TOKYOAug. 3 (News On Japan) – Summer homework, a hallmark of Japanese primary education, is undergoing major changes. What are the latest trends in summer homework?
Starting in 2023, Nishishinjuku Elementary School in Shinjuku Ward has completely abolished summer homework. According to the school principal, “Although there have not been any dramatic changes yet, some students have taken the initiative to study on their own or have found interests outside of academia.”
In 2023, parents expressed concerns about their children spending too much time playing video games, but by 2024, those concerns had completely disappeared. The director also noticed a slight increase in children’s self-motivation.
Midwife Miho So: Summer homework can be useful for students who have to repeat their studies, but many primary school assignments rely heavily on parental involvement…
Yamauchi: Parents often play an important role in their children’s homework during the summer, especially when it comes to younger students.
This means that the more homework is assigned, the more challenging it becomes for parents. As a result, there is a national trend to reduce homework, which also helps to ease the burden on families.
Education advisor Akihiro Shimizu explains: “Now that there are more dual-income households, the approach to homework is being reconsidered,” confirming the national trend of declining summer assignments.
Midwife So: Many summer homework assignments require parental assistance. Projects like โfree researchโ often require significant help, as schools do not provide detailed instruction on science or research methods, leaving parents to manage the entire process.
Yamauchi: Children feel just as burdened as their parents do.
In a survey conducted by Benesse Corporation, elementary school students reported the most challenging summer homework assignments as: 1. Free research/art projects: 40%
2. Book reports: 39%
3. Diaries/art magazines: 30%
Yamauchi: The variety of assignments changes gradually.
Traditional tasks like โmorning glory observations,โ once recorded as sketches in a notebook, now involve creating time-lapse videos. โArt projectsโ have evolved from handmade papier-mรขchรฉ piggy banks to coding projects using computers and smartphones.
However, some children enjoy doing free research.
Takumi Minamihata, a 12-year-old sixth-grader, created a popular board game during his research project in the summer of first grade. The game, which revolves around managing a zoo through land development and animal trading, was designed entirely by Takumi, including illustrations and rules. His dedication over 40 days of summer earned him the full support of his parents.
The quality of the game was so impressive that his parents submitted it to a toy company contest. In July 2023, “TAKUMI ZOO” (Hanayama Co., 3,300 yen) was released and exceeded sales expectations three times. The game, featuring illustrations of Takumi’s first-grade project, won the Excellence Award in the Communication Toy category at the 2023 Japan Toy Awards.
Source: TBS
