The season of simultaneous entrance into school is in April in Japan. Mothers who have children to leave to nursery facilities may receive an entrance guide from the end of February to end of March, that tells you about a list of do’s and dont’s to teach children at home and a list of things to prepare before entrance ceremony. Those who have already received an entrance guide from the nursery facility might have already read and started preparation but let’s review things you need to prepare before the entrance ceremony.
Contents
- 1 Kindergarten’s (nursery school’s) prepration list (for those children aged 3 or older than 3)
- 2 Kindergarten’s (nursery school’s) preparation list (for those children aged younger than 3 years old)
- 3 Particularly important things to prepare
- 3.1 Bento box
- 3.2 Toothbrush set
- 3.3 School shoes (Indoor shoes)
- 3.4 Pajama
- 3.5 School bag
- 3.6 Diaper bag
- 3.7 Tableware for baby foods
- 3.8 Towel to wipe the mouth
- 3.9 Bib
- 3.10 Baby bottle
- 3.11 Powered milk
- 3.12 Towel and handkerchief
- 3.13 Apron for lunchtime
- 3.14 Cap
- 3.15 Child beddings
- 3.16 Diaper and underwear
- 3.17 Socks
- 4 Writing name on all your child’s belongings
- 5 To close
Kindergarten’s (nursery school’s) prepration list (for those children aged 3 or older than 3)
Uniforms and accessories
| You are required to make bulk purchase after entrance or when admission procedure | |
| You are required to make bulk purchase after entrance or when admission procedure | |
| Name tags are distributed after entrance | |
| Designated uniform | |
| Designated cap | |
| Shoes that children can wear and take off easily. Shoes with magic tape are preferred | |
| Put a mark on a smock to be able to realize which side is front or back in order for children to wear it by themselves | |
| Undershirt and underpants |
Bags
| A lesson bag made of quilting or thick cotton is preferred | |
| Choose a bag with wide rim for children to pick up shoes easily | |
| Choose a bag with wide rim for children to pick up underwear easily | |
| Choose a bag with wide rim for children to pick up gym uniform easily |
Notebook and stationary
| In many cases, these notebooks are distributed by a kindergarten. In case you need to buy, you can easily find it in a stationary store | |
| A tool box to put things below into. Think about its size to fit it in a locker before buying. | |
| The points of scissors need to round-shaped and scissors’ handles should be big enough for children to grip easily | |
| Paste type | |
| 12 colors crayon box | |
| 12 colored pencil box | |
| A4 size is preferred | |
| Wooden castanet | |
| 27 keys of harmonica |
Lunch box and napkins
| Lunch box that is easy for children to open. | |
| Pouch type or hand bag type | |
| Luncheon mat to wrap around lunch box or to lay it out on a table for school meal | |
| Small pouch type bag to put a fork, a spoon, chopsticks and teeth paste, a teeth brash | |
| Slide type box is quite easy to open | |
| The 4 points of fork should be rounded. | |
| These are needed when children distribute school meal for themselves from a pot or a box into individual dishes. Wearing an apron is for avoiding getting filthy and wearing a bandage is for avoiding dropping children’s hair coming off. |
Others
| Let children bring these every day | |
| a plastic cap with a handle | |
| A hand towel with loop straps to hang it a specified place. Two of three towels are needed | |
| Not big ones but small size ones for one child | |
| with plastic cover | |
| 2 or 3 diaper shoud alwasys be put in a locker |
Things to bring for events
| A backpack made of nylon is quite light enough to carry for children | |
| Its size is as big as one children can use | |
| A water bottle whose lid part becomes a cup | |
| Not big ones but small size ones for one child | |
| Needed when stay-over nursery |
Things needed depending on the weather and the season
| 40 to 50 cm length is preferred. The ferrule needs to be rounded | |
| It should be as big as covering body and school bags as well | |
| for sports meeting or other events that make children expose their skins under the strong sun | |
| Coat to wrap up on a school uniform for winter season | |
| For summer festival | |
| For children who go to a kindergarten that has a pool facility |
Kindergarten’s (nursery school’s) preparation list (for those children aged younger than 3 years old)
- Diaper bag
- Powdered milk
- Baby bottle
- Frozen breast milk
- Bib
- Dish or container for baby food
Particularly important things to prepare
Bento box
Even a nursery school or a kindergarten that provides lunch meal has a day of having mother’s lunch box. In addition, a lunch box is in need of events such as outing and sports meeting. When you choose a lunch box for your child, choose the one whose size is as big as your child can eat up.
Toothbrush set
Many nursery schools and kindergartens require you to bring a toothbrush set with a cup for rinsing the mouth. A brush and a cup are hung on a hook board attached on the wall next to the washstand so you may need to attach a loop strap on a toothbrush.
A plastic cup is preferred, which can not be broken in pieces by even dropping.
School shoes (Indoor shoes)
Whether you are required to buy the school designated shoes or you prepare it yourself all depends on the nursery school or the kindergarten.
Children grow up so fast and their feet grow big very fast. You frequently check the size of your child’s shoes at least once a month and consider to buy a new one if your child feels uncomfortable to wear the shoes.
Pajama
There are many nursery schools that let children change to pajamas when taking a nap afternoon. While napping time, children often move around on Futon mat and get sweat so you should choose the one made of breathable material with elasticity.
In addition, when choosing a child’s pajamas, you may also have to pay attention to whether its structure is easy-to-wear for a child who needs to practice wearing cloth by him/herself.
