Education for children starts earlier than ever

By Junko Suzuki

TOKYO —

New business entrants to early child education from outside the bounds of the education industry are increasing as the age at which children attend classes drops.

In the background are parental wishes to provide children with varied experience and worries about declining academic standards. While the education market for children is dwindling due to the falling birthrate, per-head educational costs for children are rising.

Miki House Co, a producer of children’s clothing, teamed up with Shogakukan Production Co, a unit of major publisher Shogakukan Inc., in 1998 and later opened a class for children in a department store in front of JR Yokohama Station.

In the class, called Miki House Kids Pal, pre-school infants from the age of 1 learn living habits through play, and develop their concentration and imagination.

Parents vary in what they are looking for. One mother said she hopes her child becomes more sociable and overcomes shyness, while another wants her child to play with friends. A third mother said she felt that her child had grown and now “is looking forward to going to the class.”

At a class run by Kokuyo Co, a major manufacturer of office supplies, globally famous educational programs are provided. At present, U.S. and Israeli programs are offered, and in spring this year, a program jointly developed with an Italian educational research institute for children aged up to 1 will start.

Children develop their concentration and their abilities to think, communicate and express themselves. “There are many education-minded parents, and there are many children who are also attending cram schools,” said Hiroshi Tsuda, a Kokuyo official in charge of the class.

According to a survey by Nomura Securities Co in November last year, families spent 26.2% of their budgets on child raising, the lowest ratio since 1989 when the survey started.

But the ratio of spending on education within child-raising budgets is rising, and educational spending for pre-school children is the second highest after spending for senior high school students, the survey found.

Benesse Corp, a provider of education by correspondence which opened a course for infants 20 years ago, is sending out age-appropriate teaching materials each month. “An increasing number of parents think it better to make their children start studying as early as possible,” said Keiko Watanabe, a general manager of the company.

But she said that in making the materials, the firm “thinks children won’t be able to keep up if the wishes of parents are accepted just as they are.”

Although services for infants are increasing as there is room for expansion in the market, parents should find out if such services are suited to their children, education experts say.

Latest 15 of 19 Total Comments Show All

fireant at 10:51 AM JST - 28th March

pizzaboy & taka- I have seen the children of the sort Taka described. In fact, I work with one who spent his entire youth (from about 4) in 'scheduled events designed to train' him to do something. He's 65 now. He hated his childhood.

On the other hand, my child has violin practice 7 days a week and a violin lesson once a week. He also plays a sport 4 days a week, sometimes all day Saturday. The main difference being that HE chose the instrument, HE chooses when to practice, and HE chose the sport. It was mandated from on high.
fireant at 10:51 AM JST - 28th March

Typo- It WASN'T mandated from on high.
greenteaonsens at 11:02 AM JST - 28th March

The Devil makes light work of idle hands...

keep 'em busy, otherwise you end up with packs of feral kids running around or hikikomori slobs who can't leave their bedrooms.
Taka313 at 12:44 PM JST - 28th March

Pizzaboy and Fireant, Thanks for the comments. Actually the girl does enjoy these things but conversely, it's really hard for us to get her to go home when she does come over because she complains that all she ever does at home is study. I think being an only child also factors into it and in retrospect, am really glad that my wife talked me into having a 2nd child. I really don't think there is a formula that will work with every kid but with mine, I feel that they NEED time to just be kids and to horse around because it keeps their stress level down. Not only that, when everything is structured for the kids, they don't have the opportunity to invent their own games and make their own fun, both expressions of creativity and thought. I feel that for my kids (especially my daughter), that's really important.

Taka
Cappy at 01:24 PM JST - 28th March

I actually grew up both environments. Until I was 7 my brother, sister and I were very similar to the girl that Taka describes. At school 6 days a week (5 regular days and 1 advanced day), violin and piano lessons, ballet etc. Then when my parents divorced at I turned 7, my new family was much more relaxed. My natural siblings and I lived far more like our new step-siblings. TV all night, only 1 hour of homework, far more socializing.

I have to say I look back at both periods as equally fantastic, and in fact I recall the earlier, more rigorous period as being slightly more fulfilling than the freedom that came later.

I'm glad I had the experience of living both sides. I think it made me a more well-rounded person. Also in terms of results, my natural brothers and sisters that lived through the earlier structured period all went on to become doctors and lawyers, but my step brothers and sisters who never had that experience of being pushed to succeed all struggled in their studies and careers.
Zorro at 01:41 PM JST - 28th March

Taka,

Play is not just play. Play is the time that kids learn their own interests, learn to find their own direction and motivations. Without this discovery time you will raise nothing but a cog in the system.

