Amy Chua’s “Battle Hymn of the Tiger mother” is probably the most famous book, outside of China, about the strict methods used by Chinese parents.  For those parents who are inspired by what she wrote and intend to use her methods, please note that Amy Chua said this in an interview : “The most important thing I want to say is that this is absolutely not a book about how I think other people should parent.” (Source)

For anyone who is looking for a good parenting book written by a Chinese parent, I highly recommend 好妈妈胜过好老师. This is the only book written by 尹建莉 and it has made her one of the top 10 richest authors of all genres of books in China. (Source)

In the Chinese newspapers (Lian He Zao Bao) on 20 April, there is an article about a P6 girl from RGPS, who used to hate Chinese when she was in P4. She used to cry when doing Chinese homework. However, now in P6, she loves Chinese so much that she wrote a 10000 word Chinese novel on her own. What caused her to change ?

In P5, her Chinese teacher in school gave her a very interesting Chinese novel to read. The novel is a book from the Wei Si Li (卫斯理) science fiction series.  At first, she found the novel very difficult to read. But the story is so exciting that she could not stop reading. She "forced" herself to read, and along the way, her Chinese improved at an amazing speed. Most importantly, she developed a love for Chinese, and she continued to read other Chinese novels.

Is it possible for a child from a non-Chinese speaking family to do well in Chinese ?

The answer is YES. Look at the example of Victoria School's Muhammad Amirul Haqim Ghazali who scored A1 for Chinese at O levels.

Amirul's father said that : "As I was the sole breadwinner, I didn't have the means to send him to any enrichment classes." Amirul has proven that it is possible to do well in Chinese without tuition, enrichment, and parents who speak mandarin at home.

When I was in school, my parents were not able to help me with Chinese. I did not have Chinese tuition or assessment books. However, Chinese is the easiest subject for me, and I scored A in Chinese from PSLE to A levels. I certainly do not have a flair for languages, because I never did as well for English.

My good grade in Chinese is all thanks to :

I always believe that reading is not only about learning grammar and vocabulary so as to get high marks in exams.

More importantly, children can learn about good morals and values, life experiences and a wide variety of knowledge by reading good books. Many children in Singapore are not motivated to study, because they have never experienced hunger before. They take it for granted that their parents will always be around to take care of them. I want my kids to read children's books about hardship and survival, so that they learn to be grateful for what they have.

I brought my kids to the Flying Trapeze at Sentosa last weekend. It was really fun and exciting !

Here is the information from the Sentosa website : 

" The first of its kind in Singapore, The Flying Trapeze aims to set the scene for more excitement and fun for the guests and visitors to Sentosa. This magnificent activity will provide for both audience participation and fantastic entertainment. It is an excellent form of sport and recreation and it helps develop one's mind, body and coordination. But most importantly, it also helps conquer one's fear of height. Pregnant ladies and individuals with medical conditions are discouraged from flying."

I have been looking for good resources to teach Chinese at home. A few days ago, I just received my books from www.dangdang.com. The following books are the best resources for teaching Chinese at home!

This series of 7 books are not available in Singapore. I ordered them directly from dangdang. Here is the link to the books: 四五快读

I highly recommend these books to parents who are:

1. Very passionate to teach their kids at home

2. Quite good in Chinese, at least able to read and understand Chinese newspapers

Another great book for children: The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

This book is available from the National Library. http://www.nlb.gov.sg/ Enter Author or name: Kate Deal, Keywords : Boxcar children. You can place a reservation and collect at any branch near you.

I have been trying to find this book in local bookshops like Kinokuniya, but it is not available. I managed to borrow it from the library.

It was a wonderful book. Here is a review from amazon.com: