Little Pim Chinese for kids -- Free with Amazon Prime

We're back! Sorry for the relatively long absence... we moved across the country, bought a house, started a new job, got a dog, etc etc etc. Life is busy! But it's calmed down just a tad so maybe we'll start writing more again.

Thanks everyone for liking us on facebooks! Up to 49 likes, keep them coming! We're almost to 50, so we'll try to organize a giveaway of "A Little Mandarin!"

And now for today's subject: Little Pim's series of Chinese videos for kids

What is it: These are roughly 30 minute videos entirely in Chinese that go over basic vocabulary. They are clearly meant for kids learning Chinese as a second language. There's lots of footage of kids doing things like eating, sleeping, playing, and then the narrator will say the vocabulary word that is featured on the TV screen. They also display the pinyin that goes along with it.

Target Age Range: 1-5

Pros: It's free if you have amazon prime! There's lots of footage of other kids, and our three kids under age 5 are all somewhat entertained because of this. The mandarin is also clearly spoken, and it's helpful for those that can read pinyin. Kids that don't know much mandarin or don't have parents who speak Mandarin will probably learn a lot from this.

Cons: It's sort of boring... the pace is very slow and there's just not that much that's fun or interesting about it. It's sort of like glorified flash cards. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just know what you're getting. By the end of one 33 minute episode, my 3 and 5 year old were wrestling on the floor and had completely lost interest. This is probably something you're going to have to watch with your kids if you want them to not get bored.

Our rating / The bottom line: We give these a B. If you have Amazon prime, you should definitely check them out (free is free!), and if money isn't that big of a deal then go ahead and buy them. If you're the type of parent who doesn't speak Mandarin and really wants your kids to learn Mandarin, this is probably a great thing to buy and let your kids watch while they are young and still entertained by it. If your kids are 5 or older these might not have a long shelf life and might be a bit pricey for what you get.












What do you think?