- The following is content from the press release -
11 themes ranging from letters and numbers to programming are offered in response to the desire to "develop knowledge and thinking skills from early childhood.
The course for older children, which opened in April 2022, has the highest number of users (*1) and achieved a 96.6% satisfaction rate (*2).
Benesse Corporation (headquartered in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture; Hitoshi Kobayashi, President & CEO; hereinafter "Benesse") will launch a new course for 4- and 5-year-olds in the "Kodomo Challenge Touch" tablet learning method of its "Kodomo Challenge" early childhood education and lifestyle support brand.
The Benesse Institute of Education's "6th Survey of Preschoolers' Lives" survey of mothers with preschool children found that the number of families that focus on "letters and numbers" increased by 22.4 percentage points over the past 17 years.
Many parents are also concerned about "how to develop the ability to think" and "programming and English," which are difficult to teach at home. We are sensing a growing need among parents and guardians to "help their children, who will live in uncertain times in the future, develop a variety of skills. It is important for children who will live in the future to acquire a wealth of knowledge and thinking skills, and to be able to think and seek solutions on their own.
Against this backdrop, Benesse began offering "Kodomo Challenge Touch" for older children in April 2022, based on its more than 30 years of expertise in early childhood education and knowledge of digital learning materials. Kodomo Challenge Touch" is an educational material filled with themes that will lead to the future, such as programming and English, as well as basic knowledge of letters, numbers, and shapes for elementary school. The program helps children develop the ability to think through problems for which there is more than one answer, through trial and error.
In response to the popularity of the older children's course among many families, we will open a new course for middle school children in April 2023. Kodomo Challenge will continue to support the environment surrounding families with young children, and will support parents and children to have a richer parent-child experience by catering to the children's own desire to grow and the parents' wish for their children's growth.
Kodomo Challenge Touch" Senior Course/Intermediate Course
In addition to digital learning content delivered monthly on a dedicated learning tablet, a combination of toys and paper materials are also provided. With an optimal media configuration for each learning theme and developmentally appropriate teaching methods, students will learn the themes they will need in the future.
Target: Students who will be in middle or senior high school from April 2023
■Time Yearly middle school students will be offered from the April 2023 issue (older students have already been offered).
38,760 yen (lump-sum payment for 12 months) 3,230 yen per month *Tax included
0 yen for the cost of a dedicated tablet if you continue to take classes for 6 months or longer.
URL https://www2.shimajiro.co.jp/touch/
(Reference) Benesse Institute of Education, "The 6th Survey on Life of Preschoolers.
*Percentage of "very applicable" and "fairly applicable".
*"Learning social manners and rules," "Doing what you can by yourself," "Communicating your feelings and thoughts to others," and "Valuing traditions and culture" have been asked since 2015.
The survey was conducted in March 2005, March 2010, February to March 2015, and March 2022 in the Tokyo metropolitan area (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama prefectures) among mothers with infants aged 1 year and 6 months to 6 years old before school age. 2,258 respondents in March 2005, 2,839 respondents in March 2010, 3,287 respondents in February to March 2015, and 3,410 respondents in March 2022 were surveyed. March 2022: 3,410 respondents.
*Click here for a summary of the survey.https://berd.benesse.jp/jisedai/research/detail1.php?id=5803
Three features of Kodomo Challenge Touch to develop the skills needed for the future
- From letters, numbers, English, programming to art, students can learn 11 themes on a single tablet.
11 themes necessary for the future, such as programming and art, as well as knowledge that leads to Japanese and arithmetic for entering elementary school (12 themes for older children)
In addition, we work with experts to design the best teaching methods for the topics you want to learn.
We design the best teaching methods based on an understanding of what each child can and cannot do at each age, and how to encourage their interest and enthusiasm. This allows children to naturally experience programming and English, which are difficult for parents to teach.
- Include plenty of output, and think in your own way, through trial and error.
They move their hands and fingers, talk, and sing. Through trial and error and output, students develop their ability to think.
- A device that allows you to watch your children grow up even when you are apart from them, in line with the lifestyle of today's families.
~Comments from Rina Hashimoto, Head of Preschool Products, Benesse Corporation "Kodomo Challenge
Kodomo Challenge Touch is a tablet learning method that motivates children in their junior and senior years to learn while having fun at the same time. In addition to learning the basics of letters, numbers, and shapes, the program also includes themes such as programming, art, and the ability to think, and aims to nurture the ability to express oneself and to think from multiple perspectives by tackling problems that have more than one answer through trial-and-error.
We would be happy to help you experience the joy of learning and develop an attitude of continuous self-directed learning for elementary school and beyond.
■About the data we have presented
1 Tablet learning method for senior citizens No. 1 in number of users
Survey of learning methods (teaching materials, classrooms, etc.) centered on tablets used by children aged 5 and 6 in April 2022. The number of users was estimated using the number of births in the "Demographic Survey (2020 Edition)" by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Comparison operators were selected based on the Yano Research Institute's "2021 White Paper on the Education Industry. (Survey commissioned by Macromill, Inc. 1,003 parents of children born between April 2, 2016 and April 1, 2017 who used tablet-based learning methods responded to the survey, conducted online from 5/26/2022 to 6/27/2022)
2 Satisfied with "Kodomo Challenge Touch" Senior Course 96.6
From a survey of 1,291 respondents who use "Kodomo Charenji Jampu Touch" in FY2022 (conducted from December 22 to December 27, 2022). Percentage of respondents who answered "very applicable," "fairly applicable," or "somewhat applicable.
About Kodomo Challenge https://www2.shimajiro.co.jp/
Kodomo Challenge, launched in 1988, continues to provide products and services that expand children's potential through play and learning suited to their upbringing. In addition to educational materials for children aged 0-6 that nurture the ability to open up the future through rich experiences with the brand character "Shimajiro," the company offers products and services that support children's growth, including English language materials, TV programs, movies, and concerts. China, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia
