Mandarin Club: An Online Mandarin Course for Kids You Can Try Free

For many children, Mandarin practice stops the moment class ends. The Little Owls Mandarin Club was built to fill that gap. It is an online Mandarin course your child can do at home in 15 to 20 minutes a lesson, built from the same curriculum we use in our live classes, with games, flashcards, story videos and speaking practice in every lesson.

The best way to see if it fits your child is to try it. Lesson 1 is free, including both quizzes, and you do not need a card to start. Below you will find exactly what your child does in that first lesson, how the steps work and what comes next.

What Is the Little Owls Mandarin Club?

The Mandarin Club is an online self-study Mandarin course that teaches kids one short lesson at a time. Each lesson follows our class curriculum, so the words and sentences match what Little Owls teachers cover in live classes. Children learn through picture flashcards with real Mandarin audio, a listening game, a story video, sentence building, speaking practice and character writing.

It is designed for two kinds of learners. Children ages 3 to 10 learn best with a parent sitting beside them, and the course includes a parent guide for every lesson so you know what to say and what mistakes to watch for. Children ages 10 to 15 can work through most lessons on their own.

What Your Child Learns in Lesson 1

Lesson 1 teaches greetings, starting with 你好 (nǐ hǎo), which means hello. Over twelve words, your child learns how to say hello, ask how someone is, answer, and greet people in the morning, in the evening and at bedtime. Tap the cards below to hear a few of them.

The lesson also teaches one simple trick that unlocks a lot of conversation. Adding 吗 (ma) turns a sentence into a question, so 你好 becomes 你好吗？ (how are you?). Adding 呢 (ne) sends the question back, as in 我很好，你呢？ (I’m very good, and you?). Adding 也 (yě) means “too,” as in 我也很好 (I’m very good too).

Inside Lesson 1: Eight Short Steps

Each lesson is broken into short steps so your child always knows what to do next. Here is what Lesson 1 looks like from start to finish.

1. Meet the words. Your child sees each new word with a picture, the characters and the pinyin.
2. Flashcards. Tap a card to hear the word, say it out loud together, then hide the meaning to check what they remember.
3. Listening game. Listen to a word and tap the right characters, aiming for 9 stars out of 10.
4. Which greeting? Look at a picture, decide what time of day it is and say the right greeting before checking the answer.
5. Let’s talk. Watch a short story video of Mom and Lili saying hello from morning to night, then practice the conversation and swap roles.
6. Build the sentence. Read the English and tap the word tiles in the right order to build the sentence in Mandarin.
7. Speak with Lili. Lili’s friends ask questions from the lesson, your child answers out loud into the microphone, and Lili listens and gives stars.
8. Write it. Watch how each character is written, trace it with a finger, then write it from memory. Parents can also print a practice sheet for pencil tracing.

The lesson ends with two quizzes. The Little Owls Quiz is made for ages 3 to 7, and the Big Owls Quiz is made for ages 8 to 15, so younger and older siblings can each take the version that fits them.

Why 15 to 20 Minutes a Lesson Works for Kids

Short, regular practice helps young learners more than a long session once a week. A 15 to 20 minute lesson fits before school, after dinner or on a weekend morning, and it ends while your child is still having fun. That makes it much easier to come back the next day.

Each step is also short enough for a child to finish without help once they know how it works. The steps repeat the same words in different ways, by listening, speaking, reading and writing, so new vocabulary has a better chance of sticking.

Free Mandarin Lessons to Start: How the Trial Works

Starting the free lesson takes less than a minute. Enter your name and email on the sign-up page, and your child gets the full Lesson 1 of Level 1, both quizzes included. There is no card required and nothing to cancel.

• Open the free lesson page and enter your name and email.
• Start with the short parent guide so you know how to help at home.
• Work through the eight steps with your child, then try the quiz that matches their age.

If your child enjoys it, you can join the Mandarin Club from the last step of the lesson to keep going with Lesson 2.

What Comes After Lesson 1

Level 1 continues with four more lessons and a review. After greetings, your child learns to ask and answer 你叫什么名字？ (what is your name?), say where they are from, count with numbers and tell the time. Lessons open in order, so each new lesson unlocks when the one before it is complete.

There are four levels so far, and new lessons are added every month. Level 2 covers measure words, fruits, vegetables, meals, home, school and animals. Levels 3 and 4 move on to asking questions about the things around you, family, colors and shapes, clothes, daily routines and feelings. Members also get My Words, a personal space for the words your child has learned, so there is always something to review.

Is an Online Mandarin Course Right for Your Child?

The Mandarin Club works well for beginners and for children who already study Chinese in school. If your child is just starting to learn Chinese, the course begins at zero and builds up slowly. If your child attends a Filipino-Chinese school, the lessons give extra practice with listening, speaking and writing at home. Families outside Metro Manila can also use it anywhere with an internet connection.

Some children learn best with a teacher guiding them in real time. If that sounds like your child, our live online classes may be the better fit, and you can book a ₱599 trial class to see how they work. Many families use both: live classes for guided speaking, and the Club for practice between classes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my child need to know any Chinese to start?

No. Lesson 1 starts from the very first word, 你好, and every step includes pinyin and audio.

Do I need to speak Mandarin to help my child?

No. Every lesson has a parent guide in English that explains what your child is learning, the key sentence patterns and the common mistakes to watch for.

What device does my child need?

A phone, tablet or computer with a browser works. For the Speak with Lili step, use a quiet room and keep the device close so the microphone can hear your child clearly.

Is Lesson 1 really free?

Yes. Lesson 1 and both quizzes are free, and you do not need to enter a card to start.

Can siblings share the course?

Yes. Siblings can learn together on the self-study course, and the two quizzes are made for different age groups.

My child already takes Little Owls classes. How do I get the Club?

Watch your email this week. We are sending current families the details on how to get access.