Toddlers, Kids & Teens
The School of Chinese Studies at China Institute provides insightful, stimulating, and time-tested educational programs that enable students of all ages to develop their understanding and appreciation of China.
We believe early exposure to Chinese language and culture can tremendously benefit children’s cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Our education programs are designed to build a solid foundation for children to develop linguistic skills, strengthen cross-cultural competence, and pursue life with an open mind.
AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES (Downtown Location)
40 Rector Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10006
Day: Tuesday, Thursday
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 AM
Come learn Chinese language and enjoy bonding time with your little munchkin! Designed for both parents (or caregivers) and their children, this immersive Mandarin class will teach early childhood themes, basic phrases, and practical conversational skills through music and movement. Our experienced teachers are native mandarin speakers with extensive training in early childhood education. No prior Mandarin knowledge is required for this class.
Each semester consists of 15 sessions.
1x /wk: $900 (for 15 sessions)
2x /wk: $1,760 (for 15 sessions)
Plus a $50 non-refundable registration fee.
Classes start February 7 (Tuesday), February 9 (Thursday).
Registration
Day: Tuesday, Friday
Chinese for Toddlers ages 2 to 4 features classes taught using hands-on, theme-based curriculum, where students are fully immersed in Chinese language through songs, games, and interactive activities. Toddlers will develop basic understanding, communication and social skills by the end of the course.
Classes are held once a week.
For returning students, the tuition is $1,085 per semester.
For new students, the tuition is $1,135 per semester, including a $50 non-refundable registration fee.
Classes start February 7 (Tuesday) and February 10 (Friday).
Registration
Classes are divided into small groups according to students’ language levels and learning backgrounds. Using a theme-based curriculum, students will participate in an engaging and interactive learning environment through a variety of age-appropriate activities, games, songs, etc. In addition to listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, students will also develop social skills and strengthen their study habits.
Classes are held once a week.
For returning students, the tuition is $1,085 per semester.
For new students, the tuition is $1,135 per semester, including a $50 non-refundable registration fee.
Classes start February 8 (Wednesday).
Registration
Small-sized classes follow theme-based curriculum using a dynamic, interactive approach. The curriculum is designed to develop and reinforce language skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing as it relates to everyday life. By the end of Prep 2, students will be able to read and understand main points in simple texts that contain familiar vocabulary, exchange information about familiar tasks, topics and activities, engage in brief social interactions, and to write simple descriptions, messages, and information on familiar topics.
Classes are held once a week.
For returning students, the tuition is $1,085 per semester.
For new students, the tuition is $1,135 per semester, including a $50 non-refundable registration fee.
Classes start February 7 (Tuesday).
Registration
Focus is placed on writing skills, while continuing to advance students’ conversational competence. Classes meet for 2 hours a week, allowing for intensive study in an immersive Chinese language environment. With a dynamic, interactive, and student-centered approach, our small-sized classes are guided by a theme-based curriculum where students learn characters based on frequency of use and complexity. In addition to building students’ conversational skills through a variety of age-appropriate topics, this Intensive Literacy class builds a solid foundation for literacy, leading to a high-level proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing, in addition to a more thorough understanding of Chinese culture. At the end of Intensive Literacy 1, students will be able to read age-appropriate passages and write simple sentences in Chinese.
Class is held once a week.
For returning students, the tuition is $1,380 per semester.
For new students, the tuition is $1,430 per semester, including a $50 non-refundable registration fee.
Class starts February 8 (Wednesday), February 5 (Sunday).
Registration
For students with fluency or near fluency in conversational Mandarin Chinese, this class will focus on reading and writing skills, while continuing to advance their conversational competence. Students engage in intensive study, immersed in a Chinese language environment for 3 hours a week. With a dynamic, interactive, student-centered approach, our small-sized classes are guided by a theme-based curriculum where students learn characters based on frequency of use and complexity. In addition to building students’ conversational skills in a variety of age-appropriate topics, the Intensive Literacy class builds a solid foundation for literacy, leading to a high-level proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing, as well as an in-depth understanding of Chinese culture. At the end of Intensive Literacy 2, students will be able to read age-appropriate stories independently and write simple paragraphs in Chinese.
Class is held once a week.
For returning students, the tuition is $1,380 per semester.
For new students, the tuition is $1,430 per semester, including a $50 non-refundable registration fee.
Class starts February 9 (Thursday), February 5 (Sunday).
Registration
AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES (Upper East Side Location)
151 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065
Day: Friday, Saturday
Chinese for toddlers ages 2 to 4 features classes taught using a theme-based curriculum, where students are fully immersed in Chinese language through songs, games and interactive activities. By the end of the course, students will develop basic understanding of Chinese, as well as communication and social skills.
Classes are held once a week.
For returning students, the tuition is $1,085 per semester.
For new students, the tuition is $1,135 per semester, including a $50 non-refundable registration fee.
Classes start February 10 (Friday) and February 11 (Saturday).
