Do your kids love learning Chinese, or embrace the language as much as English? At home, we hardly use our Mother Tongue, so we’re naturally concerned about our kids’ interest and how they’d cope when they enter primary school.
When Vera started Primary One, she couldn’t quite remember how to read many high frequency Chinese characters (common words). I’m no tiger mum nor smarty student, but I discovered that tricks (and treats) are great for encouraging her.
I read many positive reviews about LingoAce, which at that time, only offered online classes.
PSST! Sometime in Oct 2021, LingoAce launched their Blended Learning Program for Primary 5 and 6 students. Which means kids can attend physical classes at their centre located at Somerset, in addition to online classes! Dual boost for PSLE preparation!
Thanks to COVID-19, virtual learning became second nature to students in Singapore. I signed her up for a free trial to give LingoAce online Chinese class a shot in August 2021; she was in Primary 2 then. To be “fair” to Leroy, he attended a trial lesson for Kindergarten too. It’s 25-min for the 5yo, and a 55-min session for primary school students.
To my pleasant surprise, both kids were engaged and enjoyed the interactive 1-to-1 session with Lao Shi! They kept asking for more classes and as a mum, it’s really heartening to see child-led learning! Half the battle won, right? HA!
What we like about LingoAce online Chinese classes for primary school kids in Singapore
So, what’s the hype about LingoAce? Sharing our review and experience here!
#1: Play, learn and interact in Chinese
“Learning through play” is something that I’ve often read about, and that’s what LingoAce’s Founder, Hugo Yao, prides the program for. This EduTech company leverages on technology to bring learning to life via their online platform. Expect creative illustrations, gamification, interactivity coupled with certified, native-speaking teachers to create that fun learning space for kids.
As a father, he knows the way to winning children’s hearts! At every LingoAce online Chinese class, kids “play” their way to earn trophies! Rewards like these work for my girl, to boost her confidence. However, these trophies can’t be redeemed for anything just yet – something she’s been asking me about haha! Maybe LingoAce can come up with a reward scheme for the children to motivate them further?
#2: Aligned with MOE syllabus, developed by experienced curriculum specialists
Their curriculum specialists develop the in-house programmes. This includes Preschool (3 to 6 years old), MOE Curriculum (6 to 12 years old) and Global Curriculum (5 to 15 years old).
For Vera, she is on the 1 to 1 program, and the learning materials are aligned to the《欢乐伙伴》syllabus set by our Ministry of Education (MOE) for Chinese. This is an assurance for parents of primary schoolers, as it helps to reinforce learning. There is another option of a small class size with 4 students, but I personally felt that the dedicated attention has been great for her. Yes, it’s slightly more expensive. If you’re wondering about the price difference between both classes, read on to find out LingoAce’s fees below! :)
#3: Flexible online Chinese lessons: start, continue, stop or change programme anytime without penalty!
Unlike the usual face-to-face enrichment classes with a fixed slot, LingoAce offers the flexibility for parents to plan their own schedule. That means, we can “stop” lessons anytime without any penalty – something I did after our last lesson during the December holidays. There’s also no pressure to utilise our prepaid credits or by an expiry date. It was easy – I just had to book the preferred time and date via the LingoAce Connect App, sign in to my LingoAce account to book or inform my assigned Learning Advisor. I prefer booking class through their App – so convenient! There are no registration fees, deposits or additional fees too!
When we took a break, I didn’t have to worry that she had “missed classes”. Lessons continue from where she stopped. Having said that, I wouldn’t encourage stopping for too long – that’d defeat the purpose of being consistent, right?
Psst: With flexible arrangement, it also means that the onus is on parent and child, to attend LingoAce online Chinese classes regularly in order to reap optimum results. Hehe. Parent-and-child led decisions at play!
Another “flexibility” which I personally like, is that they allow kids to switch programmes so we can see what suits our kids’ needs better. This meant that Vera can try other LingoAce programmes which are categorised under Skills Enhancement or Comprehensive.
#4: Simple homework to reinforce learning + video playback feature
When it comes to academic enrichment classes, there’s no running away from revision! Thankfully, the homework is usually a simple worksheet, which can be done pretty quickly. To submit, I’ll upload a photo of the printed homework for her teacher to mark. There were a couple of times that I missed out and her lao shi asked about it. Haha! I appreciate the teacher’s responsibility :)
With the video playback, I could re-watch and know what went on during classes. Parents who are more diligent can use this to revise with their children. It’s nice to have, although I’ll be honest that I don’t use this much. However, I do let her know that she can watch certain parts of the video while doing her worksheet. They serve as a memory refresher!
I’ve a detailed review of the different primary school programmes that Vera tried – so keep reading!
