IC Bunko children in Pandemic 2020

This is a difficult time for us all, and especially young children. Their world has changed, their inside and outside routines have disappeared. They are in ‘lockdown’ inside at home, where routines and relationships have changed, as father is working at home. Their personal social life outside has gone too, as suddenly there is no local school, where your child feels independent as at school he has his own self-identity different from inside at home in the family. At school he can be his different, other- self, socialising with same-age friends and even taking some risks. Gone too are Bunko Meeting; so no opportunity to socialise within a Japanese community and develop his Japanese self-identity. Try to think beyond your own feelings, to see your children’s present life through their eyes. How do they feel?

It’s soon June, and after many months, young children’s world is gradually starting to change again, as some schools open and football and other sports return to TV screens. I suggest that mothers need start to prepare their children to meet the challenges of re-kindling relationships in school changed to accommodate ‘social isolation’. Unlike monolingual children in Japan, IC Bunko children, in English speaking schools, have to challenge school activities and other children outside as individuals. Even going into the playground at Play Time can be quite frightening for some Japanese children.

In IC Bunko Meetings, we plan to help young children ‘feel good’ about their Double identity by including opportunities to socialise, as it is in taking part and socialising to ‘fit in’ to shared -activities that young children learn about emotions, including their own emotions and how to self-regulate (control) them. In the security of inside home culture, Japanese mothers can create similar, short shared-activities and chats, to prepare children to once again venture outside with confidence, ‘feeling good’, ready to face challenges.

To help prepare for children for outside, I suggest mothers create short “Me and You Times’ at regular times during the day, when they introduce shared- activities that ‘set the scene ‘for back and forth’ chats. These focused, face to face chats, talking about immediate or future experiences, give adults opportunities to show children that adults are listening to them, and caring about how they feel. As ‘a back and forth chat’ develops, adults can add a gentle question what do you think …..? How did …..? This can turn a chat to focus in another direction that reveals different observations, and even frustrations. Why can’t I ….?. Why do I have to…..? Young children pick-up

more that we imagine from TV News or even iPhone adult conversations. Going over their views of the pandemic together, prepares them for any later school discussions with the teacher or in the playground with other children.

Getting to know young children’s worries and feelings is important, as through focused explanations, adults can sooth them and help them to understand their emotions. Getting to realise that all humans have feeling (emotions) and have the same basic emotions, is important for learning together in shared- activities that involve socialising. I ‘feel good’ today. I feel sad. How do you think he feels?

To be sure that young children understand emotions, it is best to start by confirming that children know and can use the vocabulary names, in both languages, for the 4 basic emotions or feelings – Happy, Sad, Frightened, Angry/Cross. Emoji faces provide prototypes to start a chat and shared- activities, in which each make 4 faces in 4 different ‘You and me Times’, sets the scene for deeper chats about facial expressions. When did you last feel sad? How do you know he was cross? How did you know she feels better?

Once these basic 4 emotions are anchored and can be verbalised, introduce other emoji emotions, one by one, or move on to discuss Likes and Dislikes not only of food, clothes, but even people at school. You maybe surprised by some of your children’s feelings!

Helping children to get to know their own emotions, and feel for others, is an important introduction to empathizing. It may take time, as sometimes children want to revisit a shared-activity several times, as they appear to want to expand and reflect on what they originally explained. It is said that in reflection real learning takes place.

However, when you feel they are ready, you can move onto mini-projects like making biscuits, cutting out magazine photos to make pictures, etc. Remember that, mini-projects also ‘set the scene’ for chats that gradually include wider language so increasing children’s use of language and vocabulary. New vocabulary heard and used in meaningful, shared-activities is more easily absorbed and remembered, than learning individual words for tests.

Another fun, mini -project is to help each child make their own Pandemic Souvenir Book. (A4 paper folded twice with an added card cover) Me in the Pandemic 2020 with a drawing on each page. For young children who struggle

to write, let them dictate their ‘story’ text, whilst you write it for them. As you read the completed text together, point to each word. (These Souvenir books are about emotions; they are not a lesson in writing.)

Mothers worry that sometimes ‘Me and You Times’ can drift into English only, so children seem to be forgetting Japanese language. Whatever the language used, children, if they are motivated and ‘feel good’, can learn and then skilfully transfer ideas learned in one language to their other. Of course, it may be easier for the child if the experience is in English, that the mother repeats the same chat in Japanese. Sharing activities, discussing them and talking beyond is not only shared-learning, but also soothing. The way mothers use their voice to give a running commentary to accompany a shared- activity or thinking aloud in a type of whisper ‘how to do’ something, are additional natural opportunities for children to absorb ideas and pick-up new language.

However, shared-activity experiences have to be positive if children are to learn. Check that not too many Don’t do … Stop doing… negative commands or even corrections of language mistakes creep into chats, as both de-motivate. Be sure to include a mother’s typical playful fun language to make a surprise or suddenly insert a short rhyme, song or even a joke; all these unplanned language inputs can add more fun or even change a negative mood to positive.

Every activity adults share with children is shaped, in some way, by how adults and children feel. Feelings are a natural part of who we all are, and to ‘feel good’ is fundamental for all explaining and all learning.
Every chat counts. Every shared-activity bonds for life.

Opal Dunn May 29 2020