Modern Chinese Poetry for Children
希望我們在這裏分享的各種遊戲能帶給孩子學習的歡樂，也帶給你更多的家庭教學靈感。大家發到【講媽 ⦁ 講爸】Facebook 群組 的孩子學習照片為我們帶來很大的鼓舞。要是你還未加入我們的大家庭，那就要趕快去看看喔！
We hope you have been finding these activities and tips helpful and fun. We certainly have been enjoying your pictures and feedback in our Sagebooks HK Parent Support Facebook Group. If you haven’t checked us out there yet, please take a quick second to join!
In a previous post, we included some fun ways to teach our children classic Chinese poetry that didn’t directly involve memorization.
In this post, we will be focusing on modern Chinese poetry.
Before we begin, here’s some quick background on what is considered modern Chinese poetry (新詩/xin shi). Technically speaking, it’s any poetry after the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912) so any poetry written after 1912.
Below is from one of the most popular 新詩 (written in 1928) which just about any Chinese of secondary school level or above knows:
輕輕的我走了，
正如我輕輕的來。
我輕輕的招手，
作別天邊的雲彩。
– 《再別康橋》 徐志摩 (1897-1931)
There is a rich array of modern Chinese poetry for children. A lot of them are very descriptive, constructing vivid images of sounds and phenomenon of the nature. Still many are more philosophical ones that explore topics such as passing of time, family and relationships. Here is a simple example:
我回家，把鞋脫下
姐姐回家，把鞋脫下
哥哥、爸爸回家
也都把鞋脫下
…
大大小小的鞋
就像大大小小的船
回到安靜的港灣
享受家的溫暖
– 《鞋》 林武憲 (1944- )
Modern poetry also appear in the forms of tongue twisters, nursery rhymes or silly poems which are always children’s delight. Here is an example of such poems:
弟弟妹妹別生氣
明天帶你去看戲
我坐椅子你坐地
我吃蘋果你吃梨
And here’s one that kids are bound to like because it mentions farting.
對不起，敬個禮，
放個屁，臭死你!
ACTIVITY OF THE WEEK
Please feel free to download a few poems to get you started.
ACTIVITIY 1 - Act Out the Poem
(age 3+, single/multiple player)
WHAT YOU NEED 道具
- Modern Chinese poems or nursery rhymes for reference
HOW TO PLAY 玩法
- Read 2-3 poems a few times
- Ask your child to choose a poem and try to act it out
- See if the other kids can guess what poem it is from the actions alone
ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO PLAY 玩法變化
You can make this easier for younger children by having them choose to act out a line from the poem and have kids guess the line instead. The point is to get the kids moving and active and being silly.
ACTIVITIY 2 - Draw the Poem
(age 3+, single/multiple player)
WHAT YOU NEED 道具
Blank paper
Drawing utensils (pens, crayons, paint, etc.)
HOW TO PLAY 玩法
Read and explain the poem
Ask if children have any questions
Ask them to draw how the poem makes them feel, or illustrate the story of the poem
ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO PLAY 玩法變化
Depending on the age of your child, you can increase or decrease the difficulty level of the activity by:
Again, in this case, you can use nursery rhymes or silly poems. Those are much easier to capture their imaginations.
If your children are younger, it’s easier to have them draw what happens in the poem or something tangible and concrete.
For older children, you can have them draw a more abstract representation of the poem. For example, instead of what is happening in the poem, they can draw how this poem makes them feel, or how the narrator is feeling, or the ideas/themes of the poem.
ACTIVITIY 3 - Write Your Own Poem
(age 5+, single/multiple player)
Since modern poetry is mostly free form, it should be relatively easy in terms of concept. Application can be harder, as children may be reluctant to try.
For our purpose, you can remind kids that poetry is meant to inspire, provoke, and instill beauty (even if it’s beauty in common, everyday things).
WHAT YOU NEED 道具
- Paper and pencil/pen
HOW TO PLAY 玩法
- Choose a subject or topic
- Start off the poem with a line you create or copy from a nursery rhyme
- Ask a child to say/write the next line
- Continue through each child and then read aloud
ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO PLAY 玩法變化
Depending on the age of your child, you can increase or decrease the difficulty level of the activity by:
If your children are younger, you can write most of a poem and have them choose the rhyming words – or in this case, the words don’t even have to rhyme. It’s okay if the words don’t make sense.
The point of the activity is to get the kids’ creativity going and get them used to the idea of describing a subject or object or anything in a poetic manner.
Alternatively, you can have your kids write a poem by themselves about a given topic. Just remember to have appropriated expectations. The poems will most likely be terrible but that is okay!
我們希望能看到你的孩子做這些遊戲的照片或影片，也希望能聽到你的意見或提問。更歡迎加入我們的【講媽 ⦁ 講爸】Facebook 群組，我們等你喔~
We would love to hear your comments and see pictures of your kids doing the activities. Make sure you join our Sagebooks HK Parent Support Facebook Group and share with us!
HOMESCHOOLING TIPS
Try lots of new things.
As people, we tend to be creatures of habit. When it comes to teaching our kids Chinese, these habits can be a good thing because it makes Chinese a routine part of our lives.
However, sometimes, that gets us in a rut and we get bored or only go for what we’re comfortable with. This usually results in our children not leveling up in vocabulary or exposure to different aspects of Chinese culture.
If you try new things – whether different teachers, activities, stories, YouTube channels, or subjects – your kids will learn new things and possibly even find new loves.
And if they end up not liking something, that’s okay! It’s all part of the process.
Like this tip? Join us in our Facebook Group and meet other parents who are teaching their kids Basic Chinese 500 at all different ages and levels.
我們會經常為大家探討漢字和語文的課題。
要是你有特別的相關課題希望我們探討，歡迎您告訴我們。
We discuss Chinese language and culture related topics on a regular basis.
If you would like us to discuss certain topics about Chinese, please let us know.
更多教養支援 SUPPORT FOR YOU
很多家長都已是我們 Facebook 群組【講媽 · 講爸園地】 的成員。歡迎你也加入我們，一起互相鼓勵和支持，共同為孩子的學習而努力。
Many parents are already part of our Facebook Group. If you’d like to take advantage of the collective wisdom of your fellow parents, please join us.
We’d love to hear from you.
Sagebooks Hongkong promotes independent reading and life-long learning by nurturing the child’s confidence, autonomy and self-teaching abilities. Since 2006. Find out more About Us.
© 2020 Sagebooks Hongkong. All rights reserved.
Sagebooks Hongkong promotes independent reading and life-long learning by nurturing the child’s confidence, autonomy and self-teaching abilities. Since 2006. Find out more About Us.
© 2020 Sagebooks Hongkong. All rights reserved.
Sagebooks Hongkong promotes independent reading and life-long learning by nurturing the child’s confidence, autonomy and self-teaching abilities. Since 2006. Find out more About Us.
© 2020 Sagebooks Hongkong. All rights reserved.