Pre-KG 2024 / 25 Blog 29 Sports Day ! …and more

Pre-KG 2024 / 25 Blog 29

Sports Day ! …and more

The week stood mainly under the sign of the upcoming DSKI Sports Day on Friday, 4th April 2025 and the children practiced almost every day. 

Our sports day always includes a lot of fun activities, but it also promotes gross motor skills, spatial awareness and of course collaboration. 

During practice we observe the children closely and it is a good chance for the teachers to evaluate and decide what skills the children need to work on. 

As our current Pre–Kindergarten unit focuses on „Body and Family“, the children also did a variety of activities on both subjects.

They used our many Lego blocks and Lego people to sort out the members of their family and build colorful houses for them. Some of the lovely buildings were really creative and I would love to live in them.

On two occasions the children had playdough sessions, using their previous skills making balls and snakes to form arms, legs and heads. They had so much fun and with a bit of practice they might soon be able to form people and family members. 

The children have also become quite adapt at cutting and cutting out playdough with different forms, so great progress overall.

On Friday then, we had our very dynamic Sports Day at DSKI ! The children were already very excited from the arrival time in the morning and got ready into their red or green team while the parents waited outside at our sports ground. After a big hello we started with a lively warm up song called „Körperteilblues“. 

All of the EY children have learnt this German song and its movements and it is very popular with the children. Please sing and dance along to it at home as well, you will be surprised how much German your child understands! 

Körperteilblues

We continued with a fun ball sorting game called „Tamaire“ ( adapted from Japanese Sports days ) where the teams have to collect scattered balls into corresponding containers which are then counted to decide the winning team. After the second game there was a draw! 

After all the action everyone enjoyed their lovely snack together and the delicious fruit and vegetables the PTA had kindly provided. Thank you so much ! 

The day went on with our obstacle course where the children could challenge themselves and show that they are risk– takers ! Well done, everyone! 

Next on the agenda was the „ Animal rescue“ game where two friends needed to work together to hold a towel ( the stretcher) and rescue their stuffed animal or doll from the danger circle and bring them back to the hospital aka big basket. Amazing collaboration could be seen and all stuffed animals were saved ! 

Finally it was time for our team races and there were a lot of really fast sprinters ! Ihr wart richtig schnell, liebe Kinder und Eltern! 

We finished with the parachute game where our beautiful and colorful parachutes were held by all the parents and teachers in union and swung into the air to make a fun dome for the children to run through. Lots of laughter could be heard and it was such a heartwarming sight.

At the end of the sports day every child was awarded a medal, because everyone had tried, given their best or supported a friend who needed help and that is what counts most.

What a wonderful Sports Day we had with Early Years under a blue sky and full of fun and happiness! I hope you also took many beautiful photos while creating lasting memories !

A big thank you to Mr.Brabant for being the chief organizer, to the EY team and of course to all the children and families who participated. Fantastic job, everyone ! 

Wishing you a restful weekend with sunny skies and a pink sea of cherry blossoms 🌸! 

With kind regards, Mit herzlichen Grüßen, 

Anita Ursula Mönch 

DSKI Pre–Kindergarten homeroom teacher Playgroup / EY Deutsch & German     

German Saturday School homeroom teacher

Pre-KG 2024 / 25 Blog 28 Movement

Pre-KG 2024 / 25 Blog 28

Movement

Spring is here ! We are moving into a new season and the sunshine calls us to be more active again outdoors. 

What a perfect time to start our new unit on „Body and Family“ with lots of movement, activities and explorations ! We talked to the children about how we can use our body and its parts for different movements, so they are ready for new adventures. 

As spring is also a time of growth and new beginnings the Pre–Kindergarten children are very happy to welcome a new friend into class and show her our beautiful surroundings.

A big welcome to dear little Kiki and her family into our Pre–Kindergarten class, we are so happy to have you with us! 

The warmer weather invited us for a walk to the tulip field (where the children had planted the bulbs in autumn) to check on the growth of the tulips. 

On the way there the children discovered beautiful spring flowers, sweet on the eyes and on the nose. 

The tulips on the other hand are taking their time this year and only stems and green leaves could be found. 

But much to the delight of the children there was a bushel of early bloomers in the corner with pretty pink tulip flowers.

As with humans, everyone at their own pace.

The children were ready to use their legs a little more and a cheerful race started around the Rokko Liner pillars with the children trying to catch each other. A great opportunity for lots of movement! 

At school Ms.Azusa introduced a spring themed dance called „Schmetterling, du kleines Ding“ and the children enjoyed being a butterfly and inviting a partner to dance along to the tune.

As our school year goes along, our children tend to become more of social butterflies, mingling with the children of the other EY classes more confidently and expressing themselves more freely.

This week our girls discovered the joy of dressing up with lots of accessories and princess dresses and they looked very regal. One of them went out on an adventure, riding into the world. Horseback riding was one of my favorite pastimes in my childhood in Germany and you can enjoy it with your child at Shiawase no Mura in Kobe. 

The Pre–Kindergarten children have been practicing the dances for their upcoming assembly and this week they had the great opportunity to paint some of the stage props with K1. The weather was brilliant, the collaboration was brilliant and the hand to eye coordination of the children while using paint brushes was brilliant, too. 

What a fun and collaborative engagement! Great job, everyone! 

On Thursday then we had the great pleasure of attending the Pre–School assembly where 3 of the Pre–Kindergarten children have a sibling in class. Attentively the children watched the lovely performance of the Pre–school class showing their imagination and dreams. It was emotional for me to see many of the previous Pre–KG children so grown and confident on stage. What a fantastic job, everyone! 

More practice was on the agenda for Sports  Day as well which is coming up next Friday ! The children used their whole body running, throwing, catching and especially needed good coordination for the body board race ! We will be cheering you on next Friday.

After so much fun using the body, it was time for a little preliminary assessment. I used a cute worksheet depicting Dora the Explorer to ask the children about various body parts in English and German. They have become very knowledgeable, even mentioning parts like chin and neck! Colouring Dora was a fun activity which all enjoyed.

Building up on their knowledge we ended the week with two more connected activities, dancing along to „Head, shoulders, knees and toes“, led by Mr.Derek and a short Yoga session, led by Ms.Priyanka.

The first mentioned song is very well known around the world and children tend to participate with quirky movements that often make adults laugh. In order to monitor understanding, please make sure your child points to the right body part and please dance along.

Yoga has become an immensely popular pastime for adults integrating it into their hectic life style for stress relief and better posture. My mother was a yoga teacher back then and it brought back memories watching Ms.Priyanka guide the children through gentle stretching exercises.

We will surely integrate more of them into our daily routines and link some details.

Lastly, movement includes moving and this week we had to say goodbye to little Ada who moves back to Germany. Ada was a member of the K1 class and only joined us for 3 months, but she touched everyone with her kindness and she was a frequent visitor to our Pre–Kindergarten classroom and a very patient friend to our little ones.

We will all miss you, dear Ada and wish you and your family a good time back home. All the best also to your kind brothers who attended DSKI as well and thank you for the beautiful spring flowers ! 

The cherry blossoms are in bloom, so here is to wish you all a beautiful, sunny and active weekend! 

With kind regards, Mit herzlichen Grüßen, 

Anita Ursula Mönch 

DSKI Pre–Kindergarten homeroom teacher Playgroup / EY Deutsch & German     

German Saturday School homeroom teacher