Build up the strong and invulnerable body | Childcare / Development Support Dororonkai

Bare foot, Zōri education

Children making and wearing zori sandals

To acquire toe gripping ability and be well capable of “standing, running, jumping, jumping off, climbing up, moving sideways and backwards”, children as well as our staff stay barefoot or wear Zori in the rooms or in the courtyard.

To learn more about “Bare foot” education

Shoes-on education

Shoes and socks will not allow toes to have enough room to stretch

〈Survey on 5-year olds in kindergardens〉
54% Flat feet
92% Floating toe
28% Big toe bent inwards

Underdeveloped plantar muscle
due to weak toe movement

-legs easy to get tired
-fall or stumble easily
-legs easy to become “O” shaped
-get backache or knee pain
-poor circulation (cold sensitive), swelling

About “Floating Toe”

One or more toes of the foot is not touching the ground due to non-formation of arch of the foot.

“Bare-foot” (Zori) education

Toes will be able to stretch and grip things naturally.

Foot arch will be fully developed at age 5.

1) The arch between the heel and the base of the big toe
2) The outer foot arch (little toe side of foot)
3) It is important to have the 3 arches at the base of the toes, just like the tripod of the cameras.

Master Aori Walking by the age of 9.

Toddlers, when they just started walking, step on their entire sole, then shift straight their weight to the toes in order to walk. At around 3 years old, when the arches are formed on their feet, their movement becomes very active. And at around 9 years old, they learn to 1)step on the ground by the heel, 2) shift the weight toward the little toes, then kick the ground with the big toe, second toe and the middle toe to move forward, thus master Aori Walking.

-Arch is formed on the sole
-wide and robust foot
-Toes capable of having strong grip of the ground

Be well capable of “standing, running, jumping, jumping off, climbing up, moving sideways and backwards”

We request the parents of the children to purchase Zori.

Climbing trees

There is a tree for climbing in the courtyard so that the children make lots of discoveries having fun in different ways, stretch themselves and move freely, and recognize “the height where they can jump from”. For safety purposes, specialists check regularly the condition of the tree, and our staff always watch the children by the tree when they climb to avoid any unexpected trouble.

Zazen

Because children move around all day long, they have one minute for Zazen every morning. They have a “quiet” time at the beginning of the day. It has nothing to do with the religion, but the priests come regularly to teach meditation imagining the “full moon in the heart”.

Floor wiping

Every day, children and nurturers wipe the floor with wet rag and wring out the rag so that they learn to support their bodies even if they fall, and to clean the place where they live by themselves. This routine starts in January for the 1 year old class.

Rhythmic gymnastics

Children practice “Cherry rhythmic gymnastics” and sing “UTA(Song)” everyday, which helps development of body functions and checking children’s conditions, and also let children learn lots of songs.

Long distance walking

A staff member walking along a riverside with children

The cycle of playing, labor, eating and rest is important. The hormone “serotonin” is deeply related to the stability of feelings and physical condition. Getting proper amount of sunshine everyday enables to adjust biological clocks, enhances secretion of serotonin, helps to optimize activity and resting cycles. Every morning, children take a walk at 9am sharp so that they can bathe in the sun and move their bodies during the morning, eat a full lunch, rest, and continue to the afternoon activities. We increase the walking distance gradually from April, aiming at walking 4Km round trip for 2-year-old children and 10Km round trip for 4-5-year-old children as a target from November to December.