Sure your child goes to school 8:30am-3:30pm then usually has some sort of piano lesson or soccer practice, but don’t you ever just feel like little 5-year-old Stacy could be doing MORE?! Of course you do! We’re so lucky that Shanghai has so much to offer to our little ones to help them truly learn about and appreciate Chinese culture and the world around them. Here are some tips about how to survive adding even more into your child’s learning experiences.
1) If you want to pique your child’s curiosity and interest in new (or old) things, visiting one of Shanghai’s many museums is definitely the way to go! If you can think it, there is probably a museum for it in Shanghai. Visit the Science and Technology Museum (2000 Century Avenue, near Jinxiu Road Pudong New Area) if you have kids that like to be hands on. They can learn about construction, robots, lava flows, the digestive system, space and much more all while you sit with a coffee on a bench! There is also the Shanghai Municipal History Museum (Oriental Pearl Tower, 1 Century Avenue, near Lujiazui Ring Road, Pudong New Area) where you can bring your kids to relive Shanghai in all it’s Qing Dynasty wax mannequin glory! Sure, some of it is super creepy and you may have to skirt around the brothel part but for 35 RMB how can you go wrong? Also, don’t forget the Shanghai Museum of Glass (Bldg 8, 685 Changjiang West Road, near Gangsi Road, Boashan District) where your child can learn about the art of glass-making and where you can learn about places you shouldn’t bring your toddler who like’s to touch everything.
Will little Billy have a better chance of getting onto Harvard’s prestigious rowing team after exploring the depths of the Shanghai Maritime Museum? The answer can only be: yes.
2) For active kids why not try a Shanghai bike tour? It’s a great way to learn more about the city by touring down little alleys and seeing some of the more authentic places where people live and shop. There are many tour companies to choose from like Culture Shock Tours (http:// www.culture-shock-tours.com) that offer a bunch of different options and things to see. Plus, if there is a better way to hammer into your kids the importance of road safety other than terrifyingly weaving through Jing’an traffic we’d like to know!
3) There is no better way to learn about a country’s culture than through their food! Taking your kids on a food tour not only gets them to try things they never thought they’d eat but also may ignite a spark in the next Gordon Ramsay! There are many food tour groups in the city including UnTour (https://untour- foodtours.com) and Shanghai Foodie (https://www.foodieshanghai.com) that will tickle your family’s tastebuds while taking them on a culinary tour of history through some amazing Shanghai local streets you probably didn’t know existed. You can also be brave and take your kids on a “how many local food places in the area can we visit before our tummies start to rumble?” tour on your own which could be the best or the worst idea - the fun is finding out which one!
It’s been proven that adding cultural and extracurricular activities to your child’s learning creates a richer understanding of the world. And while there are too many museums and cultural activities to list in just one survival guide just stepping out of your house and taking the opportunity to explore something new or weird can be enough to light a fire of interest in any kid or adult too!
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