Hi everyone, I’m James, dad to my daughter Macy.

I’d like to share how Macy, from age 4 to 6, learned English at home. Since I have an engineering background, I kept notes like a work journal—so this may feel a bit like a logbook 😅.

When Macy was born, we originally planned for her to learn both Mandarin and English. But after reading articles that warned against bilingual confusion in young children, we hesitated.

No need to worry about children learning two languages:
When Macy turned 4, I met a friend whose child is biracial and fluent in two languages without conflict. That hit me—of course! Around the world, children in bilingual households learn multiple languages naturally.

After researching studies from top universities like Harvard and Columbia, I learned that multilingual upbringing can actually enhance language ability, analytical thinking, and problem-solving. That changed everything.

Frozen sparked her English learning journey 💡❄️
At 4½, Macy was obsessed with Frozen. I played the English version of the movie, and even though she didn’t understand the dialogue, she fell in love with Elsa and Anna—their outfits, songs, and dancing.

So, I playfully “tricked” her by saying: “Elsa and Anna only speak English. If you want to play with them, you’ll have to learn English!”
She agreed—and just like that, her English adventure began.

English Preschool Class: Macy Often Lost Interest
When Macy was 4½, I signed her up for a month-long “XX English Preschool Class.” While she found it somewhat fun, she wasn’t really enthusiastic—sometimes she wanted to go, sometimes not.
The biggest issue? After every class, I had no idea what she had learned. She never spoke a word of English at home. It felt like pouring money down the drain, so I canceled the lessons.
P.S. I later learned that most English classes focus mainly on ABCs, reading, and spelling—a return to the ineffective method I used when learning English myself!

Online English Courses: Total Disinterest
At 4½, Macy was fluent in Mandarin but could only say one English word: “No.”
To avoid letting Macy follow in the footsteps of me and my wife—freezing up when meeting foreigners—I signed her up for three online English courses (25 minutes each), due to the pandemic.
We tried about 10 lessons, all teaching phrases like “This is a…”
Macy couldn’t sit through them, so we canceled those too.
P.S. I later realized online courses aren’t all bad, but kids do need some listening and speaking foundation. Looking back, my English was stronger than Macy’s then, but even I felt pressure—so how could she manage?
The foreign teachers often rotated, so Macy had to constantly re-familiarize herself, which made it even harder to adjust.

PadKaKa Vocabulary Animation Cards: A Surprise Discovery
When Macy was about 4 years and 8 months old, I stumbled across PadKaKa online—a completely different kind of learning tool. Not an English picture book, not just an app.
PadKaKa combines vocabulary cards with animated mini clips—truly genius!
The most fascinating part? Kids “feed” a big dog with a vocabulary card, and it triggers the matching cartoon.
Then I thought… wasn’t it Frozen that sparked Macy’s love for English cartoons in the first place—even though she couldn’t understand them?
Why was I chasing offline or online classes when what she really responded to was animated storytelling? I should’ve tried something like PadKaKa from the start.

I applied for a trial set, and just by acting out the funny scenes (role-playing), Macy naturally began saying the cartoon dialogue. I was astonished and immediately bought the full set.

Not Just Cartoons—Cartoons Designed for Language Learning
Before purchasing, I hesitated. After all, YouTube offers free English cartoons. Did we really need PadKaKa?
But my wife reminded me: “Free but ineffective means wasted time—which is the most expensive cost of all.”
And with just one precious daughter who was clearly enjoying PadKaKa, why was I still hesitating?

The Secret to Role-Playing Success?
Following PadKaKa’s suggestions, I let Macy choose her favorite cards and watch their cartoons.
Every day, I watched with her. Whenever she laughed at a funny scene, I’d quickly grab puppets and props, and we’d take turns acting out the characters.
Without even realizing, Macy began saying the dialogue.

📝 Key Point:
If I merely sat beside her while she watched PadKaKa cartoons, she would quietly observe, trying to absorb the vocabulary and phrases—building her listening intuition.
But once she became familiar with a cartoon (like the one about a sofa), I’d perform a dramatic fainting scene, and she’d join in enthusiastically.
She began practicing spoken English, and demanded we act it out again and again—until I genuinely almost passed out 😅

Role-Playing Is PadKaKa’s Secret Weapon
Thanks to role-playing, Macy’s speaking skills improved rapidly. I figured other cartoons might work too…
Turns out I was wrong! 😆
Only PadKaKa cartoons got Macy acting and speaking. We tried all sorts of other cartoons, but she never wanted to role-play with them.
I think it’s because PadKaKa’s stories are simple, playful, and full of everyday phrases and easy vocabulary—making it uniquely suited for role-play.
This feature alone makes it more valuable than any other tool I’ve tried.

Six Months In: Speaking English to Herself
After about half a year—at 5 years and 3 months—Macy began using English while playing with toys.
I couldn’t quite understand what she was saying, but it definitely sounded like English!
It was one of my proudest moments. PadKaKa felt like magic.

Starting Regular English Cartoons
Around 5½ years old, after using PadKaKa for about ten months, Macy started watching cartoons like Peppa Pig on her own.
Even if she couldn’t understand half of it, she watched eagerly.
From that point on, her daily exposure to English grew exponentially—all through play.
PadKaKa truly was the perfect gateway to English cartoons.

