14 Curiosities about raising children in different countries

Each country has its own peculiarities in terms of culture, values, early childhood education and child rearing. Some schools, for example, conduct one-on-one meetings with each parent and others give their students complete freedom from the first grades of elementary school, treating them like adults. Being aware of various types of upbringing and upbringing is important for every parent.

O awesome.club chose some of the most notable observations from parents raising their children in different parts of the world, paying attention to the specific characteristics of kindergartens and schools. Our team also watched videos of people who had moved to other countries and were surprised to discover the differences in education between their homeland and their new place of residence.

In schools in South Korea, it is normal to take off your shoes at the entrance. The children take their shoes to the classroom, take their spare shoes out of the closet, and then put them on. Diana Sagiyeva, a foreign mother who lives in Korea, comments: “Students wear socks to the classroom. I stopped giving my daughter white socks to take to school because she always comes back with dirty socks. Honestly, I don’t understand this rule. What is the second pair of shoes for?”

In Japan, mothers who have a busy schedule can buy ready-to-use meals, and from them assemble a lunch box (bento, as it is known) for their child to take to school. The shelf life of these products is very short. As lunch is not provided to high school students, Japanese mothers eat it every morning. The Japanese do not usually prepare dishes in advance (for example, in the evening), as they prefer to eat fresh produce.

In Icelandic schools, there are no class diaries, worksheets, or an excessive amount of homework, and there is no school uniform in place. That is, students can attend classes wearing jeans and hoodies, for example. Education and all school supplies are free, freeing parents from excessive spending.

In Finland, parent meetings are held differently. “When I went to the meeting for the first time, I thought I would meet other parents and we would all have to put up with criticism of our children. But everything was better than I expected. On the contrary, the teachers praised my daughter saying that she is a capable student”, shares user Julikalife VLOG on her YouTube channel. In the Finnish school, teachers and principals often highlight the unique characteristics of the child and suggest an individual approach to each student, rather than focusing on their weaknesses.

According to a mother, with the username “Venesia”, in Finnish schools there is no system of subordination: “The school establishes an equal relationship between teacher and student. On the one hand, this is good, as it helps to avoid any humiliation on the part of the teacher, but on the other hand, sometimes adults end up losing authority with children”.

In addition, the Finnish State provides students with everything they need: textbooks, notebooks and drawing material. Transportation vouchers, event tickets and snacks during travel are also provided by the educational institution, without the need for additional payments by parents.

In Norway, nurseries and kindergartens do not divide children into groups. The smallest, aged one to 2 years, and the oldest receive equal attention from the teacher. Parents say that by following this approach, younger children learn a lot from their older peers, which can have positive results in child development.

In Spain, students do most of their homework in classrooms. What they can’t do in time at school, they finish at home. Parental expenses throughout the year may vary by school institution. Thus, the author of the YouTube channel Mama Feliz Life about life in Spain account that parents pay the equivalent of 140 reais a year to the school to buy school supplies. They also need to spend money on textbooks, from 380 to 950 reais per school year. “We have no additional costs, not even for Christmas or Teacher’s Day”.

In France, during preschool, an individual approach to sleep is adopted. All the children eat at the same time, but each one sleeps on its own schedule. In the morning, when parents take their children to kindergarten or day care, the teacher asks how the child slept, when he got up and if he ate well. The information is recorded in a diary, so that the teacher knows the time needed to put each of the children to sleep.

In Germany, children have an average of 90 vacation days a year. 2-4 days fall on New Year’s holidays. In addition, no one studies on Christmas, Easter or Trinity Sunday, and rests during other religious holidays.

Slide from one of the elementary schools in Germany, half an hour from Bremen. This is how students leave the building during recess.

Also in Germany, children leave school materials in the classroom. Each one has its own drawer, in which you can put cases, albums, paints and pencils, among other belongings. The number of students in a class usually varies from 25 to 26. The rooms are equipped with sinks, different types of entertainment (for breaks) and computers for studying.

In the UK, children go to school from the age of 4. First, they attend literacy classes, and then they go to first grade. Students usually take only a notebook with their homework completed.

In addition, on the coldest days, parents usually take their children home wearing flip-flops or sandals. The country’s winter is not so harsh, but it is very windy. This custom leaves tourists speechless. “I have the impression that the British don’t know the difference between cold and heat. Often in winter you can come across children wearing only socks or over-the-knee socks as well as summer shoes. The warmest piece they can wear is a scarf. Of course this can confuse any foreigner,” shares Jenny Mamedova in a video. She emphasizes that in summer, on the contrary, it is easy to find a person wearing boots and a light dress. It seems that the locals usually put the first thing they find in their wardrobe.

In Sweden, parental leave corresponds to a period of 480 days. There are 90 days reserved for each parent and the rest is at the discretion of the couple. But if one of them doesn’t enjoy his 90 days, the second spouse won’t be able to use it. It is not necessary to remove all the days at once, but the important thing is to remove them before the child turns 8 years old. For example, each parent can take 2 days a week to care for their child.

What do you consider the main characteristics in raising children in our country? Which ones would you like to be copied from the examples above?