SINGAPORE: Leanne Seng flew from Singapore to Tokyo for an exchange programme at a local school in Omori town in October this year.
There, she joined the Japanese curriculum, overcoming a language barrier to participate in the local culture and form new bonds with her foreign peers.
The catch? Leanne is just six years old.
Her mother, financial systems support analyst Winnie Chia, sent her on the week-long programme to give her a memorable experience before she starts primary school next year.
The 38-year-old, who accompanied Leanne on the trip, said she makes it a point to bring all her children on a “graduation trip” with just them alone. Leanne is the middle child, with a four-year-old brother and an older sister aged nine.
“Her older sister went for a regular trip to Korea. Because Leanne is actually very extroverted, I wanted to give her an experience she would remember,” said Ms Chia.
Leanne is among the Singaporean participants of a programme run by Tokyo-based firm Japan Preschool Exchange.
When it began two-and-a-half years ago, the programme catered to families domestically within Japan. A high level of interest motivated the firm to expand globally from November last year.
“Since we started offering this programme internationally, so far about 80 international families have participated in the programme, with about half coming from Singapore,” said Ms Chiyu Sho, who heads the programme.
Each family typically has one or two children participating. As of Dec 15, 63 children from 47 Singaporean families have participated.
The programmes range from a week to three months, with the most popular options being the one-week and two-week trips, said Ms Chiyu.
A DIFFERENT CULTURE
Another Singaporean preschooler who went on exchange to Japan was five-year-old Eden Sim.
Her father, real estate agent Ken Sim, sent her on a two-week programme at Ueda International School in the city of Ueda, Nagano prefecture. It ran from the end of September into October, after which they headed to Tokyo where his wife joined them for a week-long family vacation.
One reason the 46-year-old signed his daughter up was to let her learn about another country’s culture and its education system.
It was also beneficial as she is at an age where she is developing her mental assessment capabilities, and would have the chance to make first-hand comparisons between the two societies on her own, he said.
“Singapore’s education is different, and we really wanted her to experience the countryside and outskirts a bit. For instance, her school in Singapore is air-conditioned, but the Japanese school is not,” he said.
In Singapore, the children are “more protected, with a bigger sense of self-entitlement”, he added.
The classes also had a lower teacher-to-students ratio than in Singapore, where the Early Childhood Development Agency’s rules stipulate one staff member to every 20 to 25 children for Eden’s age group.
“Each class had 13 students including her. The curriculum consisted of half a day of academic syllabus and half a day of outdoor play,” said Mr Sim.
Singapore also places more emphasis on academic learning, and the syllabus starts earlier in the preschool stage, he said.
“But in Japan, it is about personal development and the softer aspects, such as motor skills and interpersonal skills.”
Ms Chia also said the Japanese curriculum is “more nature-based and experiential” compared to back in Singapore, where Leanne is enrolled in Zion Bishan Kindercare Child.
For instance, Leanne had a different experience on each of the five days she attended classes there, said Ms Chia.
“There was once when they prepared ingredients and cooked their own lunch. Then because it was Halloween, they also had a little Halloween parade, walking around Omori town. On another day, they went on a nature walk.
“It kind of broadened her horizons and helped her appreciate the cultural differences that they have.”
OVERCOMING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER
Both parents told CNA that they and their children do not speak Japanese. But the language barrier was not an issue and their children managed to get by.
Initially, Eden and her classmates relied heavily on body language and the teachers’ translations to interact, said Mr Sim.
“But after a while, she started to be able to name her friends, and began to pick up Japanese words like ‘hello’ and greeting others before eating,” he said.
“She also learnt some simple words while playing, such as ‘please’ and ‘excuse me’.”
In hindsight, Eden’s two-week programme was a bit short, said Mr Sim, as his daughter was just starting to get used to her classmates at the end of the first week.
Ms Chia added that the use of mobile translation apps helped them communicate with the local community.
“The teachers all communicate in Japanese. So when the teacher wanted to ask her (Leanne) something, or when she wanted to tell them something and they didn’t understand, they would use Google Translate.”
WORTH THE MONEY
Ms Chia forked out about S$3,000 (US$2,200) for Leanne’s week-long programme, including school fees and accommodation for both of them. Other expenses, such as flight tickets, meals and daily necessities, were not covered.
“A bit expensive, to be honest, but worth it. It’s a trip she will always remember,” she told CNA.
The programme’s head Ms Chiyu said prices can go up to 3 million yen (US$19,500) for two adults and one child for three months.
The actual prices vary depending on the preschool selected and the choice of accommodation.