Registration
Focus is placed on writing skills, while continuing to advance students’ conversational competence. Classes meet for 2 hours a week, allowing for intensive study in an immersive Chinese language environment. With a dynamic, interactive, and student-centered approach, our small-sized classes are guided by a theme-based curriculum where students learn characters based on frequency of use and complexity. In addition to building students’ conversational skills through a variety of age-appropriate topics, this Intensive Literacy class builds a solid foundation for literacy, leading to a high-level proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing, in addition to a more thorough understanding of Chinese culture. At the end of Intensive Literacy 1, students will be able to read age-appropriate stories independently and write paragraphs and short essays in Chinese.
Classes are held once a week.
For returning students, the tuition is $1,380 per semester.
For new students, the tuition is $1,430 per semester, including a $50 non-refundable registration fee.
Class starts September 24th (Saturday).
Registration
For beginner and intermediate Mandarin speakers, STEAM + Mandarin provides a fun, experiential learning opportunity focusing on a variety of STEAM topics taught in Mandarin for children ages 5-11. By engaging in hands-on activities, students explore STEAM concepts through an interactive approach, building language skills and expressing ideas about STEAM in Mandarin Chinese. Scientific and artistic inventions and discoveries in China, such as papermaking and navigation, are also integrated into the curriculum. Join this class to have fun with STEAM topics, deepen your child’s understanding of Chinese culture, and reinforce their Mandarin Chinese!
* STEAM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.
Classes are held once a week.
For returning students, the tuition is $1,085 per semester.
For new students, the tuition is $1,135 per semester, including a $50 non-refundable registration fee.
Class starts February 11 (Saturday).
Registration
Chinese for Children 2023: Spring Registration is now open!
Spring classes begin with in-person and online offerings during the week of Feb 5, 2023 – Feb 11, 2023. We are accepting new and returning students ages 2-16 for the spring semester at all proficiency levels!
Siblings of students are eligible for receiving one 30-minute private one-on-one tutoring session ($50 value), as well as for students with China Institute Family Memberships.
Our program offers language classes at all proficiency levels for toddlers, children and teens ages 2-16. Choose from a variety of classes designed to meet the different learning objectives of every student.
Afterschool Mandarin Enrichment
Meeting once a week, students in Afterschool Mandarin enrichment classes are getting a great exposure to Chinese language and culture. For those who have studied Chinese, the enrichment classes deepen their connection with Chinese culture, and provide more rigorous practice in a small-classroom setting. Classes are available for students of all ages and language levels. We have classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays at the Downtown location. Online options are available.
Intensive Literacy Classes
Aiming for fluency in speaking, reading and writing Chinese in the future? Intensive Literacy classes are for students at all levels working towards mastering Chinese language, and perfect for speakers of Chinese at home, and students looking to take the next step in enhancing their Chinese language studies. Designed to target student’s reading and writing abilities, Intensive Literacy curriculum uses the same textbooks as Chinese students at top schools in China. We offer introductory, intermediate, and advanced literacy classes. Literacy classes are offered on Wednesdays and Sundays at our DT location, and Saturdays at our UES location. Online offerings are available.
Mandarin Munchkins and Toddler Classes
Early exposure to a foreign language has been proven to dramatically improve a child’s aptitude for the language long-term. Give your child the gift of early exposure and set them up for future success with our Mandarin Munchkins and Toddler classes. These classes focus on the basics of early childhood development, including improvement of children’s social, emotional, cognitive and motor skills in an immersive and interactive learning environment. Our early childhood education specialists engage students through hands-on activities, story-telling, music, and educational games.
Classes follow the academic school-semester from September 2022 to June 2023. The semester consists of 15 sessions.
For every class, there will be a short water break time, please bring some light snack and a water bottle. Please kindly note that China Institute provides a nut-free environment, and we appreciate your cooperation!
Have a question? Please contact our Program Director, Yonglian Xiao, at yxiao@chinainstitute.org or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 110.
FAQs
Please note
- Textbooks for Intensive Literacy classes are not included in tuition and are available for purchase at China Institute.
- We run small-sized classes. Registration will be closed when a class is full.
- Class schedules are subject to change. A class will be canceled or rescheduled if registration is low.
More About the School
Founded in 1933, the School was the first China-focused educational center in the United States, and was chartered in 1944 by the Board of Regents of the New York State Department of Education. Today, the School’s comprehensive slate of courses fosters a life-long learning community for anyone looking to learn more about China’s language, art, culture, history, people, and society. For more than 80 years, the School has also lead the identification, development, application, and dissemination of best practices for teaching Chinese language and culture in K-12 classrooms throughout New York City.
When introducing children to Chinese language and culture, we inspire their creative minds through experiential learning and play. Our early childhood education experts have created an early school year curriculum that develops an enduring interest in a multi-cultural world through activities that center on meaningful activities in a child’s everyday life.
For children old enough to learn in a more systematic and structured way, we provide rigorous instruction that provides them with a solid command of oral and written Chinese language skills. Content in these courses weave in key aspects of both traditional and contemporary Chinese culture.
Our dynamic and dedicated educators are specifically trained in early childhood education and in teaching Chinese as a second language and are devoted to furthering the personal growth of each and every student. Students enjoy instruction in the Institute’s state-of-the-art Lower Manhattan facility, where young people are introduced to China and develop a lifelong interest in one of the world’s oldest and richest cultures.