Follow Chinese lessons through a textbook. A textbook can help you to learn Chinese by taking you through a natural progression. With a textbook, you can highlight important points to review. You can also take it anywhere in your home, from the bed to the backyard.
Use a software program to practice speaking and listening. Many software programs will also take you through a natural progression of learning Chinese. The advantage to using a software program is that it will incorporate listening exercises using native Chinese speakers. Listening to common conversations in Chinese will help you to improve your own skills. With a software program, you may also be able to record your own voice and play it back to compare with native speakers.
Play online games to learn the Chinese symbols. The Chinese writing system is complicated for Westerners. Each word has its own symbol. You'll have to memorize these symbols if you want to read Chinese. Practice this by playing online memory games that use the Chinese characters.
Read Chinese websites to improve your skills. Install a Chinese language font so that your computer will display the characters. Once you've learned the most common Chinese characters, you can try to read the news in Chinese. An online translator like Babelfish can help you translate the page if you are having difficulties.
Practice conversational skills by speaking with a native Chinese speaker. Nothing beats real-life practice speaking Chinese. If you're studying Chinese from home, find ways that you can connect with Chinese speakers. If there are Chinese people in your area, you can invite them over for language exchange. You can also find language exchange partners on line and you can then do a video chat (see Resources).