What does a cartoon have to do with learning Mandarin? For our young learners, quite a lot. The moment a familiar face pops up on screen — Judy Hopps, Dory or Elmo, a phrase that feels foreign turns into something they’ll actually remember.
That’s exactly what our meme slides are built to do. Kids arrive to find their favourite characters from Zootopia, Finding Nemo and Sesame Street are right there in the lesson, each paired with a Mandarin phrase that suits their personality.
And these aren’t just classroom lines, they’re phrases they can use in everyday life. “Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn” (please speak a bit slower) isn’t just something Judy Hopps says on a slide; it’s exactly what a student can say to a waiter who’s speaking too fast at a restaurant. That’s the goal: Mandarin that lives outside the lesson, not just inside it.
Behind every slide is our tutors’ own creative work, matching each character’s personality to a phrase that fits, it creates humour and the language sticks. Picking up a new language can feel daunting, especially when you’re young, but a familiar face (and a little bit of laughter) goes a long way.
Some of Our Favourite Classroom Phrases
Here’s a glimpse of what our students see on the screen every week:
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