I’ve been keeping a secret!!
We are excited to announce the upcoming release of a brand-new home education resource:
Hiragana at Home!
As a mother living in Japan and a second-language speaker of Japanese, I longed for a home education resource for exposing young children to Japanese language in a way that was gentle, simple, play-based, and not time-consuming or filled with busy work.
Home-educating a bilingual child should not mean that their language skills have to suffer!
However, there are few home-education resources available for people who desire to teach the Japanese language to young children (including overseas), and little support is available to families in Japan who decide not to enroll their child in preschool.
Eventually, I realized that if I wanted a home education program for our family that met my expectations, as well as would allow our children to thrive without losing out on their language development, I would have to make it myself – and so, I did!
**Note: this post was updated on March 24th, 2023, to reflect updates regarding the spring 2023 release!!**
Our Story
I did not originally intend to create a home education resource for bilingual families. Rather, Hiragana at Home is a program that I lovingly created for my own family, and decided to make available to the public in the hopes that it helps others who desire for their bilingual child to flourish at home.
Although in Japan it is common (sometimes almost expected) to enroll children in preschool from age 3, it is not mandatory, and especially after experiencing the shift in societal dynamics during the pandemic, more parents are exploring different options for raising their children.
Bilingual families living abroad may also find few resources geared toward young children available specifically with Japanese language in mind.
I have put my heart and soul into Hiragana at Home and used my background in teaching and curriculum development (as well as my own experiences with home education) to design a program with my family in mind, and hope that it helps others who are interested in home learning.
Hiragana at Home is not focused on passing tests or “getting ahead”.
Instead, it embraces a philosophy that learning and play can be one and the same, and that children do not need to stay indoors “studying” for long hours, but also that young children can learn language from a young age (and have fun doing it!).
It is generally adults, not children, who view language as tiresome, boring, or academic!
Rather than just rote memorization, children can be familiarized with hiragana through motor skills, music, life skills, and creative pursuits.
What is Hiragana at Home?
Hiragana at Home is a one-year language-based program that will be split into three parts released throughout the year, starting with Part 1 released in Spring 2023.
Each part will be available in a digital “pdf” file format, and is designed for the preschool level to expose children to Japanese language skills through learning hiragana, listening to songs in Japanese, reading Japanese language books, doing seasonal, theme-inspired, and cultural activities and crafts, and going on suggested field trips.
When each part of the 3-part series becomes available, you can purchase the digital files to use with your children in your home.
Hiragana at Home employs the use of lots of free resources, including free online print-outs that you can download from the internet, an extensive list of books that you can borrow from the library or purchase online, and much more.
When you purchase the preschool program, you will get:
- A list of recommended books that you can borrow from the library or purchase online
- A list of recommended supplies (many can be purchased at a 100 yen shop / dollar store, or thrifted at a recycle shop)
- A schedule that you can adjust to your family’s needs
- Reference pages with tips on how to teach
- Lesson plans, including activity and craft ideas, links to songs, and more!
Please note: Hiragana at Home will be available in 3 parts as digital files that you can print out, or read on your computer. If you purchase the program, you will NOT receive physical copies in the mail, and it is your responsibility to print out the pages if so desired.
Since by nature Hiragana at Home is a series of digital products, please note that the files will be non-refundable after purchase.
Purchasing Hiragana at Home will allow you to use the program for personal use for one family. Printing additional copies outside of this guideline violates the copyright.
What the program is NOT:
Hiragana at Home is NOT intended to completely replace whatever English-language preschool program you might use with your child. For example, it does not teach the English alphabet, include English book recommendations, or provide links to English songs.
Rather, it focuses on Japanese language and culture, and can be used as a supplement to an English language program, or expanded into a complete bilingual program by adding in your **own** English language resources, activities, and etc. (not provided).
FAQ:
Who are the intended users of Hiragana at Home?
Families who might benefit from the program include: English speaking or bilingual parents of children being raised in Japan, English speaking or bilingual families living abroad who are raising bilingual children, and homeschooling families in English-speaking countries who want their young children to be gently exposed to a foreign language and culture.
Hiragana at Home is designed to be used for preschool aged children by an English-speaking parent who has a basic knowledge of Japanese language or is willing to learn some basics as they teach, or by a native-speaking Japanese parent who can read English instructions.
It is possible to use the program even if you do not speak Japanese, if you have the initiative to learn together as you teach the program. There is also a reference page of tips included in the program specifically for non-native Japanese speakers!
**In the future, we might consider creating a version geared specifically toward Japanese speaking parents (with Japanese language instructions), if there is enough interest.**
How much will it cost?
Hiragana at Home will include lesson plans, as well as reference pages, a booklist, and more, released in 3 parts throughout the year. The total for all 3 parts (one year of lessons) will be somewhere around 50$ USD (5,000 Japanese yen).
We plan to offer a HUGE discount during our opening sale (so make sure you’re subscribed to our blog to stay tuned for when Hiragana at Home releases!!).
When will it be released?
Hiragana at Home is a BIG project that is still underway, but we hope to complete and release Part 1 (of 3) of the program by April 6th of this year (2023), so that families can use it for the April 2023 – March 2024 (Japanese) school year.
What ages can use Hiragana at Home?
Hiragana at Home is a flexible program that can be used with preschoolers of any age.
Activities can be adjusted depending on your child’s level, and children as young as 2 years old who can form basic sentences in their native language(s) may be able to benefit from the program.
Parents of children with speech or other developmental delays may desire to consult a speech therapist or other specialist about what is best for their child and when they might benefit the most before deciding to purchase or use the program.
What daily time commitment is needed to use Hiragana at Home?
This program is geared toward bilingual children who might be learning 2 languages in the home, so it is NOT intended to be time-consuming. In addition, it is not meant to be a “heavy” or “academic” style program.
How much time is required to complete activities will depend on the family, but most days might run under 1 hour per day (less, depending on the child’s age), and there is no need for activities to happen all at once, but instead they can be spread throughout the day if you prefer.
The schedule is flexible, and it is up to YOU as the parent what activities you want to use or skip.
You do not have to read all of the book suggestions, listen to all of the songs, do all of the crafts, or do all of the activities or games. Instead, you can pick what works for your family and your individual child.
One family might choose to spend just 15 minutes a day learning, while others might spend over 1 hour if a child wants to spend extra time on an activity. It is important to follow the child’s pace and passions!
Home education is meant to be adjustable, flexible, and fit to your family and your child’s needs, interests, and age or developmental level.
How long does it take to complete Hiragana at Home?
Hiragana at Home is designed to follow the Japanese school year, which starts in April and ends in late March of the following year. However, it can be adjusted to follow any school year schedule.
The Japanese school year covers more school days than the American or British school years, but you can skip lesson days or activities as needed or desired.
Will there be a Year 2 program?
We are considering making a follow-up Year 2 preschool program that focuses specifically on Katakana (with some Hiragana review).
Make sure to subscribe to the blog to be alerted to Hiragana at Home’s release and opening sale!
We have no idea what level of interest there will be about this program, but hope that it will reach the right people. If you know someone that might be interested, please spread the word!!
If you have questions about Hiragana at Home, feel free to leave a comment below, or contact us via our Instagram!
We are looking forward to hearing from you!!
Photo credits: (c) theharunafamily.com
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[…] can read the introduction post here (which has been updated with some of the new information featured in this follow-up post), and […]
[…] program (our story, and why we decided to make Hiragana at Home), check out our introduction post, here. For our last follow-up on the spring release, see […]