Expanding future possibilities

P.6

Letʼs make a four-panel comic
Examples of quotes
1. Wow! Itʼｓwindy today!
2. The perfect day for ﬂying our kites!

19

3. I like ﬂying a kite. Itʼs so much fun, isnʼ t it?
4. Letʼs spin our tops over there later!

We look forward to
your ideas!
“Hiraku” provides useful informationand the latest news related toEnglish and childhood education.

・Your recent interests
・Topics you want us to cover
・New content etc etc…
If you have ideas to contribute,please share these with us!
“Hiraku” Editorial DepartmentTEL：06-6135-0150
Mail： hiraku@kinderkids.ed.jp

Published inNovember 2021 Vol.18
Next issue isplanned to comeat the end of January

Kinder Kids Inc.
TEL：06-6135-0150
Pulala Tenma 2F, 3-1 Ikeda-cho,
Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka. 530-0033

Chores and Zest for Living
New Phonics Characters
Grad Club Message
Letʼs make a four-panel comic

www.kinderkids.com

日本の心と、英語の力。Kinder Kids inc.

Chores and Zest for Living

FeatureStory

Doing Chores in Foreign Countries
Many Japanese may have a negative image about children doingchores. Some people may think that the time for doing chores
should be used for studying instead. However, in othercountries such as Australia, parents tend to think that doing
chores are more important than studying.
According to a parent survey "Do you let your child do chores
at home?”; parents in the U.S, China, etc. are more likely to

It is very

let their child do chores than in Japan. Some countries value

important for children to

self-reliance, such national characteristics may affect how

be given the responsibility

they think about children doing chores.

The Courses of Study renewed in 2009 include thefor doing chores,

concept of "Zest for Living", and one of the goals is "being

which will help them

responsible for doing their chores at home".

acquire necessary
life skills.

In this article, it focuses on household chores for children.

Children ＆ Chores

Examples of Education for Household Chores
Here are some examples of what kind of chores are appropriate for children.
There are many beneﬁts of children doing chores. Will you give your child the opportunity
to do chores at home?

Zest for Living Nurtured by Chores

It is said that various skills can be acquired by doing household chores. Here are some examples.

much time and effort will

be required for doing chores only after they have actually
done it. Through such experiences, they will learn thenecessity of ingenuity and how to be more efﬁcient.

Gaining Non-cognitive skills

Non-cognitive skills cannot bemeasured numerically, not likeand “Social Skills”. “Perseverance” has been a topic picked up on
TED and other media as an essential ability for successors.
“Helping others” helps us
feel that we are contribut-ing to our family and society, which will help increase
our self-esteem, motivate us to take on various newchallenges, and grow mentally as well.

1

Percentage of children
with problem-solving skills

IQ or tests, and cover a range of abilities such as “Perseverance”

Increasing Self-esteem

Percentage of children
with high communication skills

Increasing Creativity

Children will realize how

Relationshipbetween frequency of doing chores
and communication skills

43.1%

30.5%

High
Normalfrequency
frequencyof doing chore of doing chores

18.6%
Low
frequency ofdoing chores

Relationshipbetween frequency of doing chores
and problem-solving skills

60.8%

50.9%

High
Normalfrequency
frequencyof doing chore of doing chores

Laundry

Cleaning thehouse entrance

Cooking

It may be difﬁcult for children

Cooking is a fun activity

There are many tasks toto actually do the laundry using

for

do

be done such as lining up

detergent, so let's start justbecause it stimulates

shoes, wiping down shelves,folding the laundry. It is highly

the ﬁve senses, especial-etc.

recommended as it is easy toly the sense of smell.

These involve a lot of up

do together with their parents.

