Chinese Character Activities – Guessing Trace

動覺學習是指孩子運用自己的身體和實際活動去學習，而不是一味坐着看書或聽課。有時，不管怎樣用閃卡等操練都無法讓孩子記牢的內容，一個簡單的動作或一首兒歌反而能讓他們印象深刻。

例如，有些老師在教普通話的四聲調時，會讓孩子擺動頭部配合：第一聲，不動；第二聲，將下巴向右上角提；第三聲，用頭部畫個「V」字；第四聲，向右下角點頭。

這類動作在幫助大腦神經建立新連結之餘，還讓孩子在置身有趣的動作或美工活動的同時不自覺地學習。越來越多學校課程設計引入了遊戲、唱遊、美工等是有道理的喔。

Kinesthetic learning is a learning style that uses your child’s body and physical movement to learn lessons instead of sitting down and reading or listening to a lecture. Sometimes, a simple movement or song will aid as a cue for memory more so than any amount of time drilling with flashcards.

For example, some schools teach children to use their bodies when they are learning the different tones in Mandarin. If a character is the first tone, they don’t move. For the second tone, children lift their chin and move their head up and to the right as if they are writing the tone mark with their heads. For the third tone, children move their head in a checkmark, and for the fourth tone, children move their head down and to the right.

Other than helping our children’s brains make new and different connections, these activities are also fun and hide learning under the guise of movement or crafts. There’s a reason why many schools include physical movement, songs, and crafts in their programs!