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!

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.

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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 (Parts 1-3)? 

Hiragana at Home is a one-year language-based program designed for the preschool level to expose children to Japanese language. Part 1 covers Term 1 out of 3 of the Japanese school year, and likewise Parts 2 and 3 cover Terms 2 and 3.

However, you do not need to follow the Japanese school year to use this program!

Each part will be available in a digital “pdf” file format, and provides you with the tools to teach 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.

If you purchase the program, then as each part of the 3-part series becomes available, you can download 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.

Hiragana at Home program is a 3-part series of digital files that you can print out, or read on your computer. If you purchase our program, you will NOT receive a physical copy of this program in the mail, and it is your responsibility to print out the pages if so desired. 

Since by nature Hiragana at Home is a 3 part series of digital products, please note that it is non-refundable. Purchasing Hiragana at Home will allow you to use it 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).

How Does the Hiragana at Home Program Work? 

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.

If you purchase the program, you will be provided with a daily schedule of suggested activities, and weekly notes to help you plan and know exactly what you need to prepare for each set of lessons.

Hiragana at Home includes reference pages to address specific needs, help with troubleshooting, and provide tips for teaching. Parents without a background in the Japanese language will benefit from the “Tips for Non-Native Speakers” and those new to home educating will appreciate the more general “Tips for Teaching”.

There is also a supply list of suggested craft supplies and learning tools, and a booklist of suggested books to purchase or borrow from the library.

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!

Release Update:

Creating Hiragana at Home was a very large undertaking, and as a result we decided to split its release into sections.

Rather than releasing the program all at once, we released it in sections starting with a 2023 Spring Release, later with a 2023 Summer Release, and finally with an early January 2024 Release.

The 3 sections add up to a full year of lessons. The schedule follows the Japanese school year that starts in April (Hiragana at Home starts from April 6th). You do NOT have to follow the Japanese school year to use this program, and it is flexible to adjust however you like!

Each section that releases will be available as a digital “pdf” file download that you can save and read on your computer, or print from home if you prefer. If you purchase Hiragana at Home, you will receive a digital “pdf” file product, NOT a physical product, and it is your responsibility to print the file if you prefer.

Our program was completed in January 2024, so when you purchase our 1 year program, you will now receive all 3 Parts immediately.

Parts 1-3 are all live!!

Be sure to check out our blog for our January 2024 sale and discount code!

CLICK HERE to purchase the complete program!

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If you would like to learn more, check out our FAQ page!

Or, if you are ready to take the next steps to support your child’s bilingual journey, click here to buy the program!