My daughter, aged 3, is fluent only in our South Indian mother tongue, the language spoken at home. Despite attending a hoikuen for the past 8 months, she struggles to comprehend Japanese beyond a few words and primarily communicates through gestures. Although she desires to interact with her Japanese friends, the language barrier leaves her feeling frustrated or disheartened. As parents, we are faced with a dilemma regarding her education. Both Japanese and Indian schools present challenges; she would need to learn either Japanese or English, respectively. However, considering our anticipated duration of stay in Japan (less than 10 years) and the high fees associated with Indian schools, we are uncertain about the best path forward. We seek guidance on how to facilitate her acquisition of English or Japanese and how to nurture her into a bilingual child.
Edit :
Thank you so much for all your suggestions. Initially, we thought she would eventually adapt, given that it's not been long since she was exposed to this new environment. As an Indian, being bilingual or trilingual, we naturally assumed she would pick it up over time. However, we became concerned after being informed for the third time by her hoikuen teacher to speak more Japanese at home and to teach her more of the language.
Recently, I visited the hoikuen to participate in a program where I could spend some time with my child during her day. I was pleased to see that she wasn't just using gestures; she was trying to use the few Japanese words she knows whenever appropriate. Despite this, the teachers at the hoikuen seem to have higher expectations. It appears they may not be accustomed to handling bilingual or trilingual children.
We were confused and worried because the teachers seemed exhausted from trying to help her understand the rules of the hoikuen. Unlike the Japanese children, who understand verbal instructions, they often have to use gestures to explain what is good and what is not to our child. The teachers' constant concern about her needing to learn Japanese quickly has added to our worries.
by Deep-Ad-4506