Quick Facts

Did you know that...

1. To develop a productive vocabulary in Chinese (or any language), children only need to be exposed to that language for about 2 1/2 hours a day. 
   
   According to research, children can actively speak a second language if they were exposed to it for 20 percent of their waking hours.  However, if exposure was less than this, children were very hesitant to speak in the language at all.  So, assuming a child is awake for 12 hours a day, then at least two and a half of those hours should be spent speaking/listening in the second language.
   
   From The Bilingual Edge by Kendall King, PhD and Alison Mackey, PhD
   
   
   
2. Studies have shown that children 3+ benefit from viewing educational TV programs while those who younger than 3 should limit their exposure to television. 
   
   Analysis suggests that television viewing at ages three to five years has a more beneficial effect, at least for the outcomes of reading recognition and short-term memory.
   
   In contrast, the analysis has shown a consistent pattern of negative associations between television viewing before age three years and adverse cognitive outcomes at ages six and seven years.
   
   TV has negative impact on very young children's learning abilities
   
   When Toddlers Turn on the TV and Actually Learn (NY Times)
   
   
   
3. Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world.
   
   According to the CIA World Factbook, 13.22% of the world speaks Mandarin Chinese.  The second most spoken language is Spanish at 4.88%.  This includes first language speakers only.
   
   

CIA World Factbook