Voices from the Pilot
Little Mandarin Spark has been piloted in two UK early-years settings: a nursery class of around 12–14 children aged 2–4 and a preschool class of around 10–12 children aged 3–4.
Together, they completed the five-week introductory programme and offered the opportunity to gather reflections from children, teachers and families, alongside classroom observations.
No one can describe Little Mandarin Spark better than the children who experienced it, and the teachers and families who shared the adventure with them.
What Children Say
At the end of the pilot, the nursery/preschool teachers or the Little Mandarin Spark teacher spent some time talking individually with the children. We asked simple questions about what they remembered, what they would like to say to Bubu, and whether they had any questions for him.
The answers were often funny, sometimes unexpected, and occasionally very touching. What struck us most was how many children seemed to remember Bubu, Awu and Inky as real friends. When they talked about their Little Mandarin Spark experience, they often spoke about the things they had done together: singing songs, helping little monsters, sharing adventures, and learning new words.
Many children wanted to know when Bubu was coming back, whether he would play with them again, and even whether he would be their friend.
These are some of their own words:
"You are my friend."
"I would like to have them in my house.“
"Can you play again tomorrow?"
"Can I do more Mandarin today?"
What Teachers Say
At the end of the pilot, we also invited the nursery and preschool practitioners who observed or participated in Little Mandarin Spark to share their reflections. Their comments focus on children's engagement, learning, and the practicalities of delivering the programme in an early-years setting.
These are some of their own words:
"To get the whole group all engaged like that at the same time is difficult, and I was impressed."
"The children ask for the songs during the day."
"The children have become enthused about different languages and have been asking how to say hello in different languages too."
"I haven't seen anything like this before for nursery-aged children."
What Families Say
At the end of the pilot, we also invited families to share anything they had noticed at home after their child had taken part in Little Mandarin Spark.
Many families told us that children continued talking about Bubu long after the sessions had finished. They sang songs, used Mandarin words at home, and shared stories about their adventures together.
These are some of their own words:
"P. absolutely loved the sessions and Bubu in particular."
"We've been talking a lot about Bubu, Mandarin and languages in general at home.”
"The children have enjoyed listening to your songs at breakfast."
"M. often shares stories about meeting you and Bubu's friends in class.”
"I would love for my girls to have access to more resources to learn Mandarin and more about Chinese culture."
Further Information
The comments shared on this page are a small selection of the feedback gathered during the pilot.
A fuller pilot reflection is available for schools and early-years settings interested in learning more about the project. This includes practitioner reflections, family feedback, children's responses, and classroom observations collected during the pilot.
If you would like to receive a copy, please feel free to get in touch.