Mimamori childcare in Japanese and Norwegian early childhood education

In this article, we explore the concept of mimamori and its impact on early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Norway and Japan. Mimamori is a teaching method whereby teachers refrain from giving children direct instructions, which is in line with the Froebelian approach to pedagogy. It is interesting to investigate how this Japanese concept also manifests in Norwegian ECEC. We have reanalysed previous data and analysed new data from Norwegian and Japanese studies to answer the following question: How does mimamori or mimamori-like practice in a Norwegian and a Japanese ECEC context influence the interaction between teachers and children in ways that support social inclusion in the children’s community? Our results show that mimamori can be found in ECEC in both countries, but that the way it is practised involves exercising paedagogical tact and wisdom. There is no set way of practising mimamori. However, there seems to be an understanding in both countries that children should learn how to cope for themselves and be given opportunities to test their own competence, but at the same time have enough support from the teacher so as not to fail and lose confidence.