“Hiragana at Home”, a Home Education Resource

I am excited to share with you a new (as of April 2023) resource for families wanting to teach their young children the Japanese language and culture at home.

“Hiragana at Home” is the creation of Hannah Haruna. Hannah is from the U.S., and has lived in Japan for 8 years. She first fell in love with Japan during a teaching internship at Osaka University of Economics and Law, and later returned to live in Japan permanently.

She is now married, and she and her native Japanese husband Masashi have one son, and another on the way soon.

After living in Tokyo and Yokohama city for some years, Hannah and her husband decided to move to rural Hyogo, where they recently purchased a Japanese “akiya” with 2 acres of land. They are now in the process of renovating their old, fixer-upper home while learning about sustainable living in their countryside community.

Hannah is a former school teacher and homeschool alumni, and has experience teaching preschoolers through adults in a variety of settings.

She loves speaking about home life as a bilingual, multicultural family, and what it is like as an immigrant living overseas in Japan, as well as sharing with others about homesteading and gardening, the slow life, language, and home education.

You can read more about her over at her blog, theharunafamily.com!

So what is “Hiragana at Home”? In Hannah’s own words:

“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.

Hiragana at Home is a one-year language-based program designed for the preschool level to expose children to Japanese language. It will be released in 3 parts throughout the year. Part 1 covers Term 1 out of 3 of the Japanese school year. Parts 2 and 3 will be released to those that purchase the program as are they are completed.

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 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.”

Learn more about this program HERE!

Here is a sneak peek at one of the lesson plans:

My own children are now older so I did not get to try out this program for myself, but it seems like a wonderful resource for families of young children, especially those who desire a homeschool-type of program.

I applaud Hannah for putting together such a thoughtful program to share with others. I know from first-hand experience that projects of this magnitude require a lot of work… especially when you are also parenting young children! Thank you Hannah!

Hiragana at Home can be yours at this link: https://theharunahomestead.gumroad.com/l/hiraganathome

I have also teamed up with Hannah to give away a FULL PROGRAM ($50 value) to one Hiragana Mama reader!! Simply leave a comment on this post (make sure you leave an email address so I can contact you) and you will be entered in the drawing. I will randomly select and announce a winner on April 30th, 2023. Your email address will not be collected or used for any other purpose other than for this giveaway.

The winner of the giveaway is Sarah Vinall! Please check your email for redemption instructions. Congrats!

Online Japanese Classes for Kids

What a year it has been! When COVID-19 shut down our schools in March 2020, I thought for sure my kids would be attending school and other activities “like normal” by the fall. Instead, they have been going back-and-forth from remote-learning to in-person learning (with social-distancing and masks), and most after-school activities have been cancelled or on Zoom.

To be honest, I was very skeptical of online learning at first. And indeed, there was a big learning curve in the beginning for both students and teachers (many tears were shed). In-person learning is ideal for most situations BUT I’ve learned that online classes are not all bad. Creative and innovative teachers around the world have stepped up to the plate and made online learning WORK. Technology has allowed us access to amazing classes and teachers, and we have saved so much time and money by not having to travel to lessons.

The Japanese Language School that my children attend is now all on Zoom, and many other Japanese Schools around the world have also gone online. Some have open enrollment, meaning anyone can sign up. I have seen an increase in Japanese class offerings on popular educational sites like Outschool. So while travel to Japan may still not be possible at this time, we can use technology to our advantage and have Japan come to our homes.

Here are a few online resources I recommend:

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1. Cafetalk.com

I am a fan of Cafetalk! I have blogged about them before (read here). My children took private Japanese lessons and their teachers were excellent. I thought the pricing was reasonable and scheduling was easy. Not only can you take Japanese language lessons, but you can also learn other skills (in Japanese!) like music, dance, abacus, art, etc.

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2) Outschool.com

I have personally not used Outschool before but have heard many great things about their classes. I have actually considered teaching for them, and can tell you that they have high standards for the teachers they hire. They have several beginner and intermediate Japanese classes currently available.

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3) Classes by JASC (Japanese American Service Committee)

Donguri-Kai by JASC

Their Winter II classes have just begun but you might still be able to sign up.

“Donguri Kai continues to provide Japanese education through online classes for children from kindergarten to elementary school. Class meets in a live online classroom once a week to fortify reading, pronunciation, conversation, and communication in Japanese. Teachers interactively guide students to enhance their communication skills. Students interact on-screen to stimulate and encourage each other through various learning activities.”

