Saturday, December 15, 2012

Chinese Fridge Game App Makes Learning Chinese Fun

SAN FRANCISCO — A new free mobile game app is making learning Chinese fun and effortless for students interested in the language.
Chinese Fridge” teaches vocabulary in a game environment by rewarding players for correctly pairing Chinese words with their meanings or sounds, including simplified characters, traditional characters and the pinyin phonetic alphabet.
"The app aims to outperform basic flashcard-style memorization with a more interactive and multimedia-rich experience, where learning is a byproduct of having fun," said Ken Shen Robinson, creator of the app and Founder of Little Stars Chinese School.
When users select game pieces to match word pairs, the sound of the word is played out loud to facilitate memorization of words through audible repetition.
The game, available now for iPads and Android tablets, features cartoon-like graphics suitable for young children to keep them interested and engaged. The first release of the game features animals – an easy way to start kids off with a subject they are naturally interested in.
Parents and teachers can also use the Top Scores screen to see how much time the student has played the game and see the top word pairings that were made, allowing them to keep track of their child’s learning progress.
The game starts simple, with only three animal words to find pairs for. As the player advances through higher levels, more animal words are gradually introduced to provide a more rewarding and challenging game experience.
Future releases of the game will include different sets of vocabulary and incorporate more elaborate graphics and game play.
Though the app was designed primarily for kids, the game play is suitable for students of all ages who are beginning to learn Chinese and want to learn new vocabulary or reinforce past lessons.

About Little Stars Chinese School

Little Stars Chinese School was established in 2012 with the goal of making Chinese more engaging and entertaining to learn for children and students of all ages. Founded by a first-generation Taiwanese-American with extensive background in Chinese, communications and the mobile industry, Little Stars uses an innovative approach that leverages cutting-edge technology to make learning effortless and affordable.