Play also helps children learn about realistic social interaction. If you rob them of play time with other children, they will become social retards. They will not be able to initiate or continue "normal" or satisfying social interaction.

Now, how many times have I heard the Japanese described as social retards and cogs in the system? This idea is just going to garner more of the same, and the Japanese will excel in certain areas but continue to fail to be considered as world leaders, or even effectual.

What is more is that my observations make me believe the Japanese simply need to add more quality to education. By focusing on quantity they are just stretching the same old crap over more time, and wasting everybody's time in the end. When you have quality, less is more.
Zorro at 01:44 PM JST - 28th March

"Children develop their concentration and their abilities to think, communicate and express themselves."

Only if they have something to express can they express themselves. If you force feed something to express you are raising a North Korean. Better have something meaningful to express but poor skill of expression than to have nothing interesting to express with empty eloquence.
zaichik at 01:58 PM JST - 28th March

I think extra-curricular activities are a good thing for kids - I did ballet and gymnastics as a small child (wasn't much good at either, but the exercise was a good thing), then learned the piano and clarinet, played in the school orchestra, sang in the school choir, was a St John Ambulance cadet for a bit, did rock-climbing for a couple of years, and went to after-school field hockey practice once or twice a week during the hockey season. I wouldn't have missed all those for the world and am delighted that I had the opportunity to try so many different things. That is one of the issues I have with Japanese after-school club activities - the kids focus on one thing alone (and can't get away from any bullies in the same group). In particular, I think that extra-curricular activities enable children to develop "stickability" - the ability to keep going with things, rather than ditching them the minute they become difficult. However, (after a certain age, at least) the activities need to be something that the child chooses, rather than something imposed solely by the parent. I would say the only potential drawback of participating in a lot of structured activities is that the children might be less adept at filling time for themselves - that certainly is something I notice in myself, even as an adult. No regrets, though.
cleo at 02:12 PM JST - 28th March

It isn't a question of either/or, surely? Kids need structured time in which their talents can be developed and channelled. They also need free time in which to just be kids. As Zorro points out, play isn't just play, it's an important part of human development. Kids allowed to run wild 24/7 is not a good idea; neither is kids being packed off to one activity after another in the hopes of turning them into little geniuses. (It won't). One or two naraigoto or sports[italic] of the child's own choice [/italic] should be encouraged; the child should also be allowed enough free time to learn how to spend his time well when he isn't bound by a schedule.
Starviking at 02:19 PM JST - 28th March

Oh the advanced education system of Japan! School is for forging spirit, Cram School for real education.

What's the problem with that?

Well, if you're poor - no Cram School for you! What use is 'Wa' when you're stuck in a dead-end job?

BAN CRAM SCHOOLS! Let schools teach.
Ah_so at 06:11 PM JST - 28th March

"Play is not just play. Play is the time that kids learn their own interests, learn to find their own direction and motivations. Without this discovery time you will raise nothing but a cog in the system."

Well put. Unstructured play is a essential part of our development into adults and something that the young of all mammals indulge in. Removing unstructured play can only be detrimental to development.

This is not to say that violin/ballet/swimming in a structured environment is bad for you per se and is positive to an extent, but it is when it dominates to the extent that it disrupts and limits normal play that its effects will be negative on a child's development.
pizzaboy at 10:37 PM JST - 28th March

"It isn’t a question of either/or, surely?"

That goes without saying. people were just giving their opinions upon comparing the two extremes.
al2phat at 07:00 AM JST - 29th March

Kids should be kids.

Not robots.
electric2004 at 12:51 PM JST - 1st April

Cleo, your comment is head on. For my little boy (next week he will start Kindergarten) this is always the question to find the right balance. So far he had a scheduled activity one time a week (2 hours), like a pre-Kindergarten, and he liked it very much (running and dancing with other children) and then trying to make something with paper, glue and color. I think playtime is important. An enough free choices during playtime. If my little one wants to play with Lego or look at a book or play with a model train, it is quite interesting to watch him. If he has a problem, he asks "Papa" to help. And then he wants to try again by himself. Actually, I understand he learns a lot by his way of playing. If there is something he does not like (benkyou), he says in a very clear way "Benkyou iranai". He can read Alphabet and Hiragana, but he is not so interesting in writing now.
cleo at 01:04 PM JST - 1st April

electric2004 - That sounds like one happy little boy, with an understanding and patient papa. :-)

He'll develop an interest in writing in his own good time - probably when he realises the power that being able to leave his mark gives him! Just keep on watching and helping when asked - and let him see papa enjoying benkyo on his own account, so that he learns naturally that it isn't iranai at all but something enjoyable and fulfilling.