Chapter 1 · the goals of childcare
Wonder is the whole point
Goal (d) isn’t about facts. It’s about protecting the moment a child stops, stares, and asks “why?”
Goal (d)
Curiosity about life, nature, and society
Nurture interest and curiosity about life, nature, and events in society, and lay the earliest foundation for rich feeling and thinking in response to them.
But here’s the key
Three worlds, one curiosity
The guidelines name three subjects on purpose: life (a living thing, a body), nature (weather, seasons, bugs), and society (people, roles, rules). A child doesn’t need a lesson plan to explore all three — a snail on the fence covers two of them before lunch.
In real life
The puddle that stopped the walk
On the way to the park, a child crouches by a puddle and won’t move. The schedule says “keep walking.” Goal (d) says stop with her for thirty seconds and ask “what do you see?” That puddle might be the most educational thing on the route.
A common misunderstanding
“I need the right answer ready.”
“A child asks why the sky is blue — I need to know the science or I’ve failed them.”
“I can say ‘I wonder too — let’s look together.’ Shared curiosity teaches more than a fact I recite alone.”
Why this matters to you
It gives you permission to slow down
A packed schedule can make every pause feel like falling behind. But goal (d) is explicit: the feeling and thinking that come from noticing the world is the curriculum, not a detour from it.
The child who stopped for the puddle wasn’t distracted. She was doing exactly what this goal asks for.
Your turn
Think of the last time a child stopped walking to look at something.
Did I hurry them along, or crouch down and look too?
Next time, crouch down first. The schedule can wait thirty seconds.
About Bond Japan
NPO Bond Japan
Bond Japan connects international schools so they can learn from one another and deepen a shared understanding of early childhood education and care.
