Konnichiwa from New Zealand
Aug 11, 2015 17:42:54 GMT 9
Post by Jane on Aug 11, 2015 17:42:54 GMT 9
Hi, I live in New Zealand with my Japanese husband. We have a daughter who has just turned two. Initially my husband took the lead on teaching her Japanese because my Japanese is fairly basic. But we had a trip to Japan three months ago and she was starting to absorb Japanese so quickly that I have decided to be a lot more proactive.
I work part-time and she is in home-based care so she is surrounded by English. At home we have adopted a Japanese-only policy (although this does diminish somewhat when I am tired or out of my depth). I have joined an international playgroup where quite a few Japanese mums attend and also have joined a Japanese playgroup. The Japanese playgroup is well-equipped with a library of DVDs and books. I am only able to attend every fortnight but it is a valuable resource.
Since I have committed to speaking Japanese with my daughter, she seems to be really soaking up both languages. We are reading to her in Japanese every night (although my versions may be very bastardised because my vocabulary is limited). Also any screen time is done in Japanese as well (don't feel so guilty showing Japanese shows because they are 'educational' - and more often than not, we are discussing the shows as we watch. When my father visited, he needed a brief Japanese glossary. The other day, my father was naming animal pictures with her and said he didn't know if her answers were right or wrong because she was answering in Japanese.
My only problem is that I don't feel like my language skills are very strong and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to study. By the time I work and then come home and speak my non-native language with my daughter, I don't have any energy to study in the evening. I have been thinking of signing up for the Japanese Proficiency Test at the end of the year to motivate myself. I passed the lowest level nine years ago, but now I am not sure if I should challenge myself and take the higher level, or repeat the lowest level as a refresher. I think I just need some motivation (or more sleep, grr teething toddlers).
Anyway, thank you Adam for having such a great site, great resources and a great support network.
Cheers,
Jane
(And I apologise for the lack of photo, having some technical issues here)
I work part-time and she is in home-based care so she is surrounded by English. At home we have adopted a Japanese-only policy (although this does diminish somewhat when I am tired or out of my depth). I have joined an international playgroup where quite a few Japanese mums attend and also have joined a Japanese playgroup. The Japanese playgroup is well-equipped with a library of DVDs and books. I am only able to attend every fortnight but it is a valuable resource.
Since I have committed to speaking Japanese with my daughter, she seems to be really soaking up both languages. We are reading to her in Japanese every night (although my versions may be very bastardised because my vocabulary is limited). Also any screen time is done in Japanese as well (don't feel so guilty showing Japanese shows because they are 'educational' - and more often than not, we are discussing the shows as we watch. When my father visited, he needed a brief Japanese glossary. The other day, my father was naming animal pictures with her and said he didn't know if her answers were right or wrong because she was answering in Japanese.
My only problem is that I don't feel like my language skills are very strong and there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to study. By the time I work and then come home and speak my non-native language with my daughter, I don't have any energy to study in the evening. I have been thinking of signing up for the Japanese Proficiency Test at the end of the year to motivate myself. I passed the lowest level nine years ago, but now I am not sure if I should challenge myself and take the higher level, or repeat the lowest level as a refresher. I think I just need some motivation (or more sleep, grr teething toddlers).
Anyway, thank you Adam for having such a great site, great resources and a great support network.
Cheers,
Jane
(And I apologise for the lack of photo, having some technical issues here)
