I have had a lot of fun introducing our Reception students to Kimochis; a family of cuddly critters and a big bowl of emotions.
Kimochi means “feeling” in Japanese, Kimochis are toys with feelings, designed to help children feel happy, safe, confident, compassionate, and successful, help them establish and sustain strong friendships, help them get along with each other, and become resilient.
Kimochis are a proven system for helping students grow and transform by dealing skilfully with their feelings. Research documents that when instruction in building social, emotional, and behavioural skills is provided at a young age, there is a positive effect on how children problem-solve and interact with their peers later in life. Our Reception students have been learning how to recognise and manage emotions, demonstrate care and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle challenging situations constructively. Each week I introduced a new Kimochis character and a story, we played games to help us understand that all feelings are okay. We also learnt how the characters supported and helped each other and learnt some strategies for regulating our emotions.
In the next week or so students will be presented with Kimochis certificates which I am sure they will be proud to share with you.
Below is information on each of the characters so you can talk to your children about which Kimochis character they are most like and also which character you are like.
If you have any questions or comments about this program, please contact the school office on 8271 2227.
Julie Asher-Ellis