Grade 2 (小学2年)

What each elementary grade learns: the subjects, the hours, and when English and programming start

小学校の学年別の教科と標準授業時数

九九 is learned by heart this year, recited aloud until it is automatic, alongside a big step up in the kanji to read and write.

Ask the teacher: Where is my child with 九九 and kanji, and what should we practise at home?

Kanji Kentei: which level matches which school year

漢検 各級のレベル・対象漢字数・合格基準

Each 漢検 (Kanji Kentei, the kanji certificate) level is described by the school year whose kanji it covers, so you can see which level matches grade 2 without guessing.

The report card (通知表): what A, B, C and 3, 2, 1 mean, and what to ask about

通知表の読み方（観点別評価・評定・所見）

The 通知表 (report card) marks each subject on the ministry's 観点 (viewpoints) with A, B or C, and the overall mark on a scale only starts next year.

Ask the teacher: Which viewpoint is my child weakest in, and what would help?

Eyes, teeth and weight by age: what the national school health statistics show

学校保健統計調査（令和7年度）：裸眼視力・むし歯・肥満傾向の年齢別の割合

Poor eyesight becomes more common through the elementary years in the national statistics, and the school's check may send home a notice to see an eye doctor.

At home: Your child squints at the TV or signs, tilts their head to read, or sits closer and closer to the screen.

Ask the teacher: Can my child see the board clearly from where they sit?

What each age is working on: the ministry's stages from infancy to high school

子どもの発達段階ごとの特徴と重視すべき課題（文部科学省）

In the lower grades friendships form around who sits nearby and who plays what at break, and the ministry's paper places right and wrong at this age in the rules adults and the class set.

At home: Your child names no one when you ask who they played with, or comes home upset about the same child again and again.

Ask the teacher: Who does my child play with at break, and do they seem happy in the class?

If you think your child is being bullied, the school has to look into it

いじめ防止対策推進法で学校がすること

Japan's bullying law counts anything another child at school does that causes your child pain, teasing and leaving out included, and the school has to look into it when you tell them.

At home: Your child comes home with things missing or broken, or no longer wants to play with children from the class.

Ask the teacher: Have you noticed anyone teasing my child or leaving them out at break?

DLA: how a school measures your child's Japanese, and why it is not a pass-or-fail test

対話型アセスメントDLA（外国人児童生徒等のことばの力のアセスメント）とは

If your child gets Japanese support, the school may use the DLA, a one-to-one talk that shows what your child can do in Japanese, and it is not a pass-or-fail test.

Ask the teacher: Has my child's Japanese been assessed, and what does the result say they can do?

An open-class notice invites you to watch a lesson

授業参観・学級懇談会

An 授業参観 (open class) lets you watch a lesson and see how your child is getting on, often followed by a 学級懇談会 (class meeting) with the teacher and other parents.

Children clean the classroom, and clubs are for those who want them

清掃と部活動

Your child shares the daily 清掃 (cleaning) of the classroom and grounds as part of school, and the after-school clubs that come later are for children who want them.