Set up Anki for the MOE Chinese deck

The deck runs in Anki, a flashcard app that brings each word back just before your child would forget it. Setting it up is a one-time job: install the app, then add the deck file from my email (its name ends in .apkg).

Choose your device

Not sure which to use?

• A tablet or phone is the easiest for daily practice: your child can do it anywhere. AnkiDroid on Android is free; AnkiMobile on iPhone and iPad is a one-time S$34.98 (the money goes to Anki's makers, not to me).
• A computer is free and the easiest place to set things up. Many families set up on the computer, then sync to a tablet with a free AnkiWeb account (each device page shows how).

Free sample now, full Level later? You don't need to set up again. Import the full Level the same way, and the sample cards your child has already learned keep their progress.

The daily routine: 10–15 minutes

1. Pick one time and keep it. Right after school or before dinner works for most families. The same time every day turns it into a habit.
2. Sit with your child for the first week. Every card plays the Mandarin out loud and shows the pinyin and the English, so you can follow along even if you don't speak Chinese.
3. Open Anki, tap the deck, and go until it says you're done. Your child answers, then you show the answer and tap Again (didn't know it) or Good (knew it, even if slowly). Skip Easy: it hides the card for too long.
4. Stop when Anki says you're finished for today. Short and every day beats long and once a week. Anki has already worked out what's due.
5. Missed a day? Just open Anki the next day and do what's waiting. Nothing is lost; the first day back takes a few minutes longer.
6. Adjust after two weeks. Start at 5 new cards a day (each device page shows where to set it). Today's new cards come back as reviews over the next weeks, so sessions grow a little and then settle. If they settle under 10 minutes, go up to 8 or 10 new cards a day. If they take more than 15 minutes, go down to 3.

With a full Level: keep to the school lesson

The free sample has lessons 1 to 3 only, so there's nothing to do. A full Level has every lesson of the school year. To keep to the lesson your child is on at school, hide the later lessons for now. Anki calls this suspending cards, and it is easiest on a computer:

1. In Anki, click Browse at the top.
2. In the search box, type the lessons you want to keep, each with a minus sign in front. For lessons 1 to 3: -tag:lesson1 -tag:lesson2 -tag:lesson3, then press Enter. The list now shows every card that is not in those lessons.
3. Click one card in the list, press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac) to select them all, then right-click and choose Toggle Suspend. Those cards turn yellow and stay hidden.
4. When school reaches lesson 4, search tag:lesson4, select all, and choose Toggle Suspend again to bring them back.

If you sync, do this on the computer and sync: the phone or tablet follows. Only using a phone? Email me and I'll walk you through it there.

Need help?

Email [email protected], or just reply to any of my emails. Tell me which device you're on and, if you can, send a screenshot of where you're stuck. I read every one myself.