我叫…
Wǒ jiào… — My Name Is…
📐 Standards alignment
ACTFL World-Readiness: Communication (interpersonal, presentational) · Cultures (how names work in Chinese) · Comparisons (name order vs. English)
Can-Do targets (NCSSFL-ACTFL, Novice Low):
- I can say my name in Chinese.
- I can ask a friend what their name is.
- I can answer a yes-or-no question with 是 or 不是.
Learning objectives
- Introduce themselves with 我叫…
- Ask 你叫什么名字？ and wait for the answer
- Answer simple questions with 是 and 不是
Materials
None required. Optional: a name tag or a small mirror for the “introduce yourself” step.
Prior knowledge
Lesson 1 — your child should be able to say 你好 and 再见 on their own.
Key vocabulary
我 我叫 名字 朋友 是 不是
Yesterday’s words, one more time
Before anything new: wave and say 你好 to each other, then wave and say 再见. Three rounds, getting faster each time. This takes about sixty seconds and it is the single best thing you can do for retention.
Six words for meeting someone
Tap each card to flip it over, then press 🔊 to hear it. Say the word before you check the back!
Put your own name in
This is the sentence for today. Point at yourself, then say your name:
我叫 … (your name)
And here is the question that goes with it — grown-ups say this part for now, children only need to recognise it:
你叫什么名字？
The name chant
Clap a steady beat and chant together, one name per round: 你好, 你好, 我叫 ___! Go round everyone in the room, then the stuffed animals, then the pets. Getting sillier is the point — the rhythm is what makes the sentence stick.
Memory game — find the pairs
Match each Chinese word with its English meaning.
Find the matching pairs!
Listen and choose
Press each play button and pick what you heard.
1. Press play. What did you hear?
2. Press play. What did you hear?
3. Press play. What did you hear?
Is it you? 是 or 不是
A grown-up points at someone and says a name. If it is right, everyone shouts 是！ and jumps up. If it is wrong, everyone shouts 不是！ and crouches down. Get some wrong on purpose — the wrong ones are the fun ones.
Show what you know
1. Which words start “My name is…”?
2. Someone asks 你叫什么名字？ — what are they asking for?
Unit 1 complete!
Your child can now greet someone, say goodbye, introduce themselves, and answer yes or no. That is a whole first conversation in Chinese — in two lessons.
Take it home
My name card
Draw a picture of yourself in the box, then write 我叫 and your name on the line underneath. Show it to three people and say the sentence out loud each time.
我叫
Family name chain
At dinner, go round the table. Everyone says 我叫 and their own name — grown-ups included. Can your child remember every name in order afterwards?
Did you know? In Chinese the family name comes first, so a child called Lin Mei is Lin in the family and Mei to friends. Ask your child which order your own family uses.
Note for teachers & parents
Pacing: step 3 is the heart of this lesson. If you only have ten minutes, do the warm-up, step 3 and the name chant, and leave the games for another day.
Watch for: children often say 我叫 with a flat voice. That is completely fine at this stage — just say the phrase back correctly and keep going. Tones are the focus of Unit 2, not this one.