A trip back to the UK for Christmas is not just about reuniting with loved ones. It's the perfect opportunity to stock up on English language resources that can be hard to find in Japan. I find that Christmas visits to the UK fly by quickly because of all the festive activities and family visits. I'm also busy trying to eat as many bacon sandwiches as possible before returning to Japan. It can help to have a shopping list in mind before you go. You can order from online shops in advance and have things waiting for you when you arrive so shopping doesn't need to encroach on your holiday time.
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Essential Christmas Shopping List for English Learning Resources and Gifts
English language books. An English book heaven can be found at The Works the books from The Works are cheap. They have a regular deal of ten picture books for £10 in their ten-for-ten book bundles. They have a good selection of box sets too. Look out for Mr Men and Little Miss boxes sets and Winnie The Pooh The complete collection. They are weighty, so make sure you save space in your luggage.
British Spelling Reading Schemes and Phonics Programmes For Language Learning
Grading reading books. The Works is great for story books but if you prefer a structured reading program where the reading level gradually progresses (a reading ladder) there are several different structured reading programs. I was drawn to Oxford Reading Tree because the characters were familar to me from my own childhood in the UK.
Top reading Schemes For English Learners
The following reading schemes all have British spellings Biff, Chip and Kipper or Songbirds from Read With Oxford. There is also Read It Yourself from Ladybird books which is the series that features Topsy and Tim, as well as Usbourne Reading scheme, Reading Champion and Twinkl Rhino Readers which is available through their app and in book form.
Collins Big Cat banded readers are also used in schools. The Collins books are more expensive, they are grouped by level into colour bands starting with the wordless lilac band and then onto the pink band for new readers.
Which reading scheme did you use when you were at school? I was a Village with Three Corners and Tim and The Hidden People graduate.
Phonics Series. Popular phonics series with accompanying books are Jolly Phonics and Letterland (another one from my childhood) Collins Big Cat also has a phonics series. Twinkl Phonics has an online program which requires a subscription. You can check which phonics programmes are validated by DfE (Department for Education UK) on their website. There is a lot of information about phonics progression online, and you can teach phonics yourself through crafts and play. Phonics books also tend to be quite light on content. Unless, it is something you are particularly struggling with, I would save the suitcase space for books with more content.
Must Have English Language Books To Buy on Your Christmas Trip to UK
Chapter books. By chapter books, I mean longer books with chapters that still have some small illustrations on each page. This post lists several chapter book series by reading level and has more details about moving on from graded readers and getting started with chapter books. The Princess In Black series has been popular in our house.
English study books and workbooks. It's much cheaper to buy workbooks while you are in the UK. There so many to choose from I wrote a post about the English workbooks that we have tried. We currently like the GCP Daily Practice workbooks for handwriting.
Fun English language Exposure through games, magazines and TV Shows.
English study materials. Board games, flashcards and interactive resources can be great for fun and language practice. The Little Tykes Dream machine reads a story aloud while projecting pictures onto the wall. Vtech Toys and other toys with a sound or voice function that have british pronunciation add a flavour of home to the toybox.
English Magazines. I used to love a visit to WH Smiths as a child to stand in front of the bank of magazines picking out which ones that I would like to read. It seems that every TV show and character still has a dedicated magazine. Be careful because children's magazines can be pricey, low on content and often come with a lot of plastic tat. While nothing beats the novelty of a fresh new magazine in your hand, a better option can be to go for an annual as they have stories and activities too and tend to last a bit longer.
English TV shows. TV show compilation DVDs can be a lifesaver. With the need for so many streaming subscriptions which sometimes have ads and a require a VPN, it is often easier just to stick a DVD on. I like DVDs for long road trips in the car too. CBeebies and Milkshake! used to make compliation DVD which have a variety of different TV shows on them. Perfect for Sunday morning English cartoon time. You can pick them up for a couple of pounds on EBay. Many other TV show DVD box sets are good for English language exposure. The Bing box set is one of my favorites for under 4s.
History books. These local stories from my home town are quite precious to me. They’re the type of book that you pick up in the local museum gift shop. Sold by independent publishers and not widely available, they tell the story of local historic sites in a child friendly way.
Customized English books. Having a personalised story book, one that features your childs name is a lovely unique gift. Not On The High Street has some personalised story books. A couple of years ago I ordered one about my children helping the Christmas mouse which they were excited to see again this year when we pulled out with the Christmas decorations. Other customisable items are fun too, Etsy has lots of goods that can be personalised like Christmas decorations, keyrings and book bags.
Practical Resources For your Return To Japan
English greeting cards that can be used throughout the year make great gifts and they're lightweight. The market in my home town sells cards for every occassion for around £1 each. Friends are thrilled to receive an English "Thank You" or "Congratulations" card. Children's birthday cards with number badges on them are always a hit too.
Of course my list of UK snacks and cooking items to stock up on is huge! Check with your airline before you go what the cost of an additional bag is, prebooked excess baggage charges are usually cheaper than international shipping costs, so pay for an extra suitcase and fill your boots.
Don't worry if you can't bring back everything that you would like to. Some of these companies have a presence in Japan and while expensive international shipping is also an option. You may also like this post about where to find English books in Japan.
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