Extensive English Reading Started During Parental Leave Is Enriching My Life (Present Perfect Continuous)

There is no way I can do efficient English learning next to such an innocent, fluffy creature...

...paffun

That is the sound of exhaustion I made when I collapsed onto the sofa, looking at a pile of textbooks and past exam papers, after I had been so enthusiastic about raising my TOEIC score during my parental leave, only to return home with a brand-new newborn.

My original plan was like this.

I underestimated it.

Not child-rearing,
not English learning,
but the cuteness of a baby.

A face still covered in fine downy hair.
A body that looks like it might break. I thought it would be more squishy.
Even so, the growth rate is such that if I don't watch them closely, they will grow up in no time.
The instinct to try to engage with this new world without hesitation, even though they can't do anything yet.

When I had a being so precious that I felt that even giving my all every day wasn't enough, my own career was...

Priority: Z

It was classified as.
I didn't take it off my to-do list, but it was treated as an appendix at the very back, at the very end.

I will face this bundle of potential in front of me with all my might; that is my decision! And so, I vowed to dedicate my life to child-rearing.

...Six months later.

While my husband was smartly running meetings from home, I was holding my napping child and blankly watching Korean dramas on Netflix, and the feeling of Is this okay? started to sprout.

I don't know why.

Maybe it's because I got through the toughest period of three-hour interval feedings, maybe the postpartum high has subsided, or maybe the career god whispered like this in my ear.

Why not try a small start with English learning that you can do during nap time?

As I researched English learning methods and made plans from that day on, the constraints of learning English while raising a child became clear.

For someone like me who had only ever studied English for test preparation, being in a situation where I couldn't take tests left me feeling completely lost. Without a clear goal, without days stable enough to build a routine, and within the constraints of a brain in parenting mode, the only thing I could get absorbed in was

“Extensive English Reading”

it was.

A simple learning method that just involves reading books that interest you at your own level. By accumulating a large amount of input, it is said to have effects such as


being able to understand in English word order,acquiring living vocabulary,
and continuing because it's fun.

In the initial phase of extensive reading, since I couldn't yet read general texts appropriate for my age, I naturally started by reading “picture books, fairy tales, and children's books for native English-speaking children.” Looking back now, I think that's exactly why I got hooked. Nights spent putting my child to sleep while reading picture books aloud. Vegetables having a sports day, dinosaurs appearing in auditions, or coming up with original adventure stories together where the child themselves is the protagonist. After immersing myself in such a world of rich imagination and language, I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed and diligently read a



“notice about regular elevator inspections”


for TOEIC. However, I could get absorbed in a reading experience in English where I myself seamlessly entered a world of innocence, sometimes troublesome, and side-by-side with animals and magic.

“My Father's Dragon”
had me smiling at the cuteness of the contents of Elmer's backpack as I read on,

“Holes”
let me experience the immersion that comes from the story's momentum, even when I didn't understand the words,

classic fantasy series like The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, and The Hobbit, and

new children's book classics like Spy School, The Land of Stories, and Percy Jackson,

I read everything I could get my hands on, and by the time I returned to work, I had read 3.5 million words. By then, I had started to feel the effects on improving my English ability. (→3.5 Million Word Report Article)

As work began and I spent my days busy enough to miss my life during parental leave, extensive English reading became an even bigger part of my life. My English ability improved, it was fun as a hobby, and furthermore,
my sensibilities as a parent were sharpened!

Yes, long-loved children's books successfully verbalize "children's sensibilities," and I feel like they elevate my soul to a higher level. Calling it my soul might be a bit of an exaggeration, but


“Anne of Green Gables” made me realize how loving parenting builds the bond between child and parent, and

“The Secret Garden”
allowed me to witness how children (and adults) change through contact with rich nature.

Every time I finished a book in bed at night, while being kicked by the beloved being who had grown and become wild in their sleeping posture, I could hear the sound effect of Human Power UP!!

And now, three years after starting extensive reading, finally

I have passed the 9 million word mark.

With my current proficiency, I can naturally read business books, as well as popular psychological thrillers, sci-fi, and mysteries with pleasure.
The English skills I've gained through extensive reading have also contributed to my career. It has helped me chat with colleagues and build a track record, like when they say, 'You've read all the Harry Potter books in English, so your English must be fine.'

But...

When I re-read the beloved children's books that I read in the early stages of extensive reading, thinking, 'At my current level, this is all I can read yet,'

• love, nature, family,

• spending meaningful time with loved ones

• conversing with all one's heart

When I'm busy with work, childcare, and housework, living semi-automatically in energy-saving mode, I tend to forget these points, but I can notice these
Priority: SS
points.

Ultimately, the greatest contribution that extensive English reading has brought to my life is that it gave me the opportunity to read high-quality children's books that I would have had no motivation to read in Japanese.

I want to tell my past self, who was trying to make a black-and-white decision between 'career' and 'childcare' three years ago, and you, who might be struggling now.

English skills, parenting skills, and life.
Ever since that day I started extensive reading, they have been steadily and truly enriching.

My updated career plan looks like this for now.

Records of my extensive reading so far can be found in the magazine

For specific ways to start extensive reading, see this article