Finding the Courage to Speak English with Macy
PadKaKa’s founder, FanFan Dad, often encourages parents to speak simple English with their kids—even if their pronunciation isn’t perfect—just to normalize English as a family language.
So I tried using my clumsy English:
“Come here.”
“I am coming.”
“What’s up.”
“OK.”
“Great!”

Every time I responded in English with “OK” or “Yes,” Macy would continue chatting in English.
But if I replied in Chinese—she’d switch back instantly.
So I constantly reminded myself: Say OK.

Trying Online Foreign Teachers Again
With Macy’s speaking ability now more solid, I searched for online tutors again (still during the pandemic).
FanFan Dad emphasized that Taiwan’s biggest gap in English education is speaking and listening—not reading and writing.
So if you’re investing money, it must go toward developing listening and speaking skills. That’s the key!

Once speaking is strong, reading and writing can be easily taught in school later.
I told the teachers: no phonics, no writing—just songs, games, and cartoon chats.
Basically: Just have fun. That’s what matters.

Macy’s Video Recordings
I’ve shared three clips of Macy’s progress:
First Clip:
When she just started PadKaKa—watching the cartoons and mimicking the dialogue.
Second Clip:
About two months in—at the supermarket, we saw something that reminded us of a cartoon scene. I said, “Look! It’s a PadKaKa prop…” and just a little prompt got Macy playing and speaking.
Third Clip:
At age 6, Macy wanted to meet English-speaking friends. She asked my wife to film her playing hide-and-seek with her toys.

Fluent Spoken English—Children Really Are Language Geniuses
Macy is now 6 and still enjoys PadKaKa cartoons, though she’s watched them all multiple times by now.
I sometimes struggle to understand what she’s saying—because she’s now speaking with connected sounds (linking) just like native speakers, and mimicking accents from silly videos.

Dad’s Reflections
This is Macy’s learning journey over a year and a half.
Honestly, I never expected her English to improve so quickly—especially since she started late and attends a public kindergarten.
But in just 18 months, her speaking ability has already surpassed mine, even though I’ve studied English for over 10 years!

Here’s what I believe I got right:

🎯 Key Takeaways for Parents

1. Adopt the right mindset for English learning.
   I carefully watched FanFan Dad’s courses and read his book “The Secrets to Baby English—It’s Not What You Think.”
   ➤ Course link: https://www.padkaka.com/class/
   These ideas are essential—otherwise it’s easy to fall back into old, ineffective methods. I recommend watching the course at least three times, especially during the first six months.
2. Stick to the right approach.
   It’s not easy to let go of traditional ideas—do kids really not need spelling or grammar at first? Isn’t translation faster?
   I truly believe in FanFan Dad’s philosophy, so I held my ground.
   👉 Focus on speaking and listening.
   👉 Learn English in English.
   👉 Use cartoons, speak a little English, and practice role-playing.
3. Choose the right tool for early learning.
   Opt for English cartoons—not misleading traditional picture books.
   ➤ Reasons explained in course: https://www.padkaka.com/class/
   Regular English cartoons help with listening, but only PadKaKa promotes speaking—especially through role-play.
   Kids begin guessing word meanings in context (without translation) and start enjoying regular cartoons after using PadKaKa.

4. Accompanying Your Child’s English Learning
   Since I have only one child, parental involvement is especially important—particularly during the first year when foundational skills are being built.
   Take role-playing as an example: when I participate, Macy becomes deeply engaged.

To be honest, when I play pretend with Macy, I often find it boring and wonder: What’s so fun about this?
But as long as the child is learning joyfully, that’s what matters! Adults shouldn’t impose their own expectations.
I’m glad I stuck with it—parental companionship truly makes a difference.

5. Learning Through Play Is the Most Important Thing
   This is, in my opinion, the one element that must never be left out—whether it’s cartoons, role-playing, or online tutoring.
   I carefully observe which activities Macy finds fun and engaging, and then I repeat those experiences.
   Whenever she shows signs of frustration or boredom, I reflect on how to adjust the learning method.

 

Postscript
About six months after Macy started using PadKaKa, she even asked me to take her to meet FanFan Dad.
We were fortunate to meet him in person, and had a wonderful, engaging conversation.

FanFan Dad invited me to share Macy’s English learning journey—so I later wrote this reflection.
I remember a key focus of our chat was the idea of implementing role-playing.
FanFan Dad mentioned he hadn’t originally expected kids to use PadKaKa for role-play.

At that time, I also suggested two ideas:

• Character Tokens – so kids could hold the tokens while speaking their lines, which would enhance their immersion.
• Reading Booklets – listing each cartoon’s dialogue along with the speaker’s name, to make role-playing easier.

I’m thrilled that, more than a year later, PadKaKa truly developed both the character tokens and reading booklets.
Although Macy no longer needs them, I’m proud that she and I were able to contribute these ideas—and delighted that many other kids now enjoy role-playing even more because of it.

I hope that by sharing our journey, it can help and inspire other families as well.

Contact Us: service@padkaka.com