Early Years Educators Learn From Japanese Nursery School
Ms Hiromi Kurimoto, CEO of Shirohato-kai Nursery School in Osaka, gave a thought-provoking training to the group’s infant teachers recently in November. A master trainer herself with 10 nursery schools under her charge, Ms Kurimoto is a passionate advocate for independence from a young age.
Ms Kurimoto and her team from Shirohato Nursery, together with the Crestar Education Group Early Years Educators.
The Japanese preschool education is highly recognised, like the Finnish system, as strong proponents of coaching children to be independent and self-reliant from an early age.
She shared key techniques and strategies to encourage young infants to be independent from young. Children in her centre learn to build confidence through opportunities given by trusting teachers, who truly believe in their abilities and potential.
Self-independence in wearing their own shoes
Watching how infants in Shirohato Japan gain independence.
Our educators are reminded that they could enthusiastically encourage and develop self-help skills once the children are able to sit up on their own. An excellent example will be how her school’s youngest toddlers of 15 months literally “climb” the stairs in her centre freely yet safely.
Fine motor development skills when picking up finger food.
Learning to climb the stairs independently
Although young infants in the Crestar Group already achieve a higher level of independence compared to many of their peers in Singapore, the educators felt that much more could be accomplished after the training. The skills demonstrated by the children in Shirohato Nursery School truly inspired our educators to be determined to guide and motivate the children and hone their overall development.
Early independence in young children help them to achieve confidence and believe in themselves.
Identifying personal items at a young age