Here are the reviews of the 3 apps which we had tried and would like to recommend to you. They have free versions which you could try out with your children to complement their learning.
1. Chinese Skills
Chinese Skill is one of our favourite apps and we have been using it since 2015. It’s fun and interactive. It was the go-to app that we would recommend to parents and students to practise Mandarin when they are free.
You may notice that your child may get bored learning Mandarin the same way over time. Therefore, other than interactive games and flashcards, we recommend that you can download this free app to your mobile devices and give your child access to it whenever he or she requests for some screen time.
The myriad ways that your child can learn a subject may get them pumped up about learning and sustain their interest longer.
We would love to hear your feedback about this app too. Do leave us some comments below if you have tried this app before.
2. Nemo
We think that this app is more suitable for adult learners. We are recommending this app to parents to learn a foreign language to become more empathetic and patient teachers.
We really like the design and functionality of the app as it immerses us in a foreign language. You can listen to the app whenever you are travelling and would like to drown out the chitter and chatter in the background. You may be pleasantly surprised when the words start screaming in your head a few weeks later. This mode of learning could be really effective and efficient if it can be interspersed into your daily life.
This app made us realise that we can learn a foreign language just by listening to it in the background. We think that the app helps to prep your brain to absorb and identify the nuances of a new language.
3. Memrise
This app is pretty similar to Chinese Skill. We are recommending it as we like how we can review the words in many different ways. It is not really boring using this app.
However, it can get overwhelming when our brains were overloaded with all the new words. You are expected to learn the pronunciation, script (e.g. 爸,妈,我,土,地）and meaning of the words （e.g. Dad, Mum, I , Soil, Ground) all at once when you use this app.
You may find yourself averse to using the app for a prolonged period when your limit was pushed. However, you may also notice that the new words will start screaming in your head a few days later after you experienced a state of mental frenzy while learning with the app.
Basically, this app is a tough app that pushes your limit. What we got out of this app is, no pain, no gain.
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