🌱 Herts Mandarin Starter
Toddler Mandarin Community｜亲子中文社区启蒙课程（2–4岁）
Herts Mandarin Starter is a Chinese beginner course designed for children aged 2–4 and their parents. It is the starting point for children to learn Chinese.
The course is based on natural language learning. Children learn through games, songs and picture books, and parent-child activities. Chinese is learned in real life situations, not as a separate school subject.
At this stage, parents are very important. We encourage parents to use simple Chinese with their children in class and at home. For young children, a stable language environment with parents is more important than classroom learning alone. It helps children feel safe and start to speak Chinese.
The course also includes Community Time. Children play and interact with other bilingual families. They use Chinese in real situations and learn naturally. Parents also support each other and share ideas, so learning becomes part of a community.
Each lesson has two parts: a parent-child class and community activities. Children learn through songs, picture books, and simple activities. This helps them understand Chinese and slowly start to speak.
The goal of Starter is to help children build a strong base in Chinese through regular input and emotional connection. Chinese grows from home to class to community.
👉 After Starter, children will move to Herts Mandarin Level 1, which is the next stage for listening and speaking.
Herts Mandarin Starter 是专为2–4岁幼儿及家长设计的中文启蒙课程，是孩子接触中文的起点。课程基于语言自然习得理念，通过沉浸式互动与亲子共同参与，让中文在真实交流与生活体验中自然发生，而不是作为独立的学习任务。
在这一阶段，家长的参与是语言发展的核心因素。我们鼓励家长与孩子在课堂中使用简单中文进行互动，并将这种语言使用延伸至家庭日常。对于这个年龄段的孩子而言，稳定的亲子语言环境比单一课堂输入更重要，它能够帮助孩子建立对中文的安全感与最初的表达意愿。
课程同时通过 Community Time 将语言环境从家庭扩展到同伴社交场景。孩子在与其他Bilingual 家庭的互动中一起游戏与交流，在真实情境中自然使用中文，家长之间也形成持续的支持与交流网络，使中文学习成为一个社区化的成长体验。
每节课程分为沉浸式亲子课堂与社区互动两部分，通过儿歌、绘本与情境活动进行高频输入，让孩子在重复与参与中逐步建立语音感知与基础理解能力，并自然进入简单表达阶段。
Starter 的核心目标是让孩子在稳定输入与情感连接中建立中文基础，让语言从家庭延伸到课堂，再延伸到社区，形成自然持续的语言环境。
👉 完成 Starter 后，孩子将自然进入 Herts Mandarin Level 1（中文启蒙听说阶段）。
🌿 Herts Mandarin Starter｜FAQ
1. Starter适合什么样的孩子？
Who is Starter suitable for?
Starter适合2–4岁零基础幼儿，重点是建立中文的安全感与熟悉感，而不是学习识字或语法。课程通过亲子互动帮助孩子自然进入中文环境。
Starter is suitable for children aged 2–4 with no prior Chinese experience. The focus is to build familiarity and comfort with Chinese, not reading or grammar. The course helps children enter a Chinese environment naturally through parent-child interaction.
2. 是否必须家长参与课程？
Do parents need to take part in the class?
是的，家长参与非常重要。这个阶段孩子主要依靠亲子关系建立语言安全感，家长与孩子一起参与能显著提升理解与表达意愿。
Yes, parent participation is very important. At this stage, children rely on the parent-child relationship to build language confidence. Learning together greatly improves understanding and willingness to speak.
3. Starter主要学习什么内容？
What do children learn in Starter?
课程以儿歌、绘本与情境游戏为核心，通过重复输入帮助孩子建立基础语音感知、听力理解与简单回应能力。
The course focuses on songs, picture books, and play-based activities. Repeated input helps children develop basic sound awareness, listening skills, and simple responses.
4. 是否会学习汉字或书写？
Do children learn Chinese characters or writing?
不会涉及汉字学习或书写。Starter阶段完全以听说输入为主，让孩子先熟悉中文语音与节奏。
No, there is no learning of Chinese characters or writing. Starter is fully focused on listening and speaking so children can become familiar with Chinese sounds and rhythm.
5. 一节课是如何安排的？
How is each lesson structured?
课程分为30分钟亲子沉浸课堂与20分钟社区互动，让孩子在输入与自由互动中自然接触并使用中文。
Each lesson includes a 30-minute immersive parent-child class and a 20-minute community session, allowing children to experience and use Chinese through input and free interaction.
6. Community Time有什么作用？
What is the purpose of Community Time?
Community Time帮助孩子在同伴环境中自然使用中文，同时家长之间也能建立支持网络，使学习延伸到社区生活。
Community Time helps children use Chinese naturally with peers. Parents also build a support network, extending learning into community life.
7. 是否需要中文基础？
Do children need any Chinese background?
不需要任何基础。Starter专为零基础设计，任何从未接触中文的孩子都可以在安全环境中开始学习。
No prior knowledge is needed. Starter is designed for complete beginners, and any child can start in a safe and supportive environment.
8. 班级人数和费用教学形式？
Class size and teaching format?
每班约12-14个家庭，由一位主教老师带领，不同老师轮流进行Circle Time，保证孩子接触多种语言输入方式。
Each class has around 12-14 families, led by one main teacher. Different teachers take turns leading Circle Time to provide varied language input.
What are the fees and structure?
每节课£12。一学期约11节课，一学年约33节课。包含所有学习资源和App资源。
The fee is £12 per lesson, with around 11 lessons per term and 33 lessons per year. Including all the learning resources and App resources.
9. 孩子在这一阶段能达到什么能力？
What can children achieve at this stage?
孩子将逐步适应中文语音环境，理解简单指令，并开始用单词或动作表达需求。能够唱多首儿歌，熟悉绘本内容与基础词汇。
Children gradually adapt to Chinese sounds, understand simple instructions, and begin responding with words or actions. They can sing songs and recognize vocabulary from stories and daily contexts.
10. 完成后进入哪个阶段？
What happens after completing Starter?
完成Starter后，孩子将顺利进入Level 1中文启蒙课程，开始系统化的听说与语言输入学习。
After completing Starter, children move on to Level 1 Chinese, where they begin more structured listening and speaking development.