A Small Globe Opens Up a Big World
Preschool
March 13, 2018
Jungle class (age 3) had a globe almost as tall as the children.
During playtime, a boy asked to play with it. When we brought it out, several children began exploring together.
At first, spinning it quickly was the main attraction. But as they looked for Japan and the countries their teachers came from, they began noticing more than country names: arrows showing ocean currents and clock symbols indicating time differences.
They especially enjoyed lying down to look at Antarctica on the underside. “Teacher, lie down too!” they invited. Trying it myself, I discovered how exciting a change of viewpoint can be.
A child who could read katakana carefully sounded out country names and found Iceland. Was Iceland covered in ice? Their question led us to look up a video. Seeing green landscapes and a large waterfall, they exclaimed, “It is not ice! There is water!” Colorful houses in the video prompted another observation: “We do not have houses like that in Yokohama.” They were noticing differences from Japan.
This exploration happened during Japanese time. The next morning, however, children were discussing the globe with an English-speaking teacher at a similar level of detail in English.
It was a lovely example of everyday life in a bilingual preschool.
Children learn many things, including language, through play as well as lessons. We want to keep following their interests and questions together, rather than being limited to a fixed curriculum.
During playtime, a boy asked to play with it. When we brought it out, several children began exploring together.
At first, spinning it quickly was the main attraction. But as they looked for Japan and the countries their teachers came from, they began noticing more than country names: arrows showing ocean currents and clock symbols indicating time differences.
They especially enjoyed lying down to look at Antarctica on the underside. “Teacher, lie down too!” they invited. Trying it myself, I discovered how exciting a change of viewpoint can be.
A child who could read katakana carefully sounded out country names and found Iceland. Was Iceland covered in ice? Their question led us to look up a video. Seeing green landscapes and a large waterfall, they exclaimed, “It is not ice! There is water!” Colorful houses in the video prompted another observation: “We do not have houses like that in Yokohama.” They were noticing differences from Japan.
This exploration happened during Japanese time. The next morning, however, children were discussing the globe with an English-speaking teacher at a similar level of detail in English.
It was a lovely example of everyday life in a bilingual preschool.
Children learn many things, including language, through play as well as lessons. We want to keep following their interests and questions together, rather than being limited to a fixed curriculum.
Author Profile
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Reiko - Services and Community Coordinator (Japan)
Reiko joined CGK’s founding team in 2016, bringing seven years of experience in licensed nursery schools in Japan and six years across two international preschools. She has also volunteered at a daycare in Canada and has held preschool leadership roles at CGK, including Principal and Vice Principal.
A qualified nursery teacher and holder of a Class 2 kindergarten teaching license in Japan, Reiko values each child’s interests and strengths. Drawing on her experience in multicultural early childhood settings, she supports an environment where children can explore new interests through hands-on experiences and express themselves in their own way.