A Sports Day at Our Child’s Hoikuen
Recently, our child’s hoikuen held its annual sports day, or undokai. Sports days are common at many nursery schools and kindergartens in Japan, but the program can be very different from one school to another.
At our hoikuen, sports day is closely connected to the school’s everyday focus on physical development.
What Is a Japanese Undokai?
A Japanese undokai is often translated as “sports day,” but it is not only a competition. Depending on the school, it may include running, dancing, group performances, parent-child activities, and events for parents.
Some schools have shortened their programs since the COVID-19 period. Our child’s school still has a full program, so both children and parents can enjoy the day.
Individual Challenges Show Each Child’s Progress
One of the main features at our school is an individual physical challenge. Children show what they have learned during their everyday life at hoikuen.
- Climbing a wall about two meters high
- Walking across a narrow balance beam
- Climbing a pole
- Vaulting box
- Riding a bicycle
- Doing a backward circle on a horizontal bar
- Jumping rope while running
- Doing a cartwheel
The goal is not for every child to perform at exactly the same level. Each child shows what they can do at that point, so parents can see their individual progress.
Parents Join the Fun Too
The program also includes dancing, parent-child activities, and a relay race for parents. The adults do not only watch from the side. They take part and become part of the event.
The parent relay becomes surprisingly serious, and the children enjoy cheering. This makes the day feel more like a family event than simply a children’s performance.
The School’s Philosophy Appears in the Sports Day
Our hoikuen values outdoor play, physical strength, and confidence. When we watch children climb a high wall, climb a pole, ride bicycles, or do cartwheels, we can see that these are not activities learned only for sports day.
They are the result of everyday play and practice at the school. For our family, the sports day reminded us why we chose this particular hoikuen.
For Readers Outside Japan
Not every Japanese hoikuen has this kind of program. The wall climbing, pole climbing, and other physical challenges are especially connected to the character of our child’s school.
This is one example of how an undokai can reflect what a nursery school values throughout the year.
A Day to See How Much Children Have Grown
For us, the sports day was not only about who could run fastest or complete every challenge. It was a chance to see how each child had grown and what they had worked on during the year.
With individual challenges, dancing, parent-child events, and the parents’ relay, it was also a day the whole family could enjoy together.
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