Choosing a summer project for school

Today, and July 28th annually is What Should We Do? Free Research Day なにやろう？自由研究の日 in Japan. A commemorative day created by Benesse Corporation to inspire children to begin working on their free research projects, which are a classic part of Japanese summer homework.

Interestingly, "free research" used to be part of the curriculum in Japan post-war. The subject was even dedicated between 70 and 140 hours a year. It was intended to nurture curiosity and foster deeper learning, before it eventually became part of summer homework instead.

For summer homework children can chose a project of their liking, from a broad spectrum. They get guidelines from the school and there are dozens of books dedicated to helping children choose, but in my experience, children often get their inspiration from projects they saw on display in previous years.

The Japanese term jiyū kenkyū translates to “free research,” though in practice many projects today aren’t research‑based in the English sense. In our schools, children often gravitate toward Art & Craft style creations rather than investigative studies. Even so, it’s a helpful commemorative day; a gentle reminder for children to decide on their summer project soon.