我的脸
wǒ de liǎn — My Face
📐 Standards alignment
ACTFL World-Readiness: Communication (interpretive, interpersonal) · Connections (the human body in science) · Communities (following instructions in a group game)
Can-Do targets (NCSSFL-ACTFL, Novice Low):
- I can point to six parts of my face when I hear them in Chinese.
- I can name my eyes, nose, mouth and ears out loud.
- I can follow a simple Chinese instruction in a game.
Learning objectives
- Recognise six Chinese words for the head and face
- Touch the right part when the word is called out
- Use 我的 + body part to say “my nose”, “my ears”
Materials
A mirror, if one is handy. Optional: paper and crayons for the homework face, and a scarf for a blindfold round.
Prior knowledge
Units 1–5. The 我的 pattern from Unit 5 Lesson 2 comes back today, so a quick reminder of it helps.
Key vocabulary
头 眼睛 鼻子 嘴巴 耳朵 脸
Head, shoulders, knees and toes
Sing the English version of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” once, with all the actions, and get thoroughly out of breath. Then say: “We are going to learn some of those words in Chinese — starting at the top.” The song already has the touching-as-you-say-it habit built in, which is exactly what today needs.
Six words for your face
Tap each card to flip it over. Look at the characters, say the word out loud, then check the back for the meaning — and press 🔊 to hear it.
The quiet little endings
Three of today’s words end in a small, soft syllable that almost disappears: 鼻子, 嘴巴 and 耳朵. Say the first syllable clearly and let the second one fade to a whisper — BEE-dz, not bee-DZUH. This light ending is everywhere in Chinese, and getting the habit now saves a lot of untangling later.
Mirror, mirror
Stand in front of a mirror together. The grown-up says a word, and both of you touch that part of your face while looking at your reflections. Pull a funny face each time. Then let your child be the caller — being the one who gives the instruction is far better practice than following it.
Memory game — find the pairs
Every Chinese word has its English meaning hiding somewhere in the grid. Tap two cards to see if they match.
Find the matching pairs!
Listen and choose
Press each play button and pick what you heard.
1. Press play. Which part did you hear?
2. Press play. Which part did you hear?
3. Press play. Which part did you hear?
Touch your 鼻子!
A Chinese version of Simon Says. The caller shouts a body part in Chinese and everyone touches it as fast as they can — last one to touch it does a silly dance. Speed it up as you go. For a harder round, the caller touches the wrong part while saying the right word, and players have to listen rather than copy.
Show what you know
1. Which word means “eyes”?
2. You eat and talk with this. What is it in Chinese?
3. How would you say “my face”?
Great work!
Today your child learned to point to six parts of their own head: 头, 眼睛, 鼻子, 嘴巴, 耳朵 and 脸. Body-part words are some of the most useful early vocabulary there is, because you can always play the game — no materials needed, anywhere, any time. Lesson 2 moves down to hands, arms, legs and feet.
Take it home
Label a face
Draw a big face in the box — yours, a grown-up’s, or a monster’s. Draw a line from each part out to the edge and write its Chinese word there. Say each word out loud as you write it.
Name: Date:
Teach the game
Teach the touching game from step 7 to someone who does not know any Chinese — a friend, a cousin, a grandparent. Colour in a star for each person you teach.
Note for teachers & parents
Pacing: this lesson is mostly movement, so it works well in one go. If your child is tired, do the flashcards and the mirror step only and save the games for later.
Watch for: 眼睛 and 耳朵 get swapped constantly at this age — they sound alike and they sit next to each other on the face. The mirror step fixes this faster than any amount of repetition.