"The Best Way To Learn is to Teach"
學習最好嘅方法係教人
"The Best Way To Learn is to Teach" 學習最好嘅方法係教人
HOW TO HOST CANTONESE STORYTIME FOR ABC CHILDREN
A step-by-step guide to creating engaging, culturally rich storytime sessions that connect American-born children to language, heritage, and the joy of storytelling.
I’ve been running storytime sessions for the past three years, learning through plenty of trial and error what works (and what doesn’t!). Our programming ranges from small, intimate classes to large gatherings, and from balanced 50/50 language learning approach to full immersion sessions.
This guide is on how to start small, build confidence, and grow your storytime sessions organically, focusing on simple, low-cost strategies that create meaningful learning experiences for kids and families.
TIPS FOR HOSTING A SIMPLE PARK STORYTIME
Start Small
Did you know our very first gathering had just 4 families? Now, over 200 families come and go through our program! It took time to work out the kinks, so be patient with yourself, find your rhythm, and let your program grow naturally.
Pick an Accessible Location
A local park and playground is ideal with open space, fresh air, and no rental fees. Choose a spot with shade, easy parking, minimal distractions and easy access bathroom facilities.Keep It Short & Sweet
Young children do best with focused sessions that last 20–30 minutes. We love to add additional unstructured play time, giving families a chance to connect and bond. For us, building community is just as important as teaching the language itself.Bring Visuals & Props
Puppets, big books, or simple handmade props keep kids engaged and help bridge language and cultural concepts. If all else fails, just use your hands!Make It Interactive
Ask questions, encourage call-and-response, and let kids act out parts of the story. This keeps them involved instead of just listening passively.Stay Consistent
Location:
Having a regular time and place helps families build a habit. Even if it’s just once a month, consistency lets kids know what to expect and look forward to, making it easier for them to settle in and give their best attention. More than that, it starts to create a sense of belonging and community.
Lesson Structure:
Repetition is important! Use the same simple structure and some re-occuring content each storytime. This predictable routine helps kids feel comfortable because they know what’s coming next, allowing them to focus on the fun rather than the format. It also boosts their confidence and supports memory retention of key vocabulary from session to session.Don’t Force It
If kids are wiggling, flopping on the ground, or seeming distracted, that’s totally okay. Young children learn in bursts and in their own time. You wouldn’t believe how many parents have told me their child seemed not to be paying attention during storytime, only to hear them singing the entire song or repeating key words days later at home!Have Fun and Don’t Be Afraid of Making Mistakes
Don’t stress too much if you get things wrong. Kids learn by seeing you try, adapt, and laugh at little slip-ups. When you show that mistakes are part of learning, they feel more confident experimenting with language and joining in without pressure. Did you yourself forget the Cantonese word? Don’t worry! Ask the audience, or just say it in English and put it in the bank it for next time!
A SIMPLE STORYTIME YOU CAN DO ON YOUR OWN
At PCPL, we’re blessed with a generous host home that offers multiple rooms. A kitchen, play area, and media space, allowing our monthly gatherings to be full and vibrant. We welcome upwards of 40+ kids per session, with activities that include interactive digital learning, character recognition and writing, crafts, food, and additional take-home practice worksheets for both kids and parents. (Please contact us if you are interested in learning more).
In the summertime, we return to our roots and take our lessons outside to the park. These sessions are simpler in setup and filled with joy. Here’s an example of what we do during those months.
1: HELLO SONG - SIMPLE VERSION
For safety reasons, I don’t give children name tags when we’re in a public space like the park. Instead, when they arrive, I write their names on a check-in sheet. English names are great, but Chinese names are even better. For many of our kids, this is the only time they hear their Chinese name used outside their home.
This is a simplified version of an English “Hello” song and works perfectly! See video for example, repeat it until you get through all the children.
SCRIPT:
”早晨 NAME" ( x 3) - Good Morning NAME
zou2 san4 NAME
好開心見到你! - So happy to see you!
hou2 hoi1 sam1 gin3 dou2 nei5
- “Who is 老師? That is me! I am happy to see you!”
1: HELLO SONG - INTERMEDIATE VERSION
We greet our kids with a shortened version of this song, using the first two verses only, from 0 to the 32 second mark.
After singing, I quesiton the kids first in Cantonese, then in English before giving the answer. If you’re not fluent, simply say the phrases as written below.
SCRIPT:
- ”What does 一起唱 mean?” (Sing together)
- ”What does 拍拍掌 mean / what do we do?” (Clap your hands)
- “What about 好開心”? (I draw a smile with my fingers on my face, I am so happy!)
- “And 見到你” ? (I put my hand flat above my eyes as if surveying the land then point at them, “To see you!”)
- “Who is 小朋友? All of the 小朋友 please raise their hands! I wave at them.
- “Who is 老師? That is me! I am happy to see you!”
2: TIME TO 點名 ! (Take Attendance)
This is an optional activity if you do the Intermediate “Hello” song. You don’t need to start with it, but you can work your way up to it as you feel comfortable.
This simple group activity gives kids a chance to speak out loud, recognize their own names, and feel a sense of belonging by saying
“I AM HERE!”
SCRIPT:
- ”好啦！而家係點名時間!”
(hou2 laa3! ji4 gaa1 hai6 dim2 meng2 si4 gaan3!)
Alright! It’s time to take attendance!
- 我叫到你個名，你就舉高手，大聲叫 “到!” or “到咗!”
(ngo5 giu3 dou3 nei5 go3 meng2, nei5 zau6 geoi2 gou1 sau2, daai6 seng1 giu3 “dou3”! or “dou3 zo2”)
When I call your name, raise your hand and loudly say “到!” HERE or “到咗!” ARRIVED
- 嘩！全部小朋友都到咗喇！好叻呀！ (waa1! cyun4 bou6 siu2 pang4 jau5 dou1 dou3 zo2 laa3! hou2 lek1 aa3!) — Wow! All the kids are here! Great job!
