Japanese and the school language need not compete
You do not need to assume that time spent on Japanese at home will necessarily weaken the school language. The HealthyChildren FAQ on multiple languages explains that continuing to use a heritage language does not in itself confuse children or hold back their English.
ASHA likewise explains that using several languages does not confuse children or cause language delay, and encourages building daily chances to use and practise each language. What matters is to secure both a Japanese environment that can continue naturally at home and the use and practice of the language needed at school.
Do not make the Japanese goal just one thing
Even the wish to keep up Japanese covers several goals.
- Talking naturally with family
- Reading books and manga
- Continuing grade-level reading and writing, including composition and kanji
- Being able to return to Japanese-language lessons at school on returning to Japan
- Being able to handle Japanese entrance exams and qualifications
Some families need all of them, while others want to put conversation first. Decide the family's purpose first.
Separate the school language from subject learning
Learning English or Dutch is not the same as understanding maths or science.
If the subject concepts are not understood, subject support is needed. If the concept is understood but the question wording or writing is hard, support with the language used in subject learning is needed. If the child cannot ask the teacher questions or struggles to understand task instructions, support in the school language may come first. Separating where the child gets stuck narrows the purpose of home study or tutoring.
Design the week by roles, not by hours
Some families find it easier to keep going by giving each language a role in daily life than by fixing a ratio such as so many minutes of Japanese and English a day. Small roles can be built up.
- Conversation at home is in Japanese
- Bedtime reading alternates between Japanese and the school language
- School tasks are done in the school language, and only unclear concepts are checked in Japanese
- Write one short Japanese composition at the weekend
- Use Japanese on calls with relatives
Make separate time for reading and writing
Even if a child speaks Japanese at home, kanji, reading longer texts and writing do not necessarily develop at the same pace. Families planning to return to Japan or take Japanese entrance exams need time for continuing Japanese reading and writing apart from conversation.
Conversely, if there is no plan to return and family conversation comes first, lightening the reading and writing goals is an option.
When you have concerns about multilingual development
The information from ASHA and HealthyChildren does not treat using several languages as a problem in itself, but advises consulting a professional such as a speech-language pathologist if you are concerned about an individual child's speech or language development. ASHA also explains that a communication problem will show up in all the languages a child uses.
A tutor's role is not to diagnose language disorders. If there are concerns about communication development in all of a child's languages, or if the school or parents have concerns about development, consider consulting a qualified professional.
An eight-week goal to set at home
Work through these steps in order.
- Choose one Japanese goal
- Choose one school-language goal
- Choose one subject goal
- Decide actions you can repeat each week without strain
- After four weeks, check the load and progress
- Increase or reduce the amount if needed
- After eight weeks, decide what to continue and what to stop
How to check learning differences around an overseas school transfer is covered in Learning gaps to check in the 90 days around an overseas school transfer.
Summary
Keeping Japanese abroad and supporting the school language and subject learning is not a choice of one or the other. Organise spoken Japanese, reading and writing, the school language and subjects as separate goals, in a form the family can keep up.
Petra Tutors values setting priorities to fit the child's school life and the family's purpose rather than maximising everything.
