Learn Chinese for kids in Beijing with the LTL family Mandarin program.
We offer fully tailored courses for the whole family, with Mandarin classes for children, family accommodation options and a lot fun add-ons. Parents can choose to take a Chinese course themselves, explore China or go traveling while their children study Chinese.
As each family is different, your student advisor will design a specific program for you and your family.
Chinese for kids
Fully tailored to your family
Family accommodation options
Safe, fun and effective
Experienced
Fast Mandarin learning
Homestay fun
Chinese for Kids
Quick language Progress: children learn Mandarin very fast Summer Camp: fun, learning and adventure at the LTL summer camp Guardian Program: we look after your children when you are not in Beijing Kids Chinese: specialized programs for kids & teenagers
Advice
Experienced: every year LTL has dozens of families studying with us Personal: your student advisor will guide you through the sign up process Flexible: homestays, apartments, individual or group courses – you choose Support: your student advisor takes care of you once you are in Beijing
Family Experience
Tailored to you: one or two parents with any number of children Organized: visa documents, courses, support etc. all organized by LTL Easy: let us help you to settle into Beijing and China Support: 24/7 support for you and your family in China during your course
The School
Friends: quickly meet other students and parents at our school Flexible: choose times and durations that fit your families schedule Family Experience: come to China together with your children Fun: learning and fun for the whole family in Beijing
Mandarin for Children in Beijing
At LTL we have been organizing family Mandarin programs in Beijing for more than a decade and specialize in creating both fun and effective programs for kids and parents coming together to China.
Depending on their age, children learn Mandarin quite differently to adults and we tailor our courses specifically to their needs.
There are many different options of Chinese courses for kids, including group courses, individual Mandarin lessons, AP Chinese test preparation, the summer camp and many others. For accommodation we can help you to find an apartment for your family, organize homestays, or just let you know which hotels in the area offer the best deals.
Support options include airport pickup, the LTL survival kit or a guardian program for your children when you are not in Beijing.
Parents can choose how much Mandarin they want to learn and each child has different learning needs depending on age, Chinese level and aims of the course, so there is no one size fits all approach to Family Chinese learning packages at LTL.
Each program is individually organized. Please contact us to let us know about your, your spouses (if coming) and children’s situation, aims, time availability and preferences. Within less than 24 hours you will have a personalized program from your student advisor in your inbox.
The Guardian Program
While Beijing is one of the world’s safest cities, it is also a big place in which non accompanied children need to be supervised. To be accepted into an international hospital in case of emergency or apply for visa extensions in China for example, a guardian is required for all children younger than 18.
The LTL guardian program is mandatory for all children younger than 16 and highly recommended for children aged 16-18.
It consists of:
The extra care and support a child needs when living and studying in Beijing
Parental authorization for an LTL staff member to make medical decisions on behalf of the student in case of emergency admission to an international hospital. Without being accompanied by an authorized adult, International hospitals in Beijing will not admit patients under 18 years of age.
Parental authorization for an LTL staff member to apply for visa extensions for the student if necessary and accompany him/her to the necessary government authorities and assist during the interview with the visa officer.
Airport drop of by an LTL team member at the end of the course
24/7 support for your child
Updates for you regarding your child’s progress and situation in Beijing
Prices (Chinese Yuan)
Duration
Price (CNY)
1 week
2,300
2 weeks
3,200
3 weeks
4,000
4 weeks
4,700
5-52 weeks
700/week
There is no need to buy a guardian program if one of the parents is in Beijing. The guardian program is also already included in the summer camp program.
Note: The guardian program by itself does not provide 24/7 supervision and your child needs to be able to travel to and from school alone. If you want your child to be accompanied to and from school, we can organize this for you as an additional service, though in our experience this is usually not necessary as Beijing is a very safe city. Please see below for these add ons.
Accompanied transport: Even though China is very safe and this service is usually not required, we can arrange for a staff member to accompany your child to and from school Monday to Friday. The cost will depend on the distance mainly. As we only know the homestay family and exact distance once you made the booking it is possible to pay the fee in cash at the school. It usually costs no more than 1000 CNY a week.
