On a related note, just think about teaching children in China to spell. There are estimates that the number of Chinese characters compiled since ancient times far exceeds 50,000 in number. Children in China who receive the equivalent of a middle school and secondary school education and those who wish to read the daily newspaper are expected to master 3,500-4,000 of the most common Chinese characters. Our 26 letters of the alphabet pale in comparison to the number of characters these children must learn.
Agree with your post. Chinese characters are numerous that's why teaching it should be fun and easy. The book, Fun with Chinese Characters is a good reading material. Can be found here> http://www.childbook.com/Fun-with-Chinese-Characters-Volume-2-p/l0102.htm