Turn story vocabulary cards into Mandarin games

Begin with three useful words

Open a story your child has already watched or read. Choose three words from its vocabulary cards rather than presenting the whole set. Familiar pictures and objects give you something to talk about while you introduce the Mandarin sound.

The Little Seed offers seed / 种子, grow / 长大 and leaf / 叶子 with recorded English and Mandarin audio. Tiffy Meets New Friend includes words such as friend / 朋友, school / 学校 and happy / 开心. Read the cards together and let your child pick the first word.

Game 1: hear a word and point

Place two cards where you can both see them. Play or say one word, then invite your child to point to its card. On an ordinary story page, use the word button to hear an available device voice; if Mandarin is unavailable, listen to the story video instead.

Start with English if that makes the game familiar, then try Mandarin. Keep the words visible and offer another listen when needed. Take turns: your child can choose a card and you can be the person who points.

1. Choose two word cards.
2. Listen to one word together.
3. Point to the matching card.
4. Swap roles or add the third card when you want.

Game 2: find the matching pair

On paper, write an English word on one card and its Mandarin partner on another. Copy the pair from the story page so the words stay accurate. Place the English cards in one row and the Mandarin cards underneath, then connect each pair.

You can keep the original story card alongside as a reference. This is a matching activity, so there is no need to hide the answers or time the session. On the story page, you can also try the existing matching activity and look back at the flashcards together.

Game 3: tell a tiny story

Choose three cards and put them in a story order. With seed, grow and leaf, you might point and say: “Little Fox found a seed. He helped it grow. Then he saw leaves.” Use your own words; this activity does not change the book’s narration.

With friend, school and happy, imagine welcoming someone new at school. Your child can draw the scene, move the cards or speak in either language. Add one Mandarin word to your English sentence if that is comfortable, then return to the full story for its listening example.

Use pictures and objects as helpers

If your child is not reading yet, draw a simple picture beside the word or choose an object that represents it. A leaf drawing can sit beside 叶子; two drawn people can stand for 朋友. Ask your child which picture makes sense to them.

For words that describe actions or feelings, act out a small scene instead. Avoid making a child perform on demand. You can show the action first and let them join, point or watch. Older children can add a sentence or invent a new ending when they want more of a challenge.

Print, save and return

Ordinary story pages have a Print / Save PDF control that opens the browser print dialog. Preview the pages and choose the parts you want, or copy three cards onto plain paper. The free Little Seed activity is another ready-made option with word cards and drawing spaces.

Save the story as a favourite on this device. On the next visit, use the same words in a different game or invite your child to choose one new word. The aim is a shared conversation and a reason to return, not a score or a required number of correct answers.