The 24/7 upgrade: If you want your child to be supervised 24/7, be accompanied to and from school and have someone always keep track where your child is, we recommend the 24/7 upgrade.
Additional cost per week: 3,000 CNY
Please note that the 24/7 upgrade requires the child to already have a guardian program.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do all family members need to take a Chinese course?
No they do not. The program will be individually organized for your family and adapted to each family members needs and Chinese learning interests.
How many people can live in a homestay?
To guarantee a real immersion experience, usually we only place one student into each homestay family. However, it is possible for families to stay together in the same homestay, either a parent and child or two siblings together in the same room or each family member in a separate room. Availability for these homestay families is restricted, so please make sure you enquire with us regarding availability and book in time so a suitable homestay family can be reserved for you.
Is Beijing safe for children?
Beijing is an incredibly safe city and as a Confucian society the Chinese in general are very protective and caring of children. However, like any city of this size supervision is necessary. How much will depend on your child and their age. Anyone coming to Beijing should be careful with the traffic which is more chaotic than in many other countries.
How to get more information?
Contact us (link) with more details about your family’s situation and you will have an email by the next working day with suggestions, advice and if you want a completed booking. While it is always best to plan ahead with plenty of time, if you want we can have the program organized within a few days.
Can you help my child to prepare for the AP Chinese exam?
Yes we can. We offer special individual AP Chinese test preparation courses in Beijing, as well as exam preparation for other Chinese school exams. Please let your student advisor know what you are looking for.
What kind of apartments do you offer?
We have different serviced apartment solutions depending on your family’s size and course durations. Please let us know what you are looking for. It is also possible to stay in your accommodation before or after your course if you want to explore Beijing a bit more.
We had many questions and concerns about developing a valuable plan for our daughters. The LTL staff is very oriented toward customer service. They are very knowledgeable and more than happy to answer our concerns
My son Tiare’s experience was so positive, we recently sent his 16 year old sister to study at LTL too. I thoroughly recommend LTL Mandarin School to anyone wanting to come to China to learn Mandarin.
We had an extensive list of requirements for every member of our family. LTL put together a perfect program for all of us. I'd recommend LTL to any family looking for an adventure in China.
My 13-year old daughter and I both signed up for classes with LTL, and we had an incredible experience. The teachers were fun and enthusiastic, and we both found ourselves really looking forward to all the classes.
The Chabowski’s at LTL Beijing in the Summer of 2018
We found LTL through a web search while looking for a Mandarin Chinese language learning experience that would allow both our daughters (ages 8 and 12) the opportunity to participate.
We had found another language-only study option for our older daughter prior to discovering LTL, but we were having trouble finding something to engage our younger daughter.
We had previously seen a positive reference to LTL in a blog concerning the staff and classes so when we realized they would accept younger students, we investigated further and were very pleased with what we found.
Continued…
The Chabowski family have put together a great story of their family trip to China with LTL via our LTL School blog.
Please visit to continue reading about their time with LTL.
Horwood
Australian Family
I am the father of a teenager, Tiare, who finished school last year. He wanted to take time out to learn a language before going to university. A challenge, as he only spoke one language, English, but also because he has reduced vision.
Tiare was born with severe nystagmus and Irlen Syndrome (Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome).
He does not have full three dimensional vision, he cannot see much detail beyond about 3 metres, his reading/writing speed is reduced and excessive UV light from fluorescent lights or bright sunlight temporarily bleaches his vision.
Tiare is able to function normally for much of his daily life. Most people are unaware of his disability and to all intents and purposes he lives a normal life, however, he is unable to recognize faces beyond about 3 metres.
In new places it takes him longer to find his way around and he is unable to read most modern electronic signs (such as those found at airports etc.) and LED screens, which appear as continuously flickering colours to him.
