Can anyone think up some fun ways to integrate the Japanese language into my preschool room?

Question

l need some fun tips/activities and experiences on how to integrate the Japanese culture into language opportunities i can offer the children in my care. Can anyone give me some ideas, i've come up with a few, but i need a few more. Thanks!

Answer 1

Why would you want to? Then, they'll start reading and watching anime, and thats like, bassically porno. All of my anime addicted friends are so incredibly preverted- or atleast, became preverted when they started reading/watching anime. And it didn't even start that way- it started with the completely innocent stuff- Its sickening, annoying, and they seem to be rejected by most other people at my school. I mean, they're still my friends, but, everyone else doesn't really like them that much.

Answer 2

oragami, or show them anime. try japanese music. or peanutbutter and jelly sushi. paper fans. mulan(she might be chinese)

Answer 3

You can make your classroom into a Japanese style room, with shoji screens, and low tables with pillows around them.  Have the children take off their shoes, as if they were entering a Japanese home, sit around the table and serve foods that are either authentic Asian dishes, or some that are traditional western foods made to look like sushi, etc. in the bento (box) style.  Follow the rules that a Japanese family would at the dinner table.  I would label the items in the room with Japanese characters and a phonetic pronunciation for each item.  Play Japanese music, and maybe teach them a song children their age may sing.  This website: http://www.mamalisa.com/world/japan.html has some available.  You can even make theme books, like a book of animals, with the Japanese names of each animal.  Another website:  http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/hou... has some pretty neat ideas on what a Japanese home would be like.

Answer 4

I've seen it done where 2 adults read the same book.  The first adult reads the first page in one language and the other adult "translates" it from their book.  

I'm assuming since you are wishing to integrate Japanese...this is a more prevalent culture around your area.  Invite family members or community member into the classroom to read a book, sing some songs, show how the alphabet is written, etc.

Good luck!

Answer 5

If you're going to show them anime try the shows the americans have converted to cartoons for kids like sailor moon etc. This will get rid of the adult part of it (in Japan anime is made for adults so they can have whatever they want in it)

You could also do oragami.

For language find some songs which the class can sing together and try labelling things in the classroom with the Japanese as well as the english for them.

You can also introduce basic Japanese in to the daily routine like when the children arrive or leave you say hello/goodbye in Japanese.

You can also try cooking some Japanese dishes or take them to a Japanese restaurant - not sure what affect sushi will have on kids but you can try other Japanese dishes - sushi isn't the only one.

Also find some Japanese stories which you can read to them. A lot of other cultures stories have been translated in to english.