The Joy Connections Studio

We attended a trial at Joy connections and my child found the class enjoyable. It’s only an hour long(as compared to 1.5hours at other places) which is good for young... Read more to 1.5hours at other places) which is good for young kids who have shorter attention spans. We enquired about the term fees and were told that they include a set of books which are read during the lessons. However, we happen to already have this set of readers at home too(小羊下山 series) and I sent them a picture of our books. Given that these books are popular and readily available online, we asked if we could offset the cost of the books from the fees. Also it would be wasteful to have a duplicate set of books. The school said it was not able to do so which was disappointing. Perhaps some flexibility can be considered for such requests.

The lessons are very engaging & teachers are very dedicated! Is a good place for children to pick up chinese language through music, I definitely will recommend my other friends... Read more language through music, I definitely will recommend my other friends to send their kids there too! Also, the admin team is amazing. They always provide reminders about when we having the next class, and whenever I need to cancel the class due, they are very accommodating too. The admin team are fast and responsive to my queries and help me to find other available make-up classes to attend.

I took my 3-year-old for a trial session at Joy Connections. It was such a great experience we signed up right away! Laoshi is very knowledgeable in Mandarin and English,... Read more right away! Laoshi is very knowledgeable in Mandarin and English, and captivated my child in a way that made Chinese lessons super enjoyable! The classroom is light and bright, and provided a good atmosphere for multi-sensory learning, which included lots of props, toys and musical instruments. The studio is easily accessible by bus and only a short walk from Sixth Ave MRT station. My child was very excited to attend her next lesson the following week, which is testament to the excellent teaching and well-organised class structure - but most of all, it's FUN!

I've been to caregiver accompanied Mandarin playgroups from 4 different providers for my 2 yr old child in Singapore and I think Joy Connections stands out in being one of... Read more I think Joy Connections stands out in being one of the classes with the best content. Pros + many Chinese enrichment providers seem to have the same content in classes on the surface, (e.g. songs, stories, hands on play, arts & crafts, exercises) but quality of the teacher's delivery, content, and props really sets different schools apart. Joy Connection is higher on the quality side: + playful delivery of content to learn Chinese in a fun way, with alot of fun props for hands on learning + experienced the teaching of 3 teachers so far and all were of a high quality in how they delivered the content and built rapport with the children + Curriculum is well thought out in how it's centered around a theme each week and I like that they provide a pinyin song book for you to take home, along with access to the song on the app that I can sing a home with my child, which helps with reinforce the vocab learnt. + not all the teachers use a mic or play the music too loud. Alot of Chinese teaching providers in SG seem to use mikes and these high volumes leave me and my child overwhelmed noise-level wise and tired by the end of class. They seem to think the louder they shout the more the kids will absorb but the opposite is true - kids will block out what they hear if they are overloaded sensory-wise. + flexible makeup class policy, up to 4 makeup classes out of 12 week sessions (2 require MCs). No rigid term structures where you must sign up to terms on set dates - just start when you're ready. + helpful customer service on whatsapp + one of the few providers who allow caregiver accompanied classes after 3yr+. I haven't tried the class yet but I don't think my child will be keen to be left alone unaccompanied with a stranger they only see once a week so I'm glad the accompanied option is available. Cons/ feedback - it would be better if the teachers can lower the volume and not use mikes / play the music or sounds so loud in the smaller teaching room. In this smaller room, usage of mikes will lead to tiredness/ sensory overload for the kids as normal speaking volume will suffice. + Be aware this is a music class so the purpose is to teach both Chinese and music, hence sometimes there’s focus on teaching of rhythm, reading music notes and vocabulary of musical instruments which may not suit those looking for Chinese learning only. So not a con if you don’t mind that. + Not a con - but I'd love if they would create a class for kids who want to attend twice a week (as I'd love to send my child 2 times) and structure the content so it's different content for those 2 classes. Right now it's designed for kids to attend only once a week (you'll have repeated content if you attend 2 times).

I am a fan of joy connections curriculum after having checked out Youle and ChengZhu, for infant below 18months. In particular, I think the app with class songs that you... Read more particular, I think the app with class songs that you can play at home and the booklets with vocabs you can repeat at home provides effective learning. I want to give a very big shout out to Teacher LaLa and her class that is so engaging! It’s something you really can’t replicate at home, even if you know mandarin. The energy level is a constant high and she finds oppty to engage each one of her students in class no matter the challenge. Teacher LaLa knows to pick and bring the best props to the class to engage the students, which is essential to help the toddlers learn. Her musical instrument skills and coordination skills to bring the class together is quite a talent. Finally, I find her great because she even at the end of class care to provide feedback on what she observes to mothers about the students. Her care for the students shine through. One feedback is if they can keep class small at 6-8 students max. The space is not big enough for more where we end up sitting in front of each other or can’t see the mirror. I have attended class with 10 toddlers and 10 parents but I still decided to sign up my daughter because of teacher Lala and their curriculum. I highly recommend!