Mr Sim paid about S$5,600 for Eden’s two-week programme, also covering just accommodation and school fees.
“The school was within walking distance from our accommodation, which was a landed house with a front porch and two bedrooms,” he said.
Despite the high cost, Mr Sim said it was worth it.
“Our girl is five this year, so I thought why not just YOLO,” he said, using the social media-driven abbreviation for “you only live once” which means doing things that are enjoyable or exciting.
For her to go on the trip, Mr Sim applied for a leave of absence for Eden from her school, Josiah Montessori at Suntec City.
“She’s in K1 so I think it’s still okay. When you get to K2, you’re preparing to bridge to primary school, so not so much.”
DEPENDS ON CHILD’S PERSONALITY
Ms Chia said Leanne was excited about going to the school, a five-minute walk from their accommodation. She was the first child in school every day and came home with lots of stories to tell.
But the suitability of such a programme depends on the child’s personality, she said. “It’s quite stimulating actually. Imagine every day you go to school, you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Her daughter is someone who is “very cheerful and likes making friends”, and still did so despite the language barrier with her Japanese classmates.
“If you are introverted and, for example, if you are crying daily at the school dropoff, then a bit no point,” said Ms Chia.
She added that the students and teachers at the school gave Leanne a scrapbook with photos capturing memories of her time there, as a farewell gift.
Mr Sim also said his daughter’s personality suits such an exchange programme, as she is “generally quite open and receptive to changes, and also quite adventurous by nature”.
Before they left Singapore, Eden had asked him if her friends and teachers in Singapore would forget her while she was away. But that concern soon faded when she started school in Japan.
GIVING LOCAL RURAL TOWNS A BOOST
Ms Chiyu said Japan’s declining birth rate is particularly felt in smaller towns such as the ones its partner schools are located in.
By bringing more foreign families to these places, the programme also sustains the local community by giving its economy a boost, she said.
She said many parents are drawn to preschools in Japan due to their unique offerings, “compared to schools with limited space or academically focused programmes, like in Hong Kong and Singapore”.
The firm’s spokesperson Masato Fukuda added that the programme aims to keep the rural preschools running and teachers employed.
“Through this system, families will come and go. But hopefully in the long term, there will always be at least a few families in the villages at one time.”
The firm is hoping to ride on the wave of Singaporean tourists flocking to the country.
“A lot of Singaporeans love coming to Japan and they are looking for new activities, especially those which cater to their kids too, because there aren’t really many options with kids and a long-term trip,” said Mr Masato.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the country welcomed 591,267 visitors from Singapore last year, surpassing bigger countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and the United Kingdom. In the first half of this year alone, 300,000 people from Singapore travelled to Japan.
Japan Preschool Exchange partners about 30 schools across the country. The summer vacation period, from June to August, is the most popular, followed by the winter season from November to March, said Ms Chiyu.
QUALITY TIME WITH CHILD MOST IMPORTANT: EXPERT
Experts told CNA that such overseas programmes benefit the learning and growth of preschoolers in some ways, but urged parents not to overlook other factors that play a part in their children’s development.
Early experiences affect the developing brain architecture of preschoolers, with lasting implications for their future learning and health, said Dr Chin Hui Wen, lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ Early Childhood Education Programme.
Studies have shown that young children need a wide range of everyday experiences and adult interactions to thrive, she said.
“That said, if your personal budget permits, travelling overseas can present children with new sensations, which, if thoughtfully facilitated, may benefit their developing brain connections,” said Dr Chin.
“There is some recent evidence that family trips can support parents’ well-being and children’s academic achievement.”
However, she stressed the importance of having “quality experiences and interactions regularly at home” too.
Clinical psychologist Natasha Riard, lecturer at James Cook University in Singapore, said quality time between parent and child is what matters at this stage, wherever that may be.
“At best, the programme appears to be a very well-planned family-friendly holiday of a few weeks, where children will be engaged in developmentally appropriate activities, and parents can relax and follow the structure,” she said.
One big plus is the outdoor experience in Japan, compared to the “hot and humid weather in Singapore (which) may not be the friendliest”, she said.
Dr Riard added that children over the age of five – who are entering middle childhood and have better cognitive competence – may actually have a more lasting takeaway from such an overseas trip, compared with toddlers.
Ultimately, it comes down to the financial resources the family has, she said.
At preschool age, what children benefit from is time spent with their parents, engaging in activities that are enjoyable and important to them, and for parents to show interest and follow their child’s lead in the activity where possible, said Dr Riard.
“This could happen anywhere, even in Singapore, at a local playground or Wild Wild Wet, at a park or the zoo,” she said.