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Toddlers, Kids & Teens

Spring classes are now available with in-person and online offerings starting on Sunday, February 2, 2025. Our program offers Mandarin classes for toddlers, children and teens of all language levels. Choose from a variety of classes designed to meet the learning objectives of every student. We are accepting new and returning students ages 2-16 years old for the spring semester at all proficiency levels!

Early bird discount! Sign up before Thursday, January 2nd, 2025 and receive a $100 discount.

Family Discount! Siblings of current students are eligible to receive one 30-minute private one-on-one tutoring session ($50 value), as well as students with China Institute in America’s Family Memberships.

Classes follow the academic school year from September 2024 to June 2025. Each semester consists of 15 sessions. You may view our 2024-2025 academic calendar here.

Spring 2025 Course Listing

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Mandarin Munchkins 小橘豆 (1-2 years old) Icon | Accordion

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. Classes are held once a week, with the option to enroll for both days.

Classes start February 4, 2025 (Tuesday) and/or February 6, 2025 (Thursday)

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
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Tuesday 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Classes start February 4, 2025
Register Learn More
in-person Class
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Thursday 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Classes start February 6, 2025
Register Learn More
in-person Class
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Tuesday & Thursday 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Classes start February 4, 2025 and February 6, 2025
Register Learn More
Toddler (2-4 years old) Icon | Accordion

Mandarin for Toddlers ages 2 to 4 years old classes are taught using hands-on, theme-based curriculum, where students are fully immersed in Chinese classroom environment through songs, games, and interactive activities. Toddlers will develop basic understanding, communication and social skills by the end of the course.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week, with the option to enroll for both days.

Classes start on February 4, 2025 (Tuesday) or February 9, 2025 (Sunday).

 

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
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Sunday 9:00 - 11:30 AM
Classes start on February 9, 2025
Register
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Tuesday 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Classes start on or February 4, 2025
Register
Toddler (2-4 years old) - UES Location Icon | Accordion

Mandarin for Toddlers ages 2 to 4 years old classes are taught using hands-on, theme-based curriculum, where students are fully immersed in Chinese classroom environment through songs, games, and interactive activities. Toddlers will develop basic understanding, communication and social skills by the end of the course.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week, with the option to enroll for both days.

Classes start on February 7, 2025 (Friday) or February 8, 2025 (Saturday).

 

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Friday (1.5 hour) 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Classes start on February 7, 2025
Register
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Saturday (2 hour) 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Classes start on February 8, 2025
Register
STEAM: for Children ages 5 to 8 years old Icon | Accordion

By engaging in hands-on activities, students are divided into small groups of similar age and language levels to explore STEAM through an interactive approach, building language skills and expressing ideas in Mandarin Chinese. Scientific and artistic inventions and discoveries in China, such as papermaking and navigation, are also integrated into the curriculum. Using a theme-based curriculum, students will participate in a series of engaging and interactive 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.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start February 5, 2025 (Wednesday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Wednesday 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Classes start February 5, 2025
Register
STEAM: for Children ages 5 to 8 years old - UES Location Icon | Accordion

By engaging in hands-on activities, students are divided into small groups of similar age and language levels to explore STEAM through an interactive approach, building language skills and expressing ideas in Mandarin Chinese. Scientific and artistic inventions and discoveries in China, such as papermaking and navigation, are also integrated into the curriculum. Using a theme-based curriculum, students will participate in a series of engaging and interactive 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.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start February 7, 2025 (Friday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Friday 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Classes start February 7, 2025
Register
Intensive Literacy 1: for Children ages 5 to 11 years old Icon | Accordion

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.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start on February 5, 2025 (Wednesday) or February 9, 2025 (Sunday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Sunday 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Classes start on February 9, 2025
Register
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Wednesday 3:30 - 5:30 PM
Classes start on February 5, 2025
Register
Intensive Literacy 1: for Children ages 5 to 11 years old - UES Location Icon | Accordion

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.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start on February 8, 2025 (Saturday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Saturday 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Classes start on February 8, 2025
Register
Intensive Literacy 3: for Children ages 5 to 11 years old Icon | Accordion

For students with significant prior experience in writing and reading Mandarin Chinese, Intensive Literacy 3 builds on foundational literacy skills in an excelled learning environment, while continuing to advance students’ 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, Intensive Literacy classes build 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 3, students will be confident in their ability to read advanced passages independently and write paragraphs and short essays in Chinese.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start on February 5, 2025 (Wednesday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Wednesday 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Classes start on February 5, 2025
Register
Advanced Mandarin: HSK, YCT Test Prep for children ages 8-16 years old Icon | Accordion

For intermediate and advanced Mandarin speakers, students will sharpen and further advance their language proficiency through a tailored, student-centered learning approach within a dynamic classroom environment. The class will prepare students for the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), an international standardized test for students applying for scholarship, future admissions in international schools and potential employment requiring Chinese language proficiency in China. Students will be divided into small groups based on current language level and age to work towards achieving fluency in conversation with native speakers, reading and writing comprehensive essays on various subject matters as well as the ability to read Chinese newspapers with ease. By the end of the year, students are expected to master between 1,200 and 2,500 characters and be thoroughly prepared for the HSK and YCT examinations.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start on February 3, 2025 (Monday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
online Class
Icon | Calendar
Monday 6:00 – 8:00 PM
February 3, 2025
Register
Mandarin Munchkins 小橘豆 (1-2 years old) Icon | Accordion

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. Classes are held once a week, with the option to enroll for both days.

