HJIS Sendai Aoba Class Blogs 2025-26: Week 1

This week's theme

This week's theme was 'All About Me'!

Hello Seahorse friends and families!
Welcome to a wonderful new adventure in Seahorse class! we are so excited to kick-off the first week of school with your little ones. this is a time for exploration, friendship, and fun as they begin their journey of learning. Together, we will create joyful memories and inspire curiosity. Thank you for being a part of our community - lets make this a fantastic year!
Curriculum highlights
This week we we took it slow and easy as it is a transition from the infant class to toddlers and having them to familiarize with their new teacher and routine for our classroom. We quickly dived into our morning routine so as to channel their energy in learning and adjusting to the class environment. We also let them explore their new classroom environment and get more comfortable with their friends and teachers through morning free play! The activities we participated in this week were focused on learning the class routine and developing autonomy.

On Monday, first things first, they had to get their first day of school pictures taken! They also had to identify different emotions and try to make the face represented by each emotion. It is important for learners at this stage to start expressing themselves emotionally. This is a way for them to familiarize with the emotions and then later on use them as a means of expression when something happens to them. Apart from being happy, they should also know that it is okay to be sad, angry, surprised or sick so that we can work a way around those emotions.
On Tuesday, we engaged in sensory play! The tong picking activity is important for them to establish autonomy and work out their fine motor skills. The act of opening, selecting a block, picking it up and closing the tong on it shows a great deal of hand-eye coordination and helps our little ones to focus more. It is also important for them to have good fine motor skill ( finger movement and control), as it will help in the future form penmanship.
On Wednesday, it was a simple task of coloring. The whole idea behind the hand print activity was for them to familiarize with their body parts, mainly the hand as it is very essential for them. They use hand for so many activities in class including coloring, eating, removing clothes only to mention a few. I wanted them to visualize how their body part looks from a close range, rather than having them try to figure it out from pictures. The coloring was a bonus where they had to strengthen their finger dexterity!
On Thursday, they had to do some shape sorting. Sorting is a way for them to learn about categories, recognize patterns, and develop problem-solving abilities. It also fosters a sense of order and control in their world, and later on will be an essential skill for them to learn. Of course, it is still their first time trying and hope with time they will understand how to sort properly, although some had an idea of how to do so.
On Friday, they had to put together a miniature Lego person. Provided was the head, body and a hat. This activity enhances body awareness and improves communication skills, by identifying and naming body parts, it expands a child's vocabulary. It was also a way to get them to learn sharing and turn taking skills. it worked with supervision and needs to be a consistent activity at this age so as to minimize crying over objects.