Cultural Exchange Activity with Local Children by Level 3 Japanese Language Training Course Students (Wednesday, December 3)

On Wednesday, December 4, 2025, four international students enrolled in the Level 3 Comprehensive Japanese Language Course visited an after-school childcare center near Ibaraki University’s Mito Campus to introduce traditional children’s games from their home countries as part of a cultural exchange activity. Until now, this exchange had been carried out by Level 4 students, but this was the first time Level 3 students took on the challenge.

The students prepared and demonstrated games they used to play as children:

Argentina: “Newspaper Island Game”
Students form groups of three. The representatives play rock-paper-scissors. The losing group folds their newspaper in half and all members must stand on it. Each time they lose, the newspaper gets smaller. The last group remaining without falling wins.
Slovenia: “The Bridge Is Strong”
Two children form a “bridge” by facing each other and joining hands to make an arch. The others line up and pass under the arch. The bridge catches the last child in line and asks which team they want to join. At the end, the two teams play tug-of-war, and the team that pulls the other in wins.
Indonesia: “Engklek”
A Indonesian version of hopscotch. Players place a stone in a square and hop through the squares. The team that successfully places the stone in the last square first wins.

Some games were similar to traditional Japanese ones, prompting comments like “I played this in kindergarten!” Everyone enjoyed both familiar and new games together. After the introductions, the children even played an Indonesian version of rock-paper-scissors they had learned at school with the international students.

This activity is a valuable initiative that expands the possibilities for intergenerational and intercultural learning. By bringing together people of different cultures and values across generations, new understanding and connections are created.