Is Your Child a Little Late Walking or Talking? We Checked Out Dora Kids at Gardens【Nishitsu Ad】

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

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

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

Quoted from 【小学館の幼児教室】ドラキッズ｜満1歳～小学3年生対象

When you think of 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 well on their own, and they’re not talking yet, so I’m worried…” while others may wonder, “They’re super energetic, but is that okay?” There’s also that image that early childhood classes are only for really smart kids, maybe.

Actually, at Dora Kids, both those “kids who take things slowly and kids full of energy” are all very welcome!

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

• With a homeroom teacher system, each child gets careful support
• There’s a guaranteed make-up lesson system even if you miss a class, so you can attend at your own pace without rushing
• 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.
• If you’re worried about things like “They might cry…” or “They can’t sit still…,” try asking about it. If anything, the answer is “Any type of child is OK.”

Being able to attend while easing all kinds of worries as parent and child is one of the best things about Dora Kids.

Children can start communicating with other kids early on

When kids are usually at home, it’s mostly just family. Chances to interact with friends can be surprisingly limited, right?

At Dora Kids, there are plenty of opportunities to play with friends from an early stage, and the lessons are designed so children can start communicating with each other early on.

The teacher encourages them with “You did so well! Amazing, amazing!” as they jump with both feet! Dora Kids has movement-based learning like this, where children move their whole bodies using mats and tunnels. It’s great that they naturally learn things like waiting their turn and working together, too.

Starting from age 1, there are all kinds of activities that naturally build communication skills, like going up front to present, calling friends by name, and greeting others. At age 2, children come into contact with 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 amazing!” It feels so warm.

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

They’ll also mention things like, “After the New Year break, the children suddenly started using more words.” They let you know about those little bits of growth that you might not notice in everyday life.

It’s not about rigid studying; the focus is on sparking curiosity

Since it’s run by Shogakukan, of course there are Doraemon materials, but they also use Shogakukan encyclopedias, so it really sparks children’s curiosity. I still love looking through encyclopedias like this myself.

Everyone loves the Doraemon songs, so they naturally get into the groove. Isn’t it ideal to learn social skills and cooperation through play while moving your body?

For 1-year-olds, the curriculum is also solid, helping them learn shapes, colors, and numbers through play. Just look at that serious expression. You can really feel how much they value a child’s feeling of “I want to try more!”

Courses and fees look like this