The Japan Association for the Promotion of English for Children is a private-sector public-service which was organization established in the spring of 1978 with the cooperation of eminent persons in the English language education field as well as various other fields to popularize and promote correct and practical English language education for children.Since its foundation, the Association has conducted numerous operations, including research on fundamental principles and education methods of English language training for children, fostering of specialized teachers, research and development of teaching materials, instruction on teaching methods, publication of the specialized journal “English Education for Children,” and International Communication Programs.

Of these operations, the National English Proficiency Test for Children (JAPEC English Proficiency Test for Children) provides scientifically established attainment goals by grades, and is not only an enjoyable means of giving children learning goals by motivating them to study English, but also provides a strong guiding principle for teachers involved in English language education. The JAPEC English Proficiency Test for Children is an enjoyable way to measure English language skills, and 900,000 children have participated in this test in the 40 times it has been administered. It receives high social recognition as a unique and authoritative test, and is the only recognized testing system for English proficiency for children in Japan.

Aside from this testing systems, the Association conducts important operations in line with its original purpose of assisting children to acquire communication skills through direct practice, such as by hosting International Communication Programs and domestic camps. Through these JAPEC operations, it is our hope to help resolve one of the many issues of education in Japan by having as many children as possible acquire correct and practical English, the universal language essential for cosmopolitan world citizens, and thereby foster valuable and robust human resources with potential to become successful players in the international community.

Once I wondered what is crucially important for learning English. The first thing that came to mind was whether or not you are having fun with English. If your lessons are fun, if they’re not boring, you can be patient enough to continue with your work. No matter how slow your steps may be, as is often the case, “Slow and steady wins the race.”

Then, how do you think you can make your class fun? The best and only way of making your classes fun is for you teachers to be the ones who enjoy themselves. If teachers have fun teaching, learners in turn will have fun learning. They will naturally follow suit.

Our next concern is how to put your English to actual use for communication. I often hear people lamenting that they have few opportunities to use English. Although they want to speak English, chances to do that are limited and they’re likely to end up with a short exchange of words. But it seems to me that even a very short exchange of simple words can help a great deal to develop your language skills.

When there’s no one to talk to, talk to yourself. For that reason, I used to converse with myself. It might go like this:

― Hi! How are you doing?
― Oh, I’m fine, thank you. How about you?
― I can’t complain, thank you.
― How did you spend your holiday?
― Well, I didn’t do anything spectacular.
― Oh, I didn’t, either.
― I was just sitting around at home watching TV, you know,….

This is the sort of conversation you might carry on either with your neighbors or your colleagues.

In the meantime, we must realize that English is spreading so widely and quickly all over the world that English is no longer just a foreign language, but a global language serving as a “lingua franca” or a “common world language.” It is no exaggeration to say that non-native speakers of English outnumber native speakers of English, and they say that roughly one out of four people in the world use English either as their first or second language or as a foreign language. So, regardless of your linguistic or national background, the acquisition of a communicative ability in English is crucially important.

Some research shows that the younger the child is, the more easily he or she acquires the language. So, let me assure you that we provide sound and adequate English language education and your child is in our capable and caring hands.