These are just somethings I have learned to pack when moving abroad. Some small things that have made my life a little easier.
1. Coloring-Activity Books
Bring one or two of the cheap coloring books you find in discount stores. The books are usually between two and four dollars depending on their size and where you buy them. You can find similar books in Japan, but they tend to be expensive since they were imported. These books are great for young students and beginners. Kids love these books because they come with their favorite characters and the activities are simple enough that even children who don’t speak much English can do them. A lot the activity books that you can buy in the United States include coloring pages, mazes, easy spelling activities, and other things kids love to do. You can copy these pages and use them in those extra five minutes of class that happen every now and then. Or sometimes, the pictures and activities in these books match the lessons you are doing in class, so you can use them as worksheets in your lessons. You can also use the pictures in these books to make flashcards for verbs and objects. I used the pictures I found in a Curious George coloring book to make verb flashcards. My students liked the Curious George flashcards more than the generic verb ones the school had. You can also find these kind of activities and pictures online.
2. Easy Word Search Book
Every now and then, students finish much faster than you thought they would and you end up with an extra five minutes or so at the end of class. There are a lot of games you can play with the kids, but sometimes you need something kids can do quietly while the other students finish their work. Word Searches are something most students enjoy doing. It helps them with letter recognition and spelling. You can give students their own Word Search page if you want them to work quietly or you can use them as part of a game. Two easy Word Search games are: 1. Divide the class into teams. Give each team the same Word Search. The team that finds all of the words first wins. 2. Divide the students into teams. Put the word search up on the board or on a desk, in a place where students can both see it well and reach it. Then let the teams take turns trying to find words, either one member from each team at a time, or the team as a whole can come up. It depends on the class. Each team only has a short amount of time to find a word (thirty seconds or a minute), The team that finds the most words by the end of the game wins. (There are also a lot of educational websites that have theme or spelling list based word searches that you can use.)
3. Foreign Candy
Kids go crazy for candy anyways. So getting candy from another part of the world is a very special treat. Make sure that none of the students have allergies though. Remember that a lot of chocolate contains trace amounts of nuts so be careful if you have a student with nut allergies. I hand out pennies from time to time. If a student who has been struggling has made great progress or if someone in a class completes a very difficult task, I give them a penny as a special treat. Some of my students have never seen foreign money, so being able to get a penny is very exciting for them.
4. Stickers
You can get a huge book of teacher stickers at discount stores for a dollar or two. These stickers say things like “Good Job” or “Nice Work.” You can find stickers like this in Japan, but, if you live in the countryside like me, it can be hard.
5. Medicine
This never fun teaching when you feel sick, but it can be hard sometimes to find the things you need at the drug store when you don’t speak the language. So packing some over the counter drugs can be a lifesaver, such as Imodium, in case you ate something that doesn’t agree with you, or Ibuprofen, for any aches and pain you might encounter. Eventually you will have to learn to find things at the drug store, but the first few weeks living abroad can be stressful enough without having to worry about finding medicine at the store. Also, if you have a favorite brand of toothpaste or shampoo, you might want to pack a little extra if you’re worried you might not be able to find your brand here. Japan carries some of the same name brands you find at home but not all of them.