Starting with simple

and down movements,

Starting

easy-to-foldtasks such as stirring

which will help your childitems such as towels. Oncesoup or frying. Be suredevelop their motor skills.

they get used to folding

to keep an eye on yourThe habit of lining up

towels, they can move on tochild while they are

shoes will also be usefulother things such as socks andcooking to avoid thewhenjackets.

risk of burns, etc.

friends' houses.

withchildren

totheyvisit

their

38.8%

Low
frequency ofdoing chores

Based on the "Children's Life Skills Survey" Summary Report releasedby the Independent Administrative Agency,
National Institution For Youth Education

2New Phonics
Characters!

Letʼs say “Thank you” and “Goodbye” to all the characters who will bereplaced by new characters in this renewal.

In 2022, we will introduce some new Kinder Kids Phonics Characters.
We would like to welcome the new characters!

wNesertcraaChul
Cheerf ynnuFandFull ofenergy

Noisy NeighboursFrozen Frog

Veryawkwar

Waving WizarddFunny Frog

Noisy Newt
Wobbly Walrus

gLearnineto Shar

Shy

Quick Quokka

ome
Here c iends!
w fr
our neGrumpy Ghost

Quiet Quokka
Smart andActivedThank you an
Good-Bye
our friends!

SensitiveYawning Yak

Untidy Umpire

From the 2022-2023 school year, you can see the new characters at school, in books
and on videos. It will also be another great year for Kinder Kids' Phonics Characters.
Maybe you will see a smile from Angry Apple... Noooop, I don't think we will.

Greedy Gorilla

Youthful Yak

Upset Umbrellabird

From this April, we'll be streaming the new Phonics Island song forfree on Kinder+. To get to know the characters better, take a peekinto the magniﬁcent and diverse world on the new Phonics Island(the new book available for sale).
3

New characters forthe 2022-2023 School Year Calendar!
The 2022-2023 School Year Calendar willfeature the newly designed characters.
If you purchase the Calendar, there aremany wonderful things waiting for you!

4

Grad ClubMessageLetʼs make a four-panel comic
By PHONICS GARDENTired Turtle and Incredible Iguana are playing outside even in the cold

Grad Club Manager
Andy Asher

winter.They look up at the sky and seem to be having fun, but...
Put the four sentences below in the correct box and then title to2021 has been a very challenging year for the Grad Club. We

Tired Turtle

planned new events and unfortunately we could not hold all of1

them, we could only do some of them.
The Grad Club was very happy to see many Grad members
participating at the summer events. Cruises in Kobe and theDolphin Swim in Kagawa must have made many enjoyable
memories for the children. The Summer Camp, the SpeechContest, and the Christmas Party held at a luxurious venue
were also wonderful.
We will do our best to make your Grad Club experience aspecial one. We wish you a happy and safe 2022, and lookforward to having many more new experiences together.

complete your original four-panel cartoon!

Title

2
Incredible Iguana

2

Wishing you all a year full of happiness in 2022.

erAndy Ush

11・12

Ka12/nsatUniversalnStudio JapaaisChristmyaPartby11812 /KantoatORE CUOMOLVPIZZA SA ATWASAKI
KA& GRILLIn the past few years, many of our events have

Due to COVID-19, it has been 2 years since the last

been canceled, but this year we were able toevent was held.We enjoyed playing ring toss using

end the year with a special Christmas Party.

reindeer horn hats, matching pictures of Santa andListening to the stories of children, seeing theirelves with detailed descriptions. At the end of theexcited faces after enjoying Universal Studios

party, everyone enjoyed playing “Pass the Parcel”.

really cheered up our staff.

Those who won colorful stationery items or pen

It was great to see so many Kinder Kids andcases of popular characters were very excited! WeGrad Club families enjoying themselves. We areare planning a more exciting Christmas Party inlooking forward to making more great memo-

2022 than the 2021 party, which will attract moreries together in 2022!

Grad members to participate, so please wait for it!

3

3

4

4

“The perfect day for ﬂying our kites!”“Letʼs spin our tops over there later!”5“I like ﬂying a kite.
Itʼs so much fun, isnʼt it?”

“Wow! Itʼｓwindy today!”
Reference the back cover for dialogue examples

6