Upper FOUNDATIONS - WRITE & TYPE - Grammar & Vocab (1/5-4/19) Sun 10-12PM PST

Lesson series

This course is designed to help students build a foundation in Chinese by focusing on character recognition, writing, typing, and grammar practice. This completes the Chinese ecosystem of establishing the last criteria of writing foundations. The curriculum is structured to cover the same material and speed as Taiwan and China but is taught in a way to facilitate quick retention for students worldwide with our proprietary methods. This course is taught in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese.

在這裡寫下您精彩的標籤。

We do the prep work for you, so you can focus on learning efficiently and stress-free.

Enjoy a variety of high-quality materials, including stories and activities tailored to your child’s needs.

Our classes are designed to feel like play, but your child will be learning important skills and concepts every step of the way. We focus on hands-on activities, games, and interactive lessons that make the learning process enjoyable and engaging. No more boring drills—learning is now exciting!

We’ve perfected a unique method that keeps kids and teens motivated and engaged while learning at their own pace. Our approach is based on extensive research and testing to ensure our lessons fit your child's specific learning needs. With our proven methods, your child will gain confidence and mastery in their studies without the stress.

The curriculum is synchronized with Taiwan and China’s Chinese language programs, ensuring students learn at the same pace and material covered in those systems.

Each level in our program covers the equivalent of two years or grade levels in the traditional Chinese school system and is designed to last two years—except for the upper levels, which span four years due to the increased complexity of the material. New lessons are introduced weekly, each focusing on different characters. We use a multi-grade-per-level approach to give students the flexibility to learn at a pace that sparks curiosity, provides appropriate challenges, and reinforces foundational skills.

This course teaches in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese, making it perfect for students who want to learn one or both. About 40% of the characters are exactly the same across both systems, with another 40% being similar and easy to recognize. Learning both opens the door to fully immersing yourself in all Chinese-speaking cultures.

Our year-round courses are designed to keep students on track with native-level speed, while our summer courses focus on reviewing and consolidating what’s been learned, offering meaningful extensions to support improvement and advancement in both Chinese characters and content. During the summer, we also place a strong emphasis on enhancing writing and typing skills.

Learning 10-20 characters per lesson
Improve typing skills in Traditional and Simplified Chinese
Build essential grammar and vocabulary
Conducted 100% in Mandarin
Make cool friends and immerse
Zoom sign on, recordings for review, worksheets all conveniently in your dashboard.

Character Recognition & Writing

Students will learn to recognize and write Chinese characters, focusing on stroke order, accuracy, and legibility.

Typing Practice

Speed and accuracy in typing both Traditional and Simplified Chinese characters will be developed through regular exercises.

Grammar & Vocabulary

A strong foundation in grammar and vocabulary will be built and reinforced through continuous writing and typing exercises.

Write your awesome label here.

Why BUNDLES are best!

What Happens in Class

This is the Mandarin learning experience families have been searching for, authentic, rich, warm, and built on world-class literature.

We invite you to register and join the community!

We are fully WASC accredited, ensuring academic quality and high standards.
We have received multiple Innovation and Social Impact Awards from the University of Pennsylvania for our unique approach to education.
Our teachers are trained through the rigorous Motherly Notes methodology, known for making Mandarin learning fast, joyful, and conversation-driven.

At Motherly Notes, your child steps into a true native-language environment unlike any other bilingual program. Most classmates come from Mandarin-speaking households, giving students natural exposure to authentic tones, expressions, and high-level discussion. This immersive atmosphere consistently helps our learners skyrocket their Chinese abilities, quickly and joyfully.

In our weekday classes, we focus on the excitement of literature, rich stories, comprehension, discussions, and idioms that help students fall in love with Mandarin.

In our weekend Foundations classes, the focus shifts to writing mastery. Instead of stories, students work with short passages and then dive into structured writing practice: from Zhuyin, to character formation, to sentence writing. These sessions are designed to build strong fundamentals and confident writers, step by step.

As students learn new vocabulary, they also explore the many ways each word can be used. We dive into:

Phrase building — learning how a single word can create multiple useful expressions

破音字 (characters with multiple pronunciations and meanings) — understanding tone changes and context

Idioms connected to the new vocabulary

Radicals — helping students recognize patterns and strengthen character understanding

In our Foundations classes, students not only learn these new phrases but also practice writing them, reinforcing both comprehension and writing skills.

From learning Zhuyin to mastering Pinyin typing, students build typing skills gradually — one week at a time, little by little. As they progress through the levels, their ability grows naturally. By the time they reach the upper levels, students are confidently typing full sentences and even complete paragraphs in Mandarin.

We teach at the same pace as top native classes in Asia, but with one powerful difference, we use our own carefully designed texts. Why? Because overseas learners thrive when content feels relevant, relatable, and global.

Many traditional textbooks from Taiwan or China focus on local culture, references, or terms that don’t always translate to the wider world. This can slow down comprehension and frustrate students. Our curriculum removes that barrier. By tailoring topics to the international experiences of overseas students, learning becomes faster, smoother, and far more enjoyable.

When the goal is to master writing and retain a large number of characters, we place the emphasis exactly where it belongs:

✔️ high-interest themes

✔️ memorable vocabulary

✔️ efficient writing practice

Our Foundations Curriculum

In our weekend Foundations classes, we use our own Hanzi 1000 system and Dictionary Tales from Taiwan — a research-backed sequence that guides students toward writing 3,500+ characters across our full program.

On average, students learn:

≈ 500 new characters per year

with a long-term retention goal of 80–90% by Year 5 and beyond

This intentional structure ensures students build not only speed, but confidence, advancing at native-level rigor while learning through stories, topics, and examples that truly resonate with their lives.

We read and teach fully in Traditional Chinese, with full support for Simplified Chinese, especially when children write. All teachers are trained in both systems.

In our Foundations weekend classes, students learn both Simplified and Traditional in a structured approach.

At Motherly Notes, we believe learning Chinese should feel like an adventure, not a chore. Our approach is all about immersive, meaningful learning that connects language with real-world knowledge. In our classes, kids explore subjects through engaging stories, thought-provoking texts, and lively discussions—all in Chinese. We focus on building fluency naturally, making Chinese a tool for discovery, not just memorization. With idioms, character learning, and social-emotional insights woven in, kids gain confidence in both language and critical thinking. Learning should spark curiosity, and at Motherly Notes, we make sure it does.

Advanced methods for memorizing characters.
Scientifically proven methods for learning.
Fully interest driven so your child will never get bored.
Building people magic so it feels like a playdate.
Award winning curriculum design (UPenn, Wharton, Jacobs Foundation awards).

Be Sure To Follow!

Follow our social media to get the latest updates.

Motherly Notes courses are conducted online. All zoom links will be in your dashboard upon sign on. If there are multiple times listed, students are allowed to sign on at any of the given times listed for that day, as all zoom links will be provided in your dashboard.

Our Objective: Learning 500+/Yr

High performing accredited language school focused on accelerated curriculum, backed by research, award winning curriculum (Wharton, UPenn, Jacobs, etc.) .

Upper FOUNDATIONS - WRITE & TYPE - Grammar & Vocab (1/5-4/19) Sun 10-12PM PST

Save Time, Maximize Learning!

Access to a Wealth of Educational Resources!

Enjoy Learning While Having Fun!

Our Unique Teaching Approach!

We're More than Chinese...

We give kids...

<--click in and listen

Compared to Asia's Curriculum

Same Rigor, Same Speed

How Levels Work

Traditional and Simplified

School Year vs. Summer

Our Foundations course focuses on character recognition and typing. Each class has: