help Your Younger Child Build Fluency”
Please share.
Tweet

22 Questions with Chinese Tutor Xin

Please share.
Tweet

Meet Xin, a beloved Mandarin Chinese tutor celebrating her third year with PandaTree. We caught up to learn more about how she became who she is and to get her tips for kids learning Chinese.


“Learning Chinese is just like planting trees. You’ll have a good harvest after you work diligently.”

Continue reading “22 Questions with Chinese Tutor Xin”
Please share.
Tweet

PandaTree’s Top Tips for Acing the AP® Spanish Language and Culture Exam

Please share.
Tweet

 Note: AP®, Advanced Placement® and College Board® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this website.

It’s May 7, 2019 and you’re sitting in your school’s gymnasium with desks spaced six feet apart. You’ve got a school issued laptop or iPad on your desk, with a headset and microphone, as well as a pencil, eraser, and exam booklet. At 8:00 am sharp the exam proctor announces you may open your exam booklet. Are you ready for the Advanced Placement® Spanish Language and Culture exam?

The AP® Spanish Language and Cultural exam is the most popular AP world language exam, with good reason — there are six million students studying Spanish in school in the United States. With about 50 million Spanish-speakers, the U.S. is the second largest Spanish speaking population in the world after Mexico. Speaking Spanish is great for people who love to travel – it’s the official language in 20 countries. And learning Spanish can help students understand another culture, boost career opportunities, and more.

In this post, we’ll demystify the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, give an overview of AP exams, take a thorough look at each section of the AP Spanish exam and offer plenty of tips for how to prepare for the AP Spanish exam so you can get your best grade. Along the way, we’ll share expert advice from PandaTree tutors and advisors who have helped The College Board develop and grade AP exams in the past.

Continue reading “PandaTree’s Top Tips for Acing the AP® Spanish Language and Culture Exam”
Please share.
Tweet

The AP® Chinese Exam: PandaTree’s Tips to Ace It Everything you need to know for the May 6 exam

Please share.
Tweet

Note: College Board, Advanced Placement and AP are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.

The Advanced Placement® Chinese Language and Cultural exam is growing in popularity as people realize the value of Chinese proficiency for future career opportunities and cultural fluency. In fact, the AP® Chinese exam is now the third-most popular AP language exam after AP Spanish Language and Culture and AP French Language and Culture.

In this post, we’ll share an overview of Advanced Placement exams, we’ll take a look at the AP Chinese Exam and its components, and we’ll share grading trends. Then we’ll look question by question at the exam, describe what to expect, and offer tips to maximize your score. Finally, we’ll share some advice on how to best prep for the exam. So if the AP Chinese and Culture exam is in your future, read on! Continue readingThe AP® Chinese Exam: PandaTree’s Tips to Ace It Everything you need to know for the May 6 exam

Please share.
Tweet