Could Your Child Be a Little Late Walking or Talking? Is That Okay? We Check Out Dora Kids at Gardens【Nishitsu Ad】

Did you know there’s a Dora Kids at Nishinomiya Gardens?

It just opened last April on the 5th floor of the main building, so we went to check it out. It’s in a spot you can enter right away from the rooftop parking lot.

Oh, this Doraemon. He’s life-size. I was surprised he was bigger than I expected lol

Quoted from 【Shogakukan’s Early Childhood Classroom】Dora Kids｜For children from age 1 through third grade

When you hear Dora Kids, you probably think of a nationwide early childhood classroom that uses Doraemon learning materials. But some moms and dads might be thinking, “My child still isn’t walking on their own much, and they’re not talking yet, so I’m worried…” while others may wonder, “They’re so energetic. Will they be okay?” And there’s also that image that early childhood classes are only for really smart kids.

Actually, at Dora Kids, both “kids who take things slowly and kids full of energy” are warmly welcomed!

When we asked the reasons, here’s what we heard:

• With a homeroom teacher system, each child gets careful support
• There’s a reassuring guaranteed make-up lesson system even if you miss a class, so you can attend at your own pace without stress
• In the parent-child classes for ages 1 to 2, children can spend time together with mom or dad, which helps ease worries, and more.
• Concerns like “They might cry…” or “They can’t sit still…” are worth bringing up, because the answer is actually “Any type of child is OK”

One of the great things about Dora Kids is that parents and children can attend while working through all kinds of worries together.

Kids can start communicating with other children early on

When kids are usually at home, they naturally spend most of their time with family. There are surprisingly few chances to interact with friends, aren’t there?

At Dora Kids, there are lots of opportunities to play together with friends from an early stage, and the activities are designed so children can start communicating with one another early on.

The teacher encourages them with, “You did so well! Amazing, amazing!” as they jump with both feet. Dora Kids has this kind of movement-based learning, where children use mats and tunnels for full-body exercise. It’s nice that they naturally learn things like waiting their turn and the importance of working together.

Starting from age 1, there are plenty of activities that naturally build communication skills, like standing up front to present, calling friends by name, and greeting others. For 2-year-olds, children are introduced to the letters in their own names, and concepts like hiragana and numbers are woven into play. The teachers are always giving positive encouragement like, “You did so well! That’s great!” They’re so kind.

After class, during the “mini meeting,” the teacher gives the moms feedback on that day’s activities, and it’s great that parents can exchange information with each other there too. “My child still isn’t talking much…” “Oh! Same here!” That kind of thing.

The teacher also mentioned, “After the New Year holidays, the children suddenly started talking more.” They let you know about little bits of growth that you might not notice in everyday life.

They focus on “sparking curiosity,” not rigid studying

Since it’s run by Shogakukan, they of course use Doraemon materials, but they also incorporate Shogakukan encyclopedias, which really sparks kids’ curiosity. I still love looking at encyclopedias like this even now.

Everyone loves the Doraemon songs, so they naturally get into the rhythm. Isn’t it pretty ideal that kids can move their bodies while learning social skills and cooperation through play?

For 1-year-olds, the curriculum also does a great job helping them pick up shapes, colors, and numbers through play. Look at that serious expression. You can really tell they value the feeling kids have of “I want to try more!”

Courses and fees look like this