Some time ago, I started to recite Tang Dynasty Poems to J in darkness just before he goes to bed, as I realised that he could concentrate better in darkness when there is nothing else to distract him. Recently, just barely shy of 2 years old, J (22M28D if i remembered correctly) started to repeat Tang Dynasty Poems. It proves that my strategy seems to be working!!!
What J does is that I will recite a line, and he would try his best to repeat it. I did not ask him to repeat after me. He did it on his own. He doesn't get all the words in that line correct. Some nights, he would repeat half a sentence correct, other nights, he would only repeat the last word of the line correctly. Typically a Tang Dynasty poem has 4 lines.
His favourite poem currently is the one about swans. Some nights I got lazy and was tempted to skip the poems, but he would ask for it. Again tonight he asked me to recite the swan poem. This is really sweet to a mother. It is as if like a child pleding mom for more homework. For some who accuses mothers of pressurizing the child too much, it is not always true. Sometimes, the child truly enjoys the learning and ask for more such "homework" himself/herself.
For a child struggling with 3 languages, I didn't expect him to recite Tang Dynasty Poems like those toddlers in my mother's group at all. Thus, this is even sweeter to me - my best CNY gift.
For Chinese mothers out there, I truly encourage you to recite Tang Dynasty Poems in darkness to them some nights, if not every night, before they sleep. For those raising a child in a cross-cultural marriage, don't give up, keep trying. One day, you will see the fruit of your labour.
I am more motivated to memorize more Tang Dynasty Poems now :-)
Understands gender differences
When daddy asked which is a boy and which is a girl, J can point to the right picture. He also can say "dreng" and "pige" when asked what that person is. He now also understand the term in Mandarin, although he would prefer to say it in Danish when asked.
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