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13 School Subjects From Different Countries That All Kids Would Love to Take
When we are still children, we don’t realize that knowledge is power. Also, constant cramming and homework make us less eager to study. It seems that teachers are finally on the way to realizing this. And in schools around the world, there are lessons that help children get hooked on the studying process and start to enjoy it.
We at Bright Side decided to find out which interesting subjects children in different countries take. We have also reviewed some of the features of schools in different countries that might really impress parents.
1. Happiness (Germany)
How to become happy? Many of us would love to know the secret. And in Germany, children learn to live in harmony with themselves and the world at school. Happiness lessons are included in more than 100 schools. And in one of them, in Heidelberg, the headmaster of the school teaches this class. There are no tests or exams but during the year, every student tries to make their kindness project come true. For example, they shoot a video that can make someone else a bit happier. They can also become volunteers or organize a charity event.
These school lessons are also taught in other schools around the world: like Bhutan, Crete, and Australia. In Geelong, Australia, this program is called “positive education.” it is based on the studies of Martin Seligman who is still actively researching ways to be happy.
2. Exploration (USA)
This is a practical class. Students go to different parts of their town. For example, to a local farm, marketplace, restaurant, or a waste treatment plant. The lesson is once a week and it takes 5 hours. After every trip, the teacher discusses the theoretical part of the lesson. If the lesson is about food, children find out where the foods come from and what their real price is, how vegetables are grown, and so on.
After learning the new information, students “open a restaurant”: they buy and prepare food, they serve the tables, and clean up after themselves. Also, the program often includes the development of the brand and concept of the restaurant, studying the system of the conscious production of foods, the calculation of the usefulness of foods, collecting the harvest, and learning how to hire people.
3. Communication (Spain)
The communication class is mandatory in Spain. All Spanish students from the age of 3 up to the 11th year of school attend this class. The lessons are very cozy: the students watch movies and talk about different situations. Topics like communication with other people and solving different problems are discussed. Children learn to control their emotions and listen to other people. Every week, they discuss very serious social problems.
A similar lesson is included in the school program in Israel. It usually happens like this: several students share what worries them. And then, the entire class discusses the possible solutions to their problems.
4. Housekeeping and being a client (Sweden)
Housekeeping is hemkunskap is a very descriptive name for a class, so there is nothing unusual about it. Aside from one thing: it’s not just for girls, but also for boys. Everyone sits together, sewing, using hammers, and building birdhouses. And of course, they learn how to cook. But they also have a theory class: the rules of healthy eating, calculation of the important nutrients, and even budgeting.
Little Swedes are treated as if they were adults: they are taught to be thrifty and self-sufficient. So, along with housekeeping, teachers also talk about the skill of being a client. In fact, this means that the students learn their rights and how to fight for them in a store or a government office.
5. Forest school (Great Britain)
Little British kids feel at home in the forest from childhood. At a very young age, they learn how to orient themselves in the forest, saw branches, make fires, build huts, and distinguish edible plants and mushrooms from those they can’t eat. In some schools, they have the Forest School class every day. How do they manage to go out in nature so often? Easy: there is a small “forest” (an area with trees) not far from the school, about 10 minutes away by foot.
6. Debate class (The Netherlands, Israel)
In the Netherlands, these lessons are taught in language classes. The children split into 2 teams that have to fight for their point of view. And children are not allowed to choose the point of view they like best — it’s all up to luck. The teacher estimates how properly the information was presented. And most importantly, the teacher watches for any signs of aggression that are bound to appear in a heated argument. As a result, children develop a tolerance toward other people and they understand that all problems have at least 2 sides.
These classes are also taught in Israel. There, the children discuss the technique of speech, the content, the body language, the mimics, and the internal sensations experienced during an argument.
7. Cybersafety (Israel)
If adults find it hard to stay away from social media, the same is true for children. Young bloggers post countless photos and videos online and they have their own YouTube channels. Parents, and even doctors, are worried because of the growing dependence of children on technology. This is why the subject of cybersafety appeared in many schools in Israel. Teachers tell students about the rules of behavior online and share life hacks on how to react and reply to negative comments.
Also, children learn how to avoid being tricked by hackers, how to avoid getting their computers and smartphones infected with viruses, and how to protect their personal data. They also pay a lot of attention to game addiction.