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Tampopo Kai

“Tampopo Kai is an online Japanese cultural program for preschoolers. Through various engaging activities such as singing, storytelling, and arts & crafts, children and their parents are exposed to the richness of the Japanese language and culture.

Topics that will be covered in Tampopo Kai classes are, but not limited to: Japanese holidays, customs, traditions; Japanese vocabulary words (e.g. colors, numbers, shapes, sizes, family members, greetings, seasons, weather, body parts); Japanese arts (songs, kamishibai-style Japanese story boards, origami).”

They currently meet twice a week on Zoom! Sign up here.

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4) Free, self-paced lessons

I think the best way to learn Japanese, especially for a beginner, is to have a real-life teacher who interacts with you. But if you want to learn at your own pace, or want to learn for free, some of the following resources might be for you!

duolingo

My 12-year old uses this app to help maintain her Japanese. It is great for learning and reviewing vocabulary.

Easy Japanese Conversation Lessons by NHK

A wonderful series of 48 lessons that teaches basic conversational skills as well as teaching about the Japanese culture.

NHK for School

I’ve shared this resource before (here) but it’s worth repeated mentions. Hundreds of 10-minute videos covering a wide range of subjects such as Japanese grammar, math, history, science, and bullying. Videos are for preschool though high-school students. Often, there are accompanying printable worksheets and questions you can use along with the videos.

And then of course, there’s many YouTube channels and even Instagram pages that teach Japanese. Those are all awesome supplements and fun/entertaining but I find that it’s easy for kids to watch them mindlessly instead of putting in the work of learning Japanese.

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Are you aware of any other online classes for learning Japanese? Please share in the comments section!

Be sure to follow Hiragana Mama on facebook for more frequent updates!

Netflix Shows for Kids You Can Watch in Japanese

Here is a list of Netflix shows that you can watch in Japanese (in the United States). Just click on the language selection button on the bottom right corner and choose Japanese. Let me know if you know of any others in the comments!

(P.S. I’ve also been posting A LOT of Japanese learning resources on my facebook page recently, so hop on over! https://www.facebook.com/HiraganaMama.Blog)

(I’ve also received some feedback that the Japanese language option is not working for some of you for these shows! I am so sorry. I am not sure why it works for some and not others.)

1. Teasing Master Takagi-san (my kids’ favorite! Best for tweens)
2. PJ Masks (for preschoolers)
3. Care Bears & Cousins (younger children)
4. Robocar Poli (preschool? I haven’t watched it)
5. Llama Llama (TV-Y)
6. Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back (Pretty sure all the Pokemon shows can be watched in Japanese! Just search “Pokemon” in the search bar.)
7. Minecraft Story Mode (TV-PG)
8. Brainchild (TV-G)
9. Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures (TV-Y)
10. Spirit- Riding Free (TV-Y7)
11. Starbeam (TV-Y)
12. Dragons Rescue Riders (TV-Y)
13. Magic Schoolhouse Rides Again (TV-Y)
14. True (TV-Y)
15. Hello Ninja (TV-Y)
16. Lu Over the Wall (PG)
17. Stranger Things (PG-14… for teens!)
18. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo (PG)
19. Angela’s Christmas (TV-Y)
20. The Princess Switch (TV-G)
21. K-On the Movie (PG)
22. Flavors of Youth: International Version (TV-PG)
23. Julie’s Greenroom (TV-Y)
24. Little Miss Sumo (TV-G)
25. Treehouse Detectives (TV-Y)
26. Archibald’s Next Big Thing (TV-Y)
27. Ask the Storybots (TV-Y)
28. The Investigators (TV-Y)
29. Chip and Potato (TV-Y)
30. Lalaloopsy (TV-Y)
31. Carmen San Diego (PG)
32. Who Was? Show (PG)
33. Anne with an E (TV-PG)
34. Case Closed (TV-14)
35. Captain Underpants (TV Y7)
36. Glitch Techs (TV-G)
37. Fuller House (TV-PG)
38. Nino-Kuni (TV-14)
39. Rilakkuma and Kaoru (TV-PG)
40. Samurai Gourmet (TV-PG)

I am sure there are so many more. I didn’t feel like checking ALL the shows!

I found it interesting that some of the shows I thought for SURE would have Japanese dubs, didn’t! For example Beyblade Burst, Glitter Force, Sonic the Hedgehog, Yo-Kai Watch, Mary and the Witch’s Flower, and Power Rangers.

Note: This worked for me from a PC. Some users are having trouble switching the languages from their Roku or other devices.

