Help Kids Read in Chinese with Luka Chinese Reading Robot
Introducing Luka the Book Reading Robot
*This post includes affiliate links for which I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Parents all over the world know that learning a second language such as Chinese is important, they just think it’s impossible. Well, I’m here to tell you that it is possible! Specifically, I want to be an advocate and voice telling you that Chinese is a valuable language that your child CAN LEARN! Currently, resources can be hard to find, but I’m here to help point you and guide you to the Chinese learning resources available to children and parents. This post is here to introduce you to Luka, the Chinese reading robot. If you’re interested in other Chinese resources, you can see a general list of some books and tools I like from Amazon HERE. However, this post is specially about a tool that will allow your child to hear books read to them in Chinese – Luka the Chinese Reading Robot!
Features of Luka Chinese Reading Robot:
Luka has many features that help him stand apart from the crowd:
- He reads over 70,000 Chinese books and that number will only increase over time.
- He can easily switch between languages with a tap on his head.
- Luka will automatically start reading whatever page you flip to, if your child skips a page, so will he. Your child will always be hearing the words that correspond with the page he is looking at.
- He is rechargeable with a plug – no need for batteries.
- You can press his music wing or choose songs or audio books using the Luka App.
- Your child can interact with Luka and he will giggle or do silly tricks and games.
Common Questions:
- Will I be able to navigate Luka without knowing Chinese?
- In the App, you can set Luka to speak in English or in Chinese. The app itself has the main navigation buttons in English so you can find your way around, but the titles of the books and labels of various sections you scroll through are still in Chinese. In short, you’ll be able to navigate the most important aspects such as your account setup and booklist, but you’ll have to guess and play around to see some of the other sections do…? Audio books, music.
- How Will I Know if Luka Can Read the Books I Have?
- If you have a Luka, you can set the cover in front of Luka and try or you can scan the barcode/ISBN number with the app and it will show the book.
- If you don’t already have Chinese books, there are two other options you can try. First, you can grab an English book and Luka may be able to read it in English and Chinese. I have found that Luka can read many of the most famous /popular preschool books I own such as Eric Carle books, some Dr. Seuss Books, Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Gorilla, etc. in both English and Chinese. This means that potentially you already own some books at home that Luka can read to your child in Chinese, even though you own the English version.
- Second, you can go to THIS PAGE of Jojo Learning’s website and search through their list of books. I love using their list because not only do I know that Luka can read the book, I also know that it’s a high quality book because the owners of Jojo spend time investingating which books are most loved by kids!
- Do I have to have copies of each book in English and Chinese?
- No! This is one of the awesome things about Luka! You can show him the English version of “Are You My Mother?” and he will still give you the choice to read it in English and Chinese. Or you can show Luka a Chinese version of the same book and you’ll still have both options.
- Will Luka read all books in both English and Chinese?
- No. Some books will only be read by Luka in English, some books will only be read by Luka in Chinese.
- Is Luka affordable?
- Yes! Think about how much money you would have to spend on a Chinese tutor or hiring someone to come read Chinese to your kids every day. With Luka, you have a native speaker ready to read to your kids endlessly!
- Do you Have Any Book Recommendations?
- Yes. Depending on the age of your kids, there are plenty of books I love. You can watch the Youtube video I made to hear more details about each series and what ages I suggest. UPDATE* Now that I have been using Luka for quite a while, I have invested in many more books and I can honestly say I love ALL the books I have purchased from JoJo Learning. They’re excellent quality! I ESPECIALLY LOVE their subscription box books! Each month they send you two books plus email some accompanying activities. Many of my kids favorite stories are from the subscription box books. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! But here is a list:
2. Animal Babies and Moms 7-Book Set
3. My First Discovery Series for Preschoolers 12- Book Set
5. Peppa Pig Bilingual Board Books
6. Bilingual Todd Parr Family 7-Book Set:
(Slightly Older Kids)
(Lengthier Books for Older Kids)
Recommendations to Improve Your Experience Learning with the Luka Robot:
- Buy extra charging cords from Amazon! This was honestly the best decision ever. The charging cord that comes with Luka is very short and because of that I felt I was bending and almost breaking it when I was trying to work with it. Also, my kids would want to still read with Luka Robot while he was charging but would have to lay on the floor in a corner close to an outlet. It was not ideal. SO I searched the correct outlet that would fit a LUKA robot and guess what! I found a pack of three 10-Foot charging cables that fit Luka for only $10 on Amazon!! Now, I have multiple chargers- I always know where one is, and even better is we can plug Luka in almost anywhere and it can read a table or surface for us to comfortably sit and read with him while he is charging. YAY!!
Here is the link to the charging cords I bought that fit the Luka Robot. It is only ten bucks for THREE chargers! AMAZING!
2. Another way to improve the Luka Robot experience for a stressed mom is to buy the silicon cover for Luka! I was honestly always a little worried about my kids handling Luka on their own and potentially dropping or wrecking it. I purchased two different covers and I LOVE them. I prefer the silicon cover over the animal costume cover because the silicon is easier to still access all the buttons you want to use, but the kids like to put Luka in his “pajamas” as they call it because its soft and squishy. Either way, I feel more relaxed and relieved as they play with, read with, and sing with Luka while he has a cover on.