3: COUNTING CHILDREN
How many kids do we have today? Let’s count!
As the kids get more familiar with this routine, you can ask if anyone wants to come up and be your helper to count their friends.
SCRIPT:
- 今日有好多人嚟同我哋玩 (or can say 參加)
gam1 jat6 jau5 hou2 do1 jan4 lai4 tung4 ngo5 dei6 waan2 (or caam1 gaa1)
There are many people who came to play (or particpate) with us today
- 不如我哋數下有幾多個小朋友
bat1 jyu4 ngo5 dei6 sou3 haa6 jau5 gei2 do1 go3 siu2 pang4 jau5
How about let’s count to see how many kids there are?
Optional:
- 有冇人上嚟幫我呀?
jau5 mou5 jan4 soeng5 lei4 bong1 ngo5 aa3
Can anyone come up and help me?
Point to the kids and count in Cantonese
3: NUMBERS SONG
A classic Cantonese childrens song, brings back a lot of nostalgia for many! This video is difficult for young children, when we are at the park I like to print out number sheets (download .pdf here) for them to follow along and sing to.
Variation One:
If you have 10 kids or fewer, assign each child a number and have them do a physical movement when their number is sung. You may need to sing a bit slower so everyone has time to react. Their movement can be as simple as standing up, raising a hand, or doing a little jump. If you don’t have enough kids to cover all the numbers, assign the extra numbers to parents so they can join in and fill the slots.
Variation Two:
Try singing this song with different animal voices. A mouse sings this song very high pitch, a bear sings this song very low.
4: CALL AND REPEAT SONG + BODY MOVEMENT
The best songs for ABC kids are those with call-and-repeat lines, where each lyric is sung twice. They hear it the first time and repeat it the second. I often sing the verse once, pause to explain the meaning, then sing it again while encouraging them to move their bodies with simple gestures. This way, they’re learning language, rhythm, and movement all at once.
Some Examples:
太陽伯伯 - (See Video)
打開蚊帳 - (YouTube Link) I only do one verse at each lesson, and only the first two as the last one is a bit dicey by todays standards.
我是個茶壺 - (YouTube Link) If you prefer, you can swap 肥 / fei4 for 圓 jyun4
5: VOCABULARY SONGS + BODY MOVEMENT
Head, Shoulders, Knees + Toes
Cantonese version on video at 1:20 mark
I find it easier to sing it “眼睛, 耳仔, 鼻哥, 口” (eyes, ears, nose, mouth) as this little girl sings it mouth then nose, so feel free to change this as you prefer!
Roly Poly Opposites
Take this English song and Sing “Roly Poly” but change the actions to Cantonese Words to these sets:
高, 矮 (gou1, ai2) - tall, short
闊, 窄 (fut3, zaak3) - wide, narrow
快, 慢 (faai3, maan6) - fast, slow
好大聲, 好細聲 (hou2 daai6 seng1, hou2 sai3 seng1) - very loud, very quiet. This is fun to yell out loud, the kids laugh like crazy!
6: EGG SHAKER SONG + COLOUR VOCABULARY
上上下下 Up Up Down Down
Pass out colored egg shakers!
上上下下,
左左, 右右, (move your arms in the mirror direction of the kids)
前前, 後後,
轉彎 !
Variation One:
Speed it up!! The first time regular, second a bit faster, the third, take a deep breath, pretend to get ready and go as FAST as you can.
Variation Two:
Say it in different voices and arms
機械人 (gei1 haai6 jan4) - robot motions
恐龍 or 霸王龙 (hung2 lung4 or baa3 wong4 lung4) - a dinosaur or t-rex with short arms
Colour Lesson
Have the children sit back down and teach them colour names. Play a game that when you call their colour, they come return it to your container. That could be as simple as a basket, an animal face made out of a box with a hole cut out for the mouth, or a puppet that eats eggs (Amazon Link). We have done all of these, and with the puppet I cut a hole in the liner so the eggs would more easily fall through.
If you have more than 12-15 children, it is easier to have them sit still and simply shake the eggs in the air when their colour is called.
7: CALM DOWN + RESET
By now, your children are very wiggly. You can use your arms to show big and small or use the toy in video if you have it (Amazon Link) Try this simple trick to prepare them for Storytime!
SCRIPT:
”我哋一齊深呼吸三次” - ngo5 dei6 jat1 cai4 sam1 fu1 kap1 saam1 ci3
Let’s take 3 deep breaths together
8: STORYTIME!
Time to read! I like to read each line in Cantonese first, English second so the children have a chance to interpret, then check their skills. The best books are ones where they are actively engaging the kids to speak - like our book Lolo 老虎, 加油! Lolo Tiger Add Oil (Shop Here) that comes complete with audio guide if you need it. If you’ve already read this one, here are some other great options:
- Don’t Let Pigeon Drive The Bus - Mo Willems
(Kids call out: “唔可以!” m4 ho2ji5 - Can not!)
- The OK Book - Todd Parr
(Kids call out: “冇問題!” mou5 man6 tai4 - It’s OK!)
9: GOODBYE TIME
Time to say goodbye for now and release the kids to play. If there are crafts, we announce them at this time. We sing a short version of the HELLO SONG but as GOODBYE SONG, replacing
“Hello” with “再見” zoi3 gin3
“好開心見到你” with “下次再見你” or if you feel in a happy mood
”得閒去飲茶!”
I hope you found this helpful, and I wish you the best of luck! 加油!
If this information helps you on your storytime journey, please consider donating to our group, as we operate 100% on community support.
With gratitude,
Theola
Founder and Mom XO