5th workshop, school visits, new project plans

The 5th workshop 🪅

Our first workshop of the year kicked off on February 6!

This second-year series began with a session on creating worksheets using computers. Teachers designed two types of worksheets, and many were pleasantly surprised by how well they performed. Their enthusiasm for exploring more creative worksheet ideas made it a fantastic start to the year.

During the teaching material introduction, we featured "Which Sport Is It?" — a fun story about sports. Teachers participated in various sport-themed activity games and even created their own game tools, discovering that engaging games can be made with simple everyday materials.

As a new initiative, two JICA volunteers working in Cambodian preschools joined the workshop. They shared their teaching experiences from Japan and introduced classroom activities they’ve successfully used in Cambodia. Teachers learned storytelling techniques, hand-play songs, dances, and rhythmic activities in Khmer from these experienced educators.

By the end of the workshop, many participants eagerly requested videos of the songs introduced by JICA volunteers and shared how much they enjoyed the session. Education officers at the provincial and district levels also found the workshop highly valuable.

We'll be recording the introduced songs with Khmer subtitles and sharing them publicly soon. Moving forward, we’re excited to continue working with JICA volunteers to exchange teaching ideas and support child development in future workshops.

How are this year's children doing? 🧒👧

We’ve conducted our first follow-up school visits since the new school year began in November.

Perhaps because it’s the start of a new term, we noticed many classrooms had refreshed their decorations. It was inspiring to see teachers recreating the crafts from our workshops and proudly displaying their own versions in their classrooms.

We were also excited to see some teachers already practicing the "purely enjoying the story" approach — focusing on storytelling without interruptions and allowing children to fully immerse themselves in the experience. Even more impressive, some teachers were already sharing workshop materials with their colleagues during meetings... amazing! 👏

Seeing teachers quickly apply these ideas and techniques encourages us to create even better workshops moving forward! 🔥

For the children who joined preschool this year, this is their first experience with TukTuk’s educational materials. We hope their school year will be filled with meaningful learning moments from start to finish!

Khmer of the month

Khmer Word: Muoi Py Bai, Aschah!

During a follow-up school visit in Cambodia, you may hear a joyful classroom chant. When a child answers a question correctly or sets a positive example, the entire class cheers, "Muoi Py Bai Aschah! (1, 2, 3, you did it!)" followed by a proud thumbs-up. If you ever get the chance to visit a Cambodian preschool, join in and celebrate with the children—it’s a heartwarming experience!👍

Khmer Food: Khnab Kaun Trei (Turmeric steamed baby fish) 👇

Presentation of activities by Japanese students 🌎

We have been sharing updates about our collaboration with the students of the English Department at Seinan Jo Gakuin University, and we are excited to report their recent achievements. Last month, they completed their lectures and presented the results of their activities online. This year, four groups worked on distinct projects: a Kamishibai creation group, a translation group, a storytelling group, and a PR group. Each group showcased its efforts as follows:

1. Kamishibai Creation Group: This year, the group illustrated “The Ugly Duckling.” Before starting, they read children’s books at the library to learn how to create relatable illustrations for young audiences. Using the English translation prepared by TukTuk as a guide, they carefully designed illustrations to match the story. While three members contributed artwork across different pages, maintaining visual consistency for the characters proved challenging.
2. Translation Group: This group translated three stories—Being Good, Family Tree, and Be Careful, Be Safe—from English to Japanese. They faced the challenge of ensuring the language was simple enough for children while still conveying the intended meaning and tone. Rather than translating directly, they focused on creating a natural flow that matched the feel of the Japanese language.
3. Storytelling Group: The storytelling group shared the story Happy Khmer New Year! with first-grade students at the children’s center. Afterward, they engaged the children with a quiz about Cambodia and introduced them to a traditional Cambodian game. Some children were already familiar with Cambodia, while others expressed how much they enjoyed learning about its culture.
4. PR Group: This group organized a campus-wide waste collection drive, placing collection boxes at five locations. Thanks to their efforts, they gathered 55 CDs, 105 books, 2,651 stamps, and 65 postcards by January 20. They also shared regular updates on Instagram featuring their activities, the achievements of other groups, and information about TukTuk. The collected items will be sold at a secondhand shop, with proceeds donated to TukTuk.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Professor Kris and her students for their dedication and hard work this year. Your contributions have made a meaningful impact, and we are deeply grateful for your support!

