Discovering Kanji: “It Looks Like a House!”
Preschool
April 9, 2018
The children who had been our youngest Ocean class (age 2) moved up to Jungle class (age 3).
Even this one-step change brought a strong sense of becoming older, and they were enjoying their new life in Jungle.
At the start of a Japanese lesson in the new term, the teacher wrote 金 on the interactive board while saying, “Today is Friday.” One child made a lovely observation: “It looks like a house!” Before learning kanji as writing, children can see the characters as pictures. Some kanji developed from pictures, and the children’s response seemed to capture that visual way of looking.
When the teacher drew a wavy underline to emphasize 金, another interpretation appeared: “It looks like a boat!” Children’s perspectives, so different from adults’, continue to surprise us.
Some people may feel that kanji is too early for three-year-olds, especially in a preschool centered on English. At CGK, however, the aim of showing hiragana and kanji is not to require children to read them. We begin by displaying familiar information such as the date and weather to spark interest.
At Cosmo Global Kids, we introduced kanji alongside other lessons likely to capture children’s curiosity. When something interests them, children naturally begin to inquire and learn for themselves. We believe wanting to know and learn is more valuable than reluctant study, both in early childhood and throughout life.
At age two, much of our focus was on independence in daily routines. At age three, the range of things children can do continues to expand.
Without setting limits on their potential, we want to create an enjoyable environment filled with opportunities to learn.
Even this one-step change brought a strong sense of becoming older, and they were enjoying their new life in Jungle.
At the start of a Japanese lesson in the new term, the teacher wrote 金 on the interactive board while saying, “Today is Friday.” One child made a lovely observation: “It looks like a house!” Before learning kanji as writing, children can see the characters as pictures. Some kanji developed from pictures, and the children’s response seemed to capture that visual way of looking.
When the teacher drew a wavy underline to emphasize 金, another interpretation appeared: “It looks like a boat!” Children’s perspectives, so different from adults’, continue to surprise us.
Some people may feel that kanji is too early for three-year-olds, especially in a preschool centered on English. At CGK, however, the aim of showing hiragana and kanji is not to require children to read them. We begin by displaying familiar information such as the date and weather to spark interest.
At Cosmo Global Kids, we introduced kanji alongside other lessons likely to capture children’s curiosity. When something interests them, children naturally begin to inquire and learn for themselves. We believe wanting to know and learn is more valuable than reluctant study, both in early childhood and throughout life.
At age two, much of our focus was on independence in daily routines. At age three, the range of things children can do continues to expand.
Without setting limits on their potential, we want to create an enjoyable environment filled with opportunities to learn.
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.