 

Play Smart by Gakken book review (and GIVEAWAY!)

I have three children, ages 10, 8, and 3. I often find myself in situations that involve a lot of waiting, especially with my 3-year old. Waiting for her older siblings while they participate in piano lessons and other extracurricular activities. Waiting at the airport. Waiting at the dentist’s office. Waiting for dinner to be made.

And waiting is HARD for a preschooler! I don’t want her to have too much screen time, and I also want her to be mentally stimulated . One of the best solutions I have found for these WAITING situations are these workbooks by Gakken called Play Smart.

Want to win all 6 of these books? Keep reading!

The workbooks are full-color on every page and the paper is very nice. They are age-appropriate, fun, and have STICKERS! My daughter honestly can and has worked on these books for hours. We use them when she needs to be sitting quietly in church. We used them on the airplane when we went to Japan this summer. And we work on them when her siblings are at school. We totally love them and I can see her skills improving with every book we complete.

The following is from the Gakken website:

Gakken Play Smart Workbooks are bestsellers in Japan where 1 million Play Smart workbooks are sold each year, and the books have been enjoyed by tens of millions of children. The winning Play Smart formula:

• Puts the emphasis on fun – so much so, that children have no idea that they’re building important skills while they trace lines and shapes, cut and paste objects, solve mazes, create crafts, and tackle other simple, enjoyable activities.

• Includes parent involvement: Extensive research asserts that young children learn the most, have the highest rates of literacy, and the most developed math skills, and even social skills when there is parent involvement in the learning process. Every single page of the Play Smart workbooks includes “notes to parents” offering advice to help each child progress.

• Has been proven to strengthen kids’ reasoning, decision-making, and concentration skills, which helps them prepare for the classroom – and for life.

• Includes age-appropriate trying, cutting, pasting, and drawing activities to build fine motor coordination and other important skills. 

• Uses  stickers within the context of certain activities and also as rewards for completed work.

We made a video of us working on the Play Smart Animal Picture Puzzlers for Ages 3+.

These books are in ENGLISH but I try to speak to my daughter in Japanese as we work on the pages together. I love seeing some Japan-inspired pictures on some of the pages.

I can’t wait for you to check these books out. I have teamed up with Gakken to host a GIVEAWAY! One lucky winner will be sent the full set of Play Smart Picture Puzzler Books– 6 workbooks total!  To enter, simply visit this site: https://www.gakkenplusna.com/playsmart then tell me in the comments below which Play Smart book would be perfect for your child! Then, for a BONUS entry, follow @gakken_playsmart on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gakken_playsmart/ then leave another comment saying you’ve followed them. Don’t have a toddler or preschooler? Please share this giveaway with someone who does.

This Giveaway will begin on August 24th and conclude on Friday August 31st at 9pm EST. At that point, a winner will be announced and must contact me within a week to claim their prize. This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States. 

The winner is Lindsey!! I will be emailing you 🙂 おめでとう！

No worries if you don’t win… these books are affordably priced at $6.99 each. They are available on Amazon (free shipping for prime members). Gakken even has a few FREE pages you can print and try out if you just can’t wait! Free printables HERE! Stock up for all those times of WAITING :).

Disclosure: I was sent some free Play Smart books by Gakken to try out and review. I have tried some of their other workbooks in the past, both from Japan and from the U.S. and LOVED them, so I was happy to write this blog post and host a giveaway. If you purchase these books through my Amazon links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale to help keep this website up and running. Arigato!

Kodomo No Hi Videos

May 5th is Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) in Japan. Here are some videos to help your children learn about this holiday.

A great interactive video by Benesse, 「しまじろうとこどもの日を楽しもう！」＜こどもちゃれんじ＞4月ライブ授業:

“What is Kodomo no Hi?” (こどもの日ってなあに？）by CHK名古屋：

The classic children’s song associated with Kodomo No Hi by キッズボンボン, 【♪うた】こいのぼり〈振り付き〉【手あそび・こどものうた】Japanese Children’s Song, Nursery Rhymes & Finger Plays:

Read-Alouds about Kodomo No Hi:

A Just-For-Fun Koinobori Stop-Motion animation:

Mell-chan dress for a real-life girl

メルちゃんが大好きな１歳の娘のために、メルちゃんとお揃いのドレスを作ってあげました。

My 1-year old daughter loves her Mell-chan (メルちゃん) doll from Japan. We ordered it for her (via Amazon) last Christmas, and she has not stopped carrying her around (by the hair, lol!), changing her clothes, and feeding her food.