School visit by a specialist of early childhood education ✨

Japan International School Phnom Penh (JISPP) is a Japanese-style preschool in Phnom Penh that Adrian, Mayu, and Milly visited during an open school event a year ago. This preschool collaborates with the Ministry of Education to promote "learning through play," fostering a more engaging educational experience for young children. Ms. Kaori Masuda, a board member of JISPP and the representative director of Mommy's Family Inc., visited two of our project's target preschools to observe their teaching practices.

At Pursat Preschool, Ms. Kaori spoke with teachers about the current nationwide preschool "regular test." Meanwhile, at Stung Toch Primary School, she observed a preschool class where the teacher had developed her own worksheet using methods learned from a workshop. The teacher's thoughtful approach, engaging voice, and careful selection of teaching materials left such a strong impression that Ms. Kaori remarked, "I want to be her student too!"

This inspiring connection with Ms. Kaori has led to her involvement in an upcoming workshop at a preschool teacher training school in Phnom Penh this May. Additionally, she will serve as a guest teacher at our final workshop scheduled for July. ✨

We believe this collaboration will help TukTuk further establish itself as a specialist in early childhood education. We remain committed to supporting our target teachers and improving our own practices to continue enhancing early childhood education together.

Looking ahead to the 2026 project -2-🔭

Following our previous mention of CLIP3, we're excited to share a glimpse of our next new project! 👀

This new project is built on three key pillars, one of which is... “Creating the First Educational Program for Children in Cambodia!” 📺

In Cambodia, smartphone use among preschool children is a growing concern. Busy parents often find their children engrossed in screens during mealtimes or while they could be playing with friends. Similarly, teachers who have access to TukTuk teaching materials may struggle to visualize how to apply them in the classroom, particularly those who haven’t attended our workshops.

To address this, we will be working on producing a 20-30 minute YouTube program designed specifically for young children. This program will offer educational content that makes screen time more meaningful for both children and parents. For teachers, it will provide practical examples of how to effectively use the materials they download from our website in their own classrooms.

Of course, producing such a program requires the right space. That's why, last month, we began setting up a dedicated shooting studio. We converted our office's meeting room into a soundproof studio with a fresh whitewash. The outside wall now features a beautifully designed as background created by Pil of Voluntuker (see 👇 for details!).

Starting in March, a new Voluntuker will help us create a pilot program, and we're excited to see how it all comes together! 🎵

Voluntuker spotlight | Pil

This month, we're excited to introduce Pil, an illustrator who is supporting TukTuk's new project as a mural artist.

What do you usually do and what kind of activities do you do in Cambodia? : I work as an illustrator in Barcelona, but since I freelance, I can work from anywhere—including Cambodia. While here, I continue working on freelance projects for European clients and volunteer at Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang. During my time there, I conducted a one-week workshop where students learned to create a mural together.

When and how did you become involved with Cambodia, and what goals do you hope to accomplish there in the future?: I first came to Cambodia in 2016 and volunteered for five months with Sustainable Cambodia in Pursat as an illustration teacher and first aid instructor. That’s also when I got involved with TukTuk. Later, I took an internship at Phare Creative Studio in Battambang as a graphic designer.

One of my future goals, although unrelated to my illustration background, is to contribute to sex education in Cambodia, specifically for girls. I became aware of this need after Cambodian girls frequently approached me for advice, revealing a lack of information in this area.

What do you like about Cambodia?: Of course, the food and nature are wonderful, but what keeps me coming back is the people. I love sharing laughs and jokes with my friends here.

How did you feel about being involved in TukTuk's video production as a mural designer?: I am thrilled to contribute to anything related to TukTuk. I've followed TukTuk's work almost from the beginning and continue to be amazed by the positive impact it has on the community. 😊

Pil's warm personality, bright smile, and ability to speak Khmer allow her to connect easily with the Cambodian community. 🌸 We're sure you'll soon see her beautiful artwork in our children's video program, and we can’t wait to see what drawings she sends us next! 🎵

We are currently looking for volunteers with the following skill sets to help TukTuk bring educational resources to Cambodia;

• Google Ads
• Fundraising
• Website Development

If you want to get involved or know someone with skills that could help us spread positive education in Cambodia, hit that link below and say hi (we're friendly, we promise). 😉

Get Involved ⇢

Tuktography highlights 📸