Tiare needed a language school where he could not only learn Mandarin, but one which would also provide additional support while he learnt his way around a new environment.
We contacted various language schools in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Taiwan and explained the situation.
Only one of the schools we approached was prepared to make the extra effort, LTL Mandarin School.
Tiare spent a total of five months attending LTL in Beijing. LTL is how a language school should be; fun and dynamic with enthusiastic teachers. It has been an exceptional experience for Tiare.
Not only has he learnt to speak Mandarin to a reasonable standard, but he has also developed a rudimentary ability to read and write, of which he is very proud. (At secondary school he was preventing from learning Chinese because it was felt he would be unable to cope because of his reduced vision.)
At LTL he made lots of new friends, had a lot of fun and some great experiences. Learning Mandarin and living with a home-stay family has enabled Tiare to gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese way of thinking and the culture.
As Tiare’s experience was so positive, we recently sent his 16 year old sister, Teurikan, to study Mandarin at LTL for a few weeks during her summer holidays.
She went, initially somewhat reluctantly, believing the experience would be similar to learning Mandarin at school, but within a week had told us she wanted to extend. She is now back home, and like her brother, has made real progress in her learning of the language.
I thoroughly recommend LTL Mandarin School to anyone wanting to learn Mandarin and gain a better understanding of the Chinese culture.
Carolyn
New Zealand
When looking for a language program, we had an extensive list of requirements for every member of our family. LTL put together a perfect program for all of us.
My sons took six hours of 2-on-1 classes per day and lived in homestays with Chinese families in both Beijing and Chengde.
With flexible class schedules, I was able to take language and cultural classes at the same time as my sons therefore I saw them at the LTL campus every weekday.
LTL found us accommodation nearby our sons’ homestays with requested amenities, like high speed Internet for connecting to our work at home.
LTL was there to answer all our questions and support all four of us throughout our stay. Our teachers were outstanding. We all made wonderful new friends and immersed ourselves in Chinese culture and daily life.
I would recommend LTL to any family looking for a fun & educational adventure in China. We traveled for our third month in China.
Everyone we met commented on our sons’ excellent Chinese language skills. Our sons have been studying Chinese for 5 years, but at LTL their language skills grew exponentially. –Carolyn (mother of Colin and Liam)
Family Taichi session near the school
Moving to China for a few months was probably the most daunting single experience of my life. I am pleased to say that LTL made this experience both educational and memorable, without any of my worries for the experience being realized.
The highlight was my homestay family, who I feel truly welcomed me into their home and culture. – Liam (14 years old)
I did two months of classes with LTL in Beijing and Chengde.
My Chinese greatly improved. I learned more practical Chinese with LTL whereas with other courses I learned just a little of everything.
The classes were fun, and it is something that I would do again! – Colin (12 years old)
Stephanie
UK
My 13-year old daughter and I both signed up for classes with LTL, and we had an incredible experience. She did a homestay, and it was a fantastic experience for her.
Not only was it the first time she had stayed with a family that she didn’t know, but also had to speak Chinese!
They did speak a little English, so she wasn’t completely immersed (by her choice), but really learned so much about the Chinese culture, lifestyle and food.
She had taken Chinese lessons before, both privately and in school, and based on those experiences, we were a little worried that the teachers might be very strict and into rote learning.
We were optimistic about LTL based on their website and our conversations with Andreas; however, the reality was better than we had hoped for.
The teachers were fun and enthusiastic, and we both found ourselves really looking forward to all the classes.
They felt like fun, not work. You can progress as quickly (or slowly) as you want, based on how much studying you want to do, and obviously there are millions of people just outside the door to practice with.
My daughter is begging to do it again this Christmas (as am I) — the only limitation is time!
The LTL Beijing Summer Camp is the most fun, effective and safe way for your children and teenagers to learn Mandarin, explore Chinese culture and take a holiday from normal school life.
A high school year in Beijing is all about learning Mandarin, experiencing Beijing and making friends for life. Together with other international students you will first improve your language skills before joining the Chinese education system.