So I thought my daughter would be thrilled if I sewed her a dress just like her doll (and, it can double as a Halloween costume). I just eyeballed the pattern and used fleece, felt, and velcro. It took me about 3 hours (I’m not a seamstress!) and was a labor of love.

I was crushed when I showed the finished dress to my daughter and she REFUSED to wear it! She went limp like a noodle and had tears running down her face. She did NOT want to wear the dress!!

I think she didn’t want to wear it because she hates to be treated like a baby. She thinks she is a big girl/a mama. So a few days later, I tried again, saying “It’s a mommy dress!”. And–whew! She put it on!

Taking pictures of a 1-year old is near impossible to say the least. She was either 1. Running or 2. Not smiling while I tried to take some pictures. Haha! But I managed to get a few.

 

 

What are your children going to be for Halloween? Anything inspired by Japan? My older two want to be Pokemon. Maybe I will post about their costumes later. Other Japan-inspired ideas I threw around in my head were:

1. Characters from Totoro (Totoro’s, Mei-chan, Cat-bus, etc.)
2. Characters from Anpanman (Anpanman, Melon pan-na chan, Baikinman, etc)
3. Characters from Shimajiro (Shimajiro, Mimirin, etc)

I’ve also seen super cute baby-sushi costumes, and of course the ever-so-popular ninjas.

Halloween is becoming an increasingly popular holiday in Japan. Is it celebrated where you live?

NEW Gakken Go Go Workbooks!

I believe learning should be fun, motivating, and rewarding. If you believe that too, you should check out the new Go Go series by Gakken!

Gakken has been creating educational materials in Japan for years. Go to any bookstore in Japan, and you will see shelves lined with workbooks by Gakken. Just recently, they have started branching out and creating workbooks for sale in the United States. They reached out to me to see if I’d like to review the new books, and I said SURE! because I knew they create good-quality books.

The books arrived and my children (even the ones who are too old for them) couldn’t wait to flip through the colorful pages and admire the cute stickers.

Hmm which sticker to use next?

The first thing that impressed me was the quality. Every page, front and back, is full-color. The pages are nice and thick so you could use pencils, crayons, or markers. The stickers are high-quality and the illustrations are adorable.

2-4 year old tracing book

Go Go Tracing 2-4 (Gakken Workbooks)

from the 4-6 year old mazes book

I also liked that the books are very age-appropriate. I received several books for 2-4 year olds. My almost-2-year-old could do some of the beginning pages, but the rest of the pages were a bit too advanced. I know they will be just perfect in a few months! However, she wants to use up all the stickers NOW! 🙂

Right now they also have books for 3-5 year olds and 4-6 year olds. I hope that as the company keeps expanding, they will publish more books for older kids too! (See all the currently available books HERE). I would also love to see their Japanese language books (like hiragana) here too.

cute stickers galore!

 

As someone who is passionate about Japanese culture, I was thrilled to see that pieces of Japanese life are included in the books. People who don’t know anything about Japan may be confused by things like Koinobori (carp fish) and Hinaningyou (Girls Day Dolls), but I LOVE it!

Gakken workbooks are available for purchase NOW! And I think they are very affordable, ranging from $5 to $8 on Amazon. Totally worth it to keep my kids busy and learning. The stickers are definitely motivating and rewarding for little ones.

 

Here are the Amazon links to purchase the books.

Go Go Intellectual Skills 2-4 (Gakken Workbooks)

Go Go Life Skills 2-4 (Gakken Workbooks)

Go Go Cutting and Pasting 2-4 (Gakken Workbooks)

Go Go Tracing 2-4 (Gakken Workbooks)

Go Go Drawing 2-4 (Gakken Workbooks)

Go Go Life Skills 3-5 (Gakken Workbooks)

Go Go Mazes 3-5 (GakkenWorkbooks)

Go Go Cutting and Pasting 3-5 (GakkenWorkbooks)

Go Go Mazes 4-6 (Gakken Workbooks)

Go Go Intellectual Skills 4-6 (GakkenWorkbooks)

Want to try out a few pages before deciding to purchase? Gakken has generously provided free sample pages from each book, which can be downloaded HERE. Enjoy!

