OUR LEARNING AREAS

KEIKI is located in a new building in a residential area of Setagaya-Ku, Tokyo. It is a bright, two-story house setting, with large airy spaces downstairs overlooking a sunny private garden. There are four classrooms upstairs including an up-to-date, fully-equipped computer room.

The learning environment plays an important role in the development of a child’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth. KEIKI is composed of children from a variety of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and nationalities. Yet, a natural friendship develops between the children, thereby promoting a sense of human unity and homogeneity. KEIKI children will feel comfortable and at home in such a rich and varied environment.

Children will be able to balance themselves between:

Meeting the needs of an individual child versus meeting the needs of the group
Exploration of their own interests versus expectation of respect and consideration toward each other
Vigorous activities versus quiet activities
Directed activities versus free choice activities

We strive to maintain balance amongst socio-emotional developmental skill, cognitive developmental skill, and physical developmental skill. Examples of our learning areas are:

Music and Movement
House corners
Blocks
Cooking
Math
Arts
Library
Computers
Outdoor activities
Sand and Water
Science
Table toys
Drama
Field trips

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Sing or do finger play with the other children and teacher

Participate cooperatively in a group

(Social Skills, Spatial Relationships)

Create different sounds by putting more or less beans in cans and shaking them

Explore cause and effect

(Science and Logical Thinking)

Designing own musical instrument by using water, a few glasses and experimenting with the different sounds it makes.

Experimentation and creativity.

(Self-expression, muscular coordination and rhythmic proficiency.

PRETEND PLAY/HOUSE CORNERS

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Put on dress-up clothes

Use the small muscle skills

(Self-help and Writing)

Separate cups and plates at clean-up time

Group objects in categories, Spatial Relationship

(Math Readiness)

Put on different uniforms or work clothes

Provide children “real experiences”, develop vocabulary and gain understanding of the world around them.

BLOCKS

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Put blocks in trucks and dump them out

Understand size, weight, and number concepts, Spatial relationships (Math Readiness)

Use blocks and wooden animals to create a zoo.

Recreates the world around them (Geography and Social Studies)

Balance one large block on top of another

Control and coordinate muscles

(Physical coordination)

COOKING for KIDS

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Watch bread dough rise or melt butter

Understand that foods can change their physical states (Science)

Follow directions in a recipe that call for adding ingredients, by teaspoons, cups, etc.

Understand measurement (Math Skills)

Help prepare a healthy salad

Learning about healthy foods (Science)

MATH

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Put pegs in a pegboard

Hand and eye coordination

(Reading, Writing Readiness)

Finish a puzzle

Thinking ability, complete a task

(Math, Study habits and Self-Esteem)

Sort pictures that are the same

Matching and classification

(Math Readiness)

Create patterns y using lacing activities

Sequencing, fine motor development

(Math Readiness)

Arranging sets of objects from smallest to biggest.

Ordering, organizing and arranging objects

(Math Readiness)

ARTS and CRAFTS

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Gather paper, scissors and glue for project

Plan and carry out a task

(Study Habits and Independence)

Draw a picture

Use symbols

(Reading/Writing Readiness)

Finger painting

Fine motors, color identification, self-expression

Scribble on paper

Use writing as a means of communication

(Reading and Writing)

LIBRARY

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Turn pages of a book from beginning to end

Read a book from left to right

(Reading and Writing Readiness)

Listen to a story and talk about what happened

Love books, remember details and express ideas (Language Development)

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Try out a computer program together with another child.

Share and play cooperatively with others

(Social Skills)

Operate a computer mouse, put a disc in the computer and turn on a printer

Improve their coordination skills and introduction to computer technology (Multiple physical

coordination and Computer Skills)

OUTDOOR PLAY

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Catch and throw balls

Coordinate eye and hand movements (Gross motor development)

Climb on outdoor equipment

Use their bodies in challenging tasks

(Self-esteem, Reading/Writing Readiness)

Find ways of moving across the rug without their feet touching it

Think creatively to solve problems (Independence and Problem solving)

SAND AND WATER

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Make boats sink

Recognize cause and effect

(Science and Logical Thinking)

Pour water into measuring cups

Foundation of mathematical thinking and hand-eye coordination (Measurement and self-esteem)

Drops corks, stones, feathers into a tub of water

Develop concentration and observation

(Science)

Molds sand into shapes and letters

Shape recognition, fine motor skills

(Math and Creative Thinking)

SCIENCE EXPLORATION

WHAT YOUR CHILDREN LEARN

Talk about changes in plants, people and things outside as seasons change

Exemplify life cycles, metamorphosis

Observe and Identify different kinds of weather and Climate

Observe how weather affects the environment

Experimenting how plants grow

Observation, Recording and essential elements of Plant growth (Science and Math)

Wiping a spill with a sponge

Experimentation on the properties of liquid

(Science Exploration)