Parenting Without Regrets: Our Family's Authentic Approach to Education
Thank you for always reading.
This time, I would like to write about what we do under the theme of parenting without regrets—our family's authentic approach to education.
Our couple's parenting slogan
Let's do parenting that we won't regret!
Click here for our self-introduction
In our home, we place great importance on the environment and the experiences our child has during her early childhood.
In this article, I would like to introduce the "habits of living and learning" that we are conscious of every day, while touching on brain science and child development stages.
Making weekends days to accumulate "experiences"
On weekends, we try to go to various places as a family as much as possible.
Examples of destinations:
◎ Kodomo no Kuni (Children's Land)(The variety of play, such as horseback riding, feeding animals, and playground equipment, is appealing)
◎ Zoo(An irresistible stimulation for my daughter who loves animals)
◎ Events with friends → Home party after returning home(She seems to enjoy this the most)
⚪︎ Aquarium(She likes the dolphin show)
⚪︎ Science Museum(She likes the hands-on exhibits and experiments)
⚪︎ Large park / Small neighborhood park(She doesn't run around that much, but for some reason she likes it)
⚪︎ Grandparents' house(Her absolute allies whom she meets occasionally—"another place where she belongs")
⚪︎ Camping(She likes sitting around the campfire in nature)
⚪︎ Travel(She shows various reactions in non-routine environments)
△ Swimming pool(She likes it, but seems a bit scared still)
I believe that thinking is born from feeling with the body. I consider this the foundation for nurturing a child's thinking ability and emotional range.
Also, I think it serves as a way to discover what she shows interest in—her curiosity at that moment.
Daily "Morning, Afternoon, and Evening Activities"
Morning activities (before going to kindergarten)
Getting dressed by herself and preparing for kindergarten by herself
Eating breakfast together as a family
10 Kumon worksheets x 3 subjects (Japanese, Math, English) *Adjusted to a few sheets on Kumon days
About 5 abacus problems
If there is time left, doing "things she likes" such as playing house or crafts.
Afternoon activities (after kindergarten, after lessons, before dinner)
Playing at the park
Doing crafts at home
Playing house
Evening activities (time before bed)
Family dinner (everyone together on days when possible)
2 books read aloud (by child), 3-6 books read to them (by wife)
At least 9 hours of sleep. 10 hours if possible.
Extracurricular activities and timing
Kumon (Japanese, Math, English) | Twice a week | Started June 2025
Right-brain classroom | Once a week | Ongoing since age 0
Piano | Once a week | Started April 2025
Abacus | Ended temporarily after 5 months in October 2024
▶︎ Reasons for stopping abacus
We started at 4 years and 2 months old when they could write numbers, but they stumbled on "number combinations that make 5 or 10."
We eventually learned that you cannot progress in abacus without mastering these combinations.
Coinciding with this, the teacher scolded them, which made them afraid of the teacher, and their interest faded.
Since their heart wasn't in it, rather than forcing them to continue,
we switched to Kumon to return to the starting point of "enjoying numbers."
From a neuroscience perspective, being in an extremely unpleasant or fearful state triggers the release of stress hormones, prevents the activation of the dopamine reward system, negatively impacts synaptic strengthening, and creates a mental circuit associating learning with something unpleasant, which is not beneficial for the brain.
Turning the home environment into a "place for experience"
Horizontal bar / floor mat / trampoline
Craft set
Building blocks and block puzzles in the restroom
Television is basically only "PythagoraSwitch" on weekdays.
We have hardly let them watch smartphones, tablets, or TV since early childhood.
Parenting stances we value
Engage with what they are obsessed with as much as time allows
Prioritize waking them up in a good mood in the morning (greatly affects the day's behavior)
About 40 minutes of paper-based learning per day (as fun as possible)
Time for physical activity and free play are most important (it is possible to introduce letters, numbers, and shapes even while playing)
“Super-efficient things we can do now” with an awareness of how the brain works
From a neuroscience perspective, exercise and learning that increase **BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor)** help activate nerves.
Furthermore, early childhood (ages 3–7) is a period of high “synaptic plasticity.”
The way the brain works (synaptic plasticity) is that during this period,unused nerves are pruned, and frequently used circuits are strengthened.
That is precisely why, in our home, we ensure minimal daily repetitive learning andprefrontal cortexstimulation. Exercise in particular is said to provide maximum stimulation to the prefrontal cortex.
Prioritize exercise and shape-based play (the foundation for spatial cognition)
Consciously create a stimulating daily life
Prioritize sleep time above all else (for memory consolidation and working memory organization)
We spend our days with the desire to prepare the “brain” for when they begin full-scale learning in the future, during this efficientgolden peakperiod.
Ways to train the prefrontal cortex: Try new things:
You can stimulate the prefrontal cortex by starting new hobbies or visiting unknown places.
Reading and calculation:
Reading and calculation are effective ways to activate the prefrontal cortex.
Interaction with people:
You can stimulate the prefrontal cortex by talking and debating with others.
Exercise:
Moderate exercise promotes blood flow throughout the brain and activates the prefrontal cortex.
Finally
Of course, I believe there is no single right answer to parenting.
However, while keeping the thought of **“not having regrets ourselves”** in mind, I hope we can continue to accumulate the things we can do during this period, little by little.
I would be happy if our experiences, way of thinking, and knowledge of how the brain works could serve as a hint for other families.
Thank you for reading until the end.
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