8. Artificial intelligence (China)
The artificial intelligence class is taught in elementary and secondary schools in China. It is still a new thing — it didn’t appear in the school program until 2019. In a 10-book series, children learn not only about the history of the development of AI, but also about the ways to use it. For example, facial recognition, autonomous driving, and social security. Aside from the boring theory classes, children make robots in order to practice what they’ve learned.
9. Yoga (Great Britain, USA, Australia)
Do you go to yoga classes after work to reduce your stress? School students in some countries are lucky — they get a chance to meditate right at school. The yoga classes are present in British, Australian, and American middle and high schools.
Lessons are held 2 times a week and last 40 minutes. In order to have the right to teach it, teachers have to go through a 6-week preparation. They pay a lot of attention to how the children’s nervous system works and they help children that find it difficult to meditate. Younger children meditate for just a few minutes in order to calm down and practice patience. And teenagers learn to deal with conflicts that are inevitable in any group of people. They learn to verbalize their emotions and solve all their problems calmly.
Students train to do the breathing exercises and calm themselves down using non-violent communication. The main point is thinking about what good things you can say to your offender in order to communicate your feelings properly.
10. Surfing (Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii)
Australia is surrounded by oceans and people surf here all year long. Australians learn to ride the waves in early childhood during mandatory surfing classes. In the beginning, the surfing coach shows how to work with the board and how to maintain balance.
This kind of sport is perfect for the body — just look at the perfect bodies of professional surfers. And also, this subject teaches children to live in harmony with nature and how to control it. Not all children are lucky enough to be able to take this subject, it’s only those that live close to the ocean. The kids whose schools are far from water have mandatory swimming classes.
Also, surfing is included in the school programs of New Zealand and Hawaii.
11. Nature admiration (Japan)
The Japanese think that studying nature is not enough, we should admire it — this is the right attitude. In the country, before Buddhism, there was Shintoism, and one of its main principles is nature admiration. At the moment, many Japanese schools offer the subject of nature admiration and it is mandatory.
These are not boring classes in a hot classroom, they are interesting excursions. Beautiful places, plants, birds, and animals, children are able to not only see them in pictures, but in real life. Teachers don’t just show and tell, they teach children to love the world around them. They teach them to see the harmony in natural events and to be careful about what they do in nature.
But children can’t just walk and not listen to the teacher. At the end of the course, children have to be able to explain why they liked a certain experience the most. Children earn scores for their knowledge and skills and at the end of the year, they take a special exam.
12. Science of life (Turkey)
In the first 3 years of Turkish school, there are 4 main lessons. They are Turkish language, math, foreign language, and Hayat Bilgisi which means the science of life. This is where little children start to learn about the world around them. How to take care of their health and nature, why they should respect everyone with no exceptions, what events are happening in the country and the world — all these questions are answered in the course.
Teachers also talk about the etiquette and the behavior rules when visiting other people’s houses. Children learn about good manners, and how to be polite but safe with strangers. In the 4th year, this class is replaced with science and social studies.
13. Morals (Vietnam)
In Vietnam, education is still a luxury that not everyone can afford. But Vietnamese children learn what is good and what is bad at the age of 6. In the school program, there is a mandatory subject called “morals.” Teachers don’t just say “This is the right thing to do” but explain why this is true and what certain actions can lead to.
Bonus: Unhealthy food is prohibited in Japanese schools.
In Japanese schools, it is prohibited to bring unhealthy foods to school. A teacher can even reprimand parents if the lunchbox just contains a regular sandwich.
Mother of 3, Catherine Taylor, told ABC.net how she had to learn the art of making school lunches when she lived in Japan. Catherine said, “I came to school to pick up my son. His teacher called me over, took his phone out, and showed me a photo of the lunchbox that I had packed. He said it was not healthy. Together we looked at the image: 2 wholegrain vegemite sandwiches, a banana, a cheese stick, slices of capsicum, carrots, and a homemade muffin.”
He showed her the lunches of other kids. The woman saw many rice compositions that were decorated as the characters of Japanese cartoons. Catherine thought that the teacher was joking, but his face was pretty serious. So, she had to learn how to make the traditional bento-style lunches.
Which of these subjects do you think your children would love to take? Or if they already take them, do they enjoy them?
Preview photo credit ASSOCIATED PRESS / East News