I felt that attending a trial class before investing in a new learning program really helped gave us a good gauge if the child is suitable for the teaching style. LingoAce online Chinese classes let kids adapt and learn seamlessly. For parents, there’s lesser logistics to manage during this pandemic season.
Perks of learning via LingoAce Online Chinese Classes
Before signing up for classes, attending a trial class is helpful in assessing suitability. Not all Chinese enrichment classes in Singapore provides trial classes; it’s nice to know that LingoAce offers free trial classes which doubles up as an assessment of the child too.
How did I assess the class? I sat beside both kids during their trial lesson to watch how the teacher managed her new student. I was able to see the type of materials and tools used; how the teacher communicates and encourages when the child doesn’t know. I could find out if my child is a good and independent online learner; if digital classes are even suitable. Basically, to spy on my kids to see if they could respond accordingly (so much Chinese going on!) and behaved well haha!
Vera can attend the lessons independently, so I don’t really need to sit in with her. Perhaps, pop in once in awhile to make sure she understands what’s going on because all communication is in Chinese! HA! Sometimes, I’ll also try to catch her teacher at the end of class to get live feedback. Otherwise, the teacher leaves feedback/comments after every class, and even a progress report after 10 lessons.
Here are some other reasons why we find the LingoAce online Chinese classes beneficial:
- No need to worry about transport and having to rush the kids to a physical class. With the growing number of Covid-19 cases, online classes are safer, and we save time too!
- FREE access to 成语故事 videos to watch and learn anytime.
Our experience after attending several LingoAce online lessons to learn Chinese
In anticipation for MORE stay-home season and the school holidays, we enrolled for the 1-to-1 class package at LingoAce so she can learn with native teachers at home any day!
So, how’s it been after several lessons? She has been attending the Primary 2 SG Oracy & Communication program + 1 SG Writing Class (level 3). The latter was tough; and I found out that it’s more suited for kids who are adept in 作文; so this advanced curriculum stretches young their writing skills through a challenging syllabus. hehe.
Our review on the LingoAce Oracy and Communication program can be found here – just click on my Instagram Post below or this URL :)
She has attended 10 classes of the Primary 2 SG Oracy & Communication program, and I find that she’s responding enthusiastically when talking to Lao Shi. She’s also able to follow the structure of how to say her answers and put her thoughts together – there’s a format for Oral, don’t pray pray! You can click on my Instagram post and watch the videos of what they did in class :) That would give parents a better idea :)
Our review about the LingoAce SG WRITING CLASS:
The classes go by levels, and it was almost year-end so she was put at level 3, in anticipation for Primary 3. As I watched the playback, I could tell that there were many difficult words and concepts, which were beyond her (and me!).
We might try Level 2 next time – so stay tuned to my Instagram stories! I personally prefer that the learning level should match her ability so it’s not overwhelming. LingoAce is flexible enough for us to change the level when we need (just inform our Learning Advisor!), and they will also check with the teacher for recommendation.
*Updated during March holidays 2022: I booked her for Compo class again. This time round after speaking with our Learning Advisor, I learned about the SGB programme for Primary school kids. It follows their textbook and covers Vocab, comprehension, language use, sentence structure, oral workshop and composition. In fact, it’s flexible such that the child doesn’t need to follow through the whole “package” – so I specifically requested to attend just the Composition part! Nice – the pace and difficulty level were comfortable for Vera too! :)
LingoAce fees and credit structure
Here’s the class fees for the various programs offered at LingoAce. Note that these are the course fees for their online classes only.
Remember that I mentioned about prepaid credits?
So how it works is to purchase or top up a certain number of credits, and use them to offset the classes attended. The higher the value of credits purchased, the cheaper it is for the average class cost. This is their way of rewarding families who are long term students, making it more pocket-friendly as they enrol for longer. Want to enjoy some promotional perks when signing up for LingoAce lessons? Read on to find out how to attend FREE classes!
Free trial for LingoAce online Chinese classes for children
Are your kids between 3 to 15 years old? If you’re looking for interactive ways to boost your child’s interest in Chinese, do give LingoAce a try! Get FREE classes upon your first purchase too!
Simply book a FREE trial with my LingoAce referral link: https://r.lingoace.com/b2qeea. Receive 300 points (redeemable for 1 youth class or 2 preschool classes) if you sign up after your trial!
At the same time, it helps me get points so Vera and Leroy can continue learning too ☺️ Thank you in advance!
Did you know that LingoAce runs holiday programs at their centre in Somerset? You can find out more on their Facebook page!
Are your kids struggling to learn Chinese? We hope that this review of LingoAce online Chinese classes will be helpful for you in deciding for a suitable enrichment class! Feel free to share other tips and tricks to raise bilingual children in Singapore too!
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