“My child loves the workbook, but I don’t speak Mandarin. How do I know we’re saying the words correctly?” Since we launched Mandarin Adventure Volume 1, this is the question parents have sent us most often, and it’s a fair one. Pinyin and English on the page tell you what a word means and roughly how it’s spelled, but they can’t show you how it should sound.
Today we have a better answer. Mandarin Adventure at Home: Volume 1 is now live on our website. It’s a parent-guided online Chinese course that walks you and your child through every lesson of the workbook, with videos to watch and repeat, flashcards, a listening game, writing practice, short conversations and a quiz. Each lesson takes about 15 minutes a day with a parent, and families can start right away.
The course comes with the workbook. Buy the Mandarin Adventure Volume 1 e-workbook for ₱599 and you also get access to the online course, or get the course on its own for ₱1,499. Get the e-workbook →
Want to try before you buy? Get Lesson 1 free ↓
Introducing Mandarin Adventure at Home: Volume 1
Every lesson in the workbook now has an online companion. The course follows Mandarin Adventure Volume 1 lesson by lesson, so the words your child sees on paper are the same words they hear, practice and say on screen. There are 10 lessons, and each one opens with a short parent guide that explains what the lesson covers and how to run it, even if you have never studied Mandarin yourself.
The lessons cover everyday topics that children actually talk about. Here is what your child will learn in Volume 1:
- Lesson 1: ไฝ ๅ ๅฒ๏ผ (Nว jว suรฌ?) How old are you?
- Lesson 2: ไฝ ๅซไปไนๅๅญ๏ผ (Nว jiร o shรฉnme mรญngzi?) What is your name?
- Lesson 3: ็ฐๅจๅ ็น๏ผ (Xiร nzร i jว diวn?) What time is it?
- Lesson 4: ไฝ ไปๅช้ๆฅ๏ผ (Nว cรณng nวlว lรกi?) Where are you from?
- Lesson 5: ไปๅคฉๆๆๅ ๏ผ (Jฤซntiฤn xฤซngqฤซ jว?) What day is today?
- Lesson 6: ๆ็ๅญฆๆ ก (Wว de xuรฉxiร o) My school
- Lesson 7: ๅฐๆ็ๅฎถ (Xiวomรญng de jiฤ) Xiaoming’s house
- Lesson 8: ไฝ ๅๆฌขๅไปไน๏ผ (Nว xวhuan chฤซ shรฉnme?) What do you like to eat?
- Lesson 9: ๆๅๆฌข่ฌ่ (Wว xวhuan shลซcร i) I like vegetables
- Lesson 10: ๆไปฌๅปไนฐๆฐดๆ (Wวmen qรน mวi shuวguว) Let’s buy fruit
It comes from the same curriculum our teachers use in class. We created the workbook because parents who don’t speak Mandarin kept asking how they could help at home, and because our students needed structured practice between classes. The online course takes that idea further by adding the sounds, games and review that a printed page can’t provide on its own.
How a lesson works at home
Every lesson follows the same five steps and ends with a quiz, so your child always knows what comes next and you don’t have to plan anything before you sit down together.
Step 1 is watch and repeat. Your child watches a short video and says each new word and phrase out loud. This is the step that answers the pronunciation question, because you both hear exactly how every word should sound, tones included, and you can replay it as often as you like.
Step 2 is flashcards, and Step 3 is a listening game. The flashcards help your child connect each character with its sound and meaning, and the listening game checks whether they can recognize the words when they hear them, which is the first skill they will need in a real conversation.
Step 4 is writing the characters. Your child practices writing the lesson’s characters in the workbook, and our free stroke-order pages show the correct order of strokes for each one so good habits form from the start.
Step 5 is “Let’s talk,” followed by the quiz. Each lesson has four short conversations that you and your child can act out together, using the new words in a real exchange. A short quiz at the end shows what your child has remembered and which words are worth another round.
About 15 minutes a day is enough to make steady progress. Short sessions are easier for young children to stay focused through, and they fit around school days and homework far better than one long session on the weekend. If you want more ideas for supporting your child at home, our guide to helping with Mandarin homework when you don’t speak Chinese is a good companion to the course.
Who the course is for
Families using the Mandarin Adventure e-workbook. If your child is working through the pages, the course gives you the audio, practice games and conversations to go with them, so you can be confident you are practicing the words correctly.
Current Little Owls students. Our classes always come with homework, and the course adds another way to review between classes. Lessons are short enough to fit into a weekday, and your child can revisit topics as often as they need to.
Parents who don’t speak Mandarin. You don’t need any Chinese background to guide your child through the course. The parent guide, the videos and the pinyin and English in the workbook give you everything you need to sit beside your child and learn along with them.
Young beginners who aren’t ready for live classes yet. If you are still deciding whether Mandarin is right for your child, the course is an easy way to start at home and see how they take to it. Our post on whether a non-Chinese Filipino child should learn Mandarin may also help you decide.
How to get access
Get the e-workbook and the course comes with it. The Mandarin Adventure Volume 1 e-workbook is ₱599, and every e-workbook purchase includes access to Mandarin Adventure at Home. This is the best value if you want both the printable pages and the online lessons.
Or buy the course on its own. Mandarin Adventure at Home is also available by itself at its regular price of ₱1,499, which gives you all 10 lessons with their videos, games, conversations and quizzes. You can pay by card, GCash, Maya, bank transfer or QRPh, and if you have questions about which option suits your family, message us on Messenger or WhatsApp, or email info@littleowlsph.com.
You can preview the course before you start. The course page lists every lesson and step, so you can see exactly what your child will be doing before you sign up.
What comes after Volume 1
Keep going at home with Mandarin Club. When your child finishes Volume 1, Little Owls Mandarin Club continues the journey with a self-study course built on our Level 1 class curriculum. It is ₱997 a month for every lesson, including new ones as they open, or ₱1,799 a month if you would like your child to have one 45 to 60 minute class a month with a Little Owls teacher.
Or move into a live class. Our online group classes have up to four students, run 45 to 60 minutes and follow our four curriculum levels, with homework after every class. A trial class costs ₱599 for a 45 to 60 minute group session with no obligation to enroll afterward. For a full look at fees, see our 2026 guide to Mandarin class costs in the Philippines.
Not sure yet? Start with Lesson 1 of the workbook. It’s free, and we’ll email it to you right away.
Get Lesson 1 Free
Try the first lesson with your child at home. Weโll email you the PDF right away.
Start Mandarin Adventure at Home
Get the e-workbook and the online course together, keep going with Mandarin Club, or book a live trial class with a teacher. Questions first? Message us on WhatsApp or Messenger, or email info@littleowlsph.com. We reply Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm.