Classes start February 4, 2025 (Tuesday) and/or February 6, 2025 (Thursday)

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Tuesday 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Classes start February 4, 2025
Register Learn More
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Thursday 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Classes start February 6, 2025
Register Learn More
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Tuesday & Thursday 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Classes start February 4, 2025 and February 6, 2025
Register Learn More
Toddler (2-4 years old) Icon | Accordion

Mandarin for Toddlers ages 2 to 4 years old classes are taught using hands-on, theme-based curriculum, where students are fully immersed in Chinese classroom environment through songs, games, and interactive activities. Toddlers will develop basic understanding, communication and social skills by the end of the course.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week, with the option to enroll for both days.

Classes start on February 4, 2025 (Tuesday) or February 9, 2025 (Sunday).

 

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Sunday 9:00 - 11:30 AM
Classes start on February 9, 2025
Register
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Tuesday 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Classes start on or February 4, 2025
Register
Toddler (2-4 years old) - UES Location Icon | Accordion

Mandarin for Toddlers ages 2 to 4 years old classes are taught using hands-on, theme-based curriculum, where students are fully immersed in Chinese classroom environment through songs, games, and interactive activities. Toddlers will develop basic understanding, communication and social skills by the end of the course.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week, with the option to enroll for both days.

Classes start on February 7, 2025 (Friday) or February 8, 2025 (Saturday).

 

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Friday (1.5 hour) 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Classes start on February 7, 2025
Register
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Saturday (2 hour) 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Classes start on February 8, 2025
Register
STEAM: for Children ages 5 to 8 years old Icon | Accordion

By engaging in hands-on activities, students are divided into small groups of similar age and language levels to explore STEAM through an interactive approach, building language skills and expressing ideas in Mandarin Chinese. Scientific and artistic inventions and discoveries in China, such as papermaking and navigation, are also integrated into the curriculum. Using a theme-based curriculum, students will participate in a series of engaging and interactive 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.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start February 5, 2025 (Wednesday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Wednesday 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Classes start February 5, 2025
Register
STEAM: for Children ages 5 to 8 years old - UES Location Icon | Accordion

By engaging in hands-on activities, students are divided into small groups of similar age and language levels to explore STEAM through an interactive approach, building language skills and expressing ideas in Mandarin Chinese. Scientific and artistic inventions and discoveries in China, such as papermaking and navigation, are also integrated into the curriculum. Using a theme-based curriculum, students will participate in a series of engaging and interactive 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.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start February 7, 2025 (Friday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Friday 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Classes start February 7, 2025
Register
Intensive Literacy 1: for Children ages 5 to 11 years old Icon | Accordion

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.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start on February 5, 2025 (Wednesday) or February 9, 2025 (Sunday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Sunday 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Classes start on February 9, 2025
Register
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Wednesday 3:30 - 5:30 PM
Classes start on February 5, 2025
Register
Intensive Literacy 1: for Children ages 5 to 11 years old - UES Location Icon | Accordion

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.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start on February 8, 2025 (Saturday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Saturday 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Classes start on February 8, 2025
Register
Intensive Literacy 3: for Children ages 5 to 11 years old Icon | Accordion

For students with significant prior experience in writing and reading Mandarin Chinese, Intensive Literacy 3 builds on foundational literacy skills in an excelled learning environment, while continuing to advance students’ 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, Intensive Literacy classes build 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 3, students will be confident in their ability to read advanced passages independently and write paragraphs and short essays in Chinese.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start on February 5, 2025 (Wednesday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
in-person Class
Icon | Calendar
Wednesday 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Classes start on February 5, 2025
Register
Advanced Mandarin: HSK, YCT Test Prep for children ages 8-16 years old Icon | Accordion

For intermediate and advanced Mandarin speakers, students will sharpen and further advance their language proficiency through a tailored, student-centered learning approach within a dynamic classroom environment. The class will prepare students for the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), an international standardized test for students applying for scholarship, future admissions in international schools and potential employment requiring Chinese language proficiency in China. Students will be divided into small groups based on current language level and age to work towards achieving fluency in conversation with native speakers, reading and writing comprehensive essays on various subject matters as well as the ability to read Chinese newspapers with ease. By the end of the year, students are expected to master between 1,200 and 2,500 characters and be thoroughly prepared for the HSK and YCT examinations.

Each semester consists of 15 sessions. Classes are held once a week.

Classes start on February 3, 2025 (Monday).

For any assistance with registration, please contact Angela Chen at [email protected] or call (212) 744-8181, ext. 143.

Registration
online Class
Icon | Calendar
Monday 6:00 – 8:00 PM
February 3, 2025
Register
Please Note:
  • Textbooks are not included in the tuition fee.
  • 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 if registration is low.

See Our Testimonials

Watch the testimonial videos below
and see what our students say about our classes

Playlist

24 Videos

FAQ

Click here to read our most updated blog posts!

Click here to see our toddler students sing the Chinese children’s song “Little Rabbit”

Click here to watch our Intensive Literacy 1 students’ choral performance of the Chinese children’s song “Where’s Spring”!

Address of Downtown Location:
40 Rector Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10006

Address of Upper East Side Location (UES)
151 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065

Click here to view and download our refund policy.

About Our Programs

The School of Chinese Studies at China Institute in America 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.

Afterschool Mandarin Enrichment

Meeting once a week, students in Afterschool Mandarin enrichment classes are greatly exposed 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

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

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 2024 to June 2025.

For every class, there will be a short break time, so please bring some light snack and a water bottle. Please kindly note that China Institute in America is a nut-free environment, and we appreciate your cooperation!

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.

Have a question?

Please contact Angela Chen at

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