身体
Shēntǐ — Body Parts
The unit where nobody sits still. Body vocabulary is learned by touching, wiggling and singing — and because every child already knows where their nose is, the Chinese word is the only new thing to hold onto.
Unit objectives
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
- Touch the right body part when they hear its name
- Name eight body parts out loud
- Sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” in Mandarin
- Play Simon Says in Chinese without English prompts
Key vocabulary
Eight body parts — all practised by pointing, which needs no translation.
头 眼睛 鼻子 嘴 耳朵 手 脚 肚子
Learning with the whole body
Touch your nose
Flashcards, then straight into pointing games. Students hear the word and touch the part — no English in between.
Start Lesson 1The song, and Simon Says
“Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” in Mandarin, sped up until everyone collapses laughing, then Simon Says entirely in Chinese.
Start Lesson 2Bath-time words
Name one body part in Chinese while washing it. Two minutes a night, no materials, no preparation.
The characters look like what they mean
Students aren’t reading yet, but this is a lovely moment to show them a few characters as pictures. 口 is a mouth — an open square. 目 is an eye, drawn on its side. 手 is a hand with fingers. Four thousand years ago these really were little drawings, and they slowly squared off into the characters used today. Children who meet characters first as pictures tend to find them far less intimidating when real reading begins in Grade 1.
Unit 6 progress check
A light, no-pressure way to see what’s sticking:
- Can your child touch four body parts on command in Chinese?
- Can they name their own eyes, nose and mouth?
- Do they join in with the song, even partly?
Touching correctly counts as knowing it. Saying the word comes second at this age, and that order is the right way round.