School bag
When children get older than 3 years old, they take their own school bag to school. Except for the case that a nursery school or a kindergarten requires you to buy a designated school bag, you should choose easy-to-carry bags such as a backpack or a shoulder bag.
Diaper bag
Things you take to a nursery school may increase unexpectedly depending on the day. It is convenient for you to buy a relatively big one that has a room for unexpected things to put into. Especially, if your child is 0 years old to 2 years old, the number of changing cloth of your child during nursery time is quite a lot and you have to bring many clothes to stock for changing in a nursery school. A big diaper bag really helps you to carry a lot of baby things from your house.
Tableware for baby foods
In many cases, tableware for children is already prepared in a nursery school but in some cases, you may have to bring a spoon and a fork. Needless to say, choose the one with a handle that your child can easily grip.
Towel to wipe the mouth
Other than a bib, a small towel for a child’s mouth is needed when wiping drool and spilled milk around the lips and the mouth. Child’s skin is very sensitive. Choose a towel made of gauze which is soft and easy to dry.
Bib
For when a baby drools frequently, you should prepare sufficient bibs to change in advance. There are so many types of bib such as a waterproofed one and a fluffy one to protect skin from dry skin. You should find one suitable for your child.
Currently, a bib is fastened by a fastener and snap buttons but some nursery schools designate a bib with string straps to unite together.
Baby bottle
The number of baby bottles you need to prepare depends on the degree of baby’s growth. However, if you leave a child who still can’t have baby foods, taking a baby bottle is a must.
Powered milk
Just make sure if a nursery school that you leave your child to prepare powdered milk or not. In many cases, non-licensed kindergarten provides powered milk in advance, which is included in nursery fees. Just be careful and pay attention to allergy of your child when you buy it.
Towel and handkerchief
Children’s towels are always hung on a hook board on the wall next to the washstand so you should buy one with loop strap or stitch a loop strap on a towel you have.
Choose a handkerchief which is small enough to put in a pocket of a child’s cloth because a child’s cloth pocket is quite small. Make sure the size of handkerchief before you buy it.
If you prepare a handkerchief, you just stitch name tag on it and write your child’s name on it with a felt pen. This is what you are required to do after entrance.
Apron for lunchtime
A child apron should be chosen in accordance with the child’s growth. When a child is still 3 years old, bib type apron which has long sleeves and is waterproofed to protect a cloth from spilled foods over an extensive area is preferred. When a child becomes older than 3 years old, it may be good to change an apron that only protects the front side if a child learns how to eat bit by bit.
Cap
Children often pay outside. Wearing a cap is the most basic measure against ultraviolet radiation. Children always move around back and forth. Choose a cap with a chin strap not to come off from the head.
Depending on the nursery school, it prohibits bringing a cap with an outstanding decoration of a character of Anime on it because conflict can be caused by children over a decorative cap.
You just choose a plain cap as much as possible.
Child beddings
Afternoon napping time is set in all the nursery facilities in Japan. You must be required to but a set of child’s beddings. What you are required to prepare is the following 4 things.
- Blanket for summer season
- Blanket for winter season
- Futon mattress
- Futon sheets
- Blanket cover
Generally, children sleep together in a huddle when napping time. Because children sleep together in one class room, space that one child can occupy is limited so you’re required to prepare designated sized futon mat and blanket.
Diaper and underwear
Some nursery school requires you to bring a bunch of underwear and diapers at one go and others require you to bring a small number of diapers and underwear every day.
Likewise, the policy of disposal of diapers is different depending on the nursery school. Some require you to take used diapers back home and others dispose of every used diaper themselves.
Paper diapers are mainly recommended in nursery schools in Japan but if your child’s skin is really weak to a paper diaper, you must talk this to a teacher. The necessity of preparing for underwear is to children’s toilet training. Considering the number of failing trials, you may have to bring extra underwear.
Socks
Choose easy-to-wear-and-take-off socks. If your child is in a baby class, prepare a sufficient number of socks because a baby changes clothes frequently.
Decoratively embroidered socks are not preferred because undone threads come out of socks inside, which catch child’s foot fingers. Children can’t wear and take off such socks smoothly. Please choose the simple one and prioritize how your child can easily wear and take off.
Writing name on all your child’s belongings
A nursery school is a place of communal living. Children spend the best part of a day with other children. Of course, things you are required to bring by a nursery school are quite a lot so you need to pay attention not to mix up your child belongings with others’ and consider your child can find own stuff easily.
Writing name on every single belonging you take is a common rule in every nursery schools and kindergartens. It is quite troublesome homework that you need to write the name on all the stuff of your child’s. You’d better share this naming task with your husband.
To close
All you have to refer to in the end is not this blog but entrance guide you’ve got from a nursery school or a kindergarten. Everything you want to know is written on the entrance guide. I strongly recommend looking over it in every nook and corner.
As I listed up all the necessary things to take to a nursery school right here, things you prepare is quite a lot, please keep it in mind not to forget reading entrance guild right before the entrance ceremony because things you need to do is not only preparing for child’s stuff.
Moreover, if you are hasty to prepare everything at one go in a limited time, you absolutely mistake with high probability, for example, you may buy a nursery stuff which actually a nursery school prepare in advance according to the entrance guidance, or you may forget to buy something that you are required to prepare.
Take your sufficient time when you prepare for your child’s admission as you move as soon as you receive the entrance guidance from the nursery school.