 

Best Online Japanese Educational Videos for Kids

I know I have videos all over the place on my blog, and many of them need updating (sorry!). So I’ve compiled a list of the best YouTube channels onto one post for you. Please let me know if there are any great ones that I’ve missed! Thank you so much to the people and companies who create these videos so the rest of us can learn Japanese! 🙂

Best Japanese YouTube Channels for Babies and Toddlers:

1. ノッカーナアニメーション (nokkana animation):  adorable, short videos that will entertain your little one and teach them a few words in the process. Lot’s of Peek-a-Boo-style videos. There are dozens and dozens of videos and playlists, teaching everything from hiragana, colors, nursery songs, and a lot of more. (They also have a similar channel called Nokkana World).

Best Japanese YouTube Channels for Preschoolers:

1. しまじろうチャンネル(SHIMAJIROCH): I just love everything by Benesse. I credit Shimajiro and his pals for a lot of my children’s Japanese education. This YouTube channel is full of short stories and fun songs. 

2. 東京ハイジ (TOKIOHEIDI) : Lots of cute animations and songs!

3. チブクラ！(Small Crafts): Short videos that will inspire you and your preschooler to craft.

4. oojioo: A YouTube channel just full of cute ekakiuta’s (songs that help you draw).

5. 童謡チャンネルby takanonGB: Lots of Japanese children’s songs with lyrics so you can sing along.

6. 動く絵本、童謡、いないいないばあ の動画「ゆめあるチャンネル」: Lots of Japanese children’s songs, fingerplays, and stories! They’ve added a lot of new content since I last visited a few years ago. Here is their website: www.yumearuehon.com

7. Visit my blog post where I’ve listed all the best hiragana learning videos!

8. YouTube Channel SongsPlace has many children’s songs and fingerplays.

9. SongsLand is another channel with Japanese children’s songs.

10. PinkFong has a lot of Japanese animated short stories (lots of Aesop’s Fables) and songs. There’s English videos mixed in there as well.

11. Takanotetsuya has many great songs for preschoolers. I think this channel is intended to be for prospective preschool teachers in Japan.

12. 保育士バンク！チャンネル【公式】This is another channel full of songs of preschoolers, performed by preschool teachers.

13. TEASOBI channel : even more songs and finger rhymes

14. 子ある日和 手遊び歌 Japanese children’s songs performed by teachers, plus origami instructional videos.

15. Super Simple Japanese has great Japanese videos with good animation.

Best Japanese YouTube Channels for Grade-Schoolers:

1. jun egusa has created a lot of animated videos to teach math, Japanese history, kanji, etc! I’m pretty impressed.

2. The Mr. Men Little Miss videos by Sanrio has many many little episodes that could help with Japanese listening skills.

3. YouTube Channel キッズボンボンhas many videos about animals, science, kanji, hiragana, fairy tales and Japanese folktales, etc.

4. The FujiTV Kids YouTube channel has many educational and just-for-fun videos.

Best Japanese Educational Videos for Grade-Schoolers:

1. NHK for School is hands-down, the best resource I have found. You can search all of their educational videos by grade level or subject matter. Love this website so much! I have sung its praises before in this blog post.

2. The Science Channel website has a lot of great videos for gradeschoolers on up.

Best Japanese Educational Videos for High Schoolers and Beyond:

1. Erin’s Challenge! by the Japan Foundation : lots of videos and other resources for the older Japanese student. (blog post)

2. JapanSocietyNYC: has a lot of excellent videos showcasing the Japanese language and culture.

3. PuniPuniJapan: The animation is interesting but you can learn a lot of Japanese vocabulary! Lots of Japanese lessons.

Please comment below with your favorite resources and YouTube channels!

Simple Hiragana Chant

A simple & straightforward way to teach hiragana to toddlers! Repetition really is a great teaching tool!

video by babylionmovie on YouTube

DIY Training Chopsticks (トレーニングはし)

Recently, we took the kids to a Japanese restaurant, where they ordered a bowl of ramen. I was delighted when the waitress brought them some training chopsticks. As I studied the chopsticks, I realized it is super easy to make yourself! It took me a few tries to get the tension just right, but it WAS really easy. So the next time you go out to eat at an Asian restaurant, just take along a rubberband (or hair tie) and you are ready to make your own training chopsticks in just a few minutes!

I made you a short video so you can see exactly how it’s done:

After I published my video, I saw that a few others have made similar videos. You can watch them all to see which technique works best for you 😉

Please share with your friends who have children, or adults who have yet to master the art of using chopsticks!

*****

P.S. Eating Japanese food with a fork is silly. Learn to use chopsticks! (past post about training chopsticks here)

Click HERE and scroll down to see how to use real chopsticks.