by JOSEPH TOBIN
Ziyu, on the day he was elected storytelling king at Sinan Road Kindergarten in Shanghai. PHOTO/Los Angeles Times
Each morning at Sinan Road Kindergarten in Shanghai, a child stands in front of the class and tells a story. One morning, I watched as 4-year-old Ziyu told a 10-minute story about a group of animals frightened by a strange sound. When he finished, his teacher asked the class: “Shall we make him Storytelling King? Did he do a good job?”
Children called out criticisms. “His voice was too soft.” “It was like a story we’d heard before.” Still, when teacher Wong called for a vote, Ziyu was elected Storytelling King by a 16-4 margin.
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In Kyoto, Japan, for example, older children at the Komatsudani Childcare Center spend an hour each afternoon caring for the babies and toddlers. This activity is seen as equally important for the younger and older children.
In one scene in our video, a 5-year-old boy, Kenichi, teaches 2-year-old Taro how to use the urinal. Positioning Taro in front of the toilet, Kenichi reminds the younger boy to aim and to hold up his shirt tails. He then warns Taro that he is about to flush. When he does flush, the boys scream in a mock display of surprise. They were both having fun, and many of the American teachers who watched this video lamented that such interactions were impossible in their age-segregated classrooms.
Los Angeles Times for more
(Thanks to reader)