The Yokomine Method: Is It Right for My Child?
Why this topic is on your mind
“The Yokomine Method”: many of you have probably been surprised to see footage on TV of 5-year-olds jumping a 10-level vaulting box, walking on their hands, or reading kanji. If there is a kindergarten or nursery school nearby that uses the Yokomine Method,
- How is it different from an ordinary school?
- My child isn’t good at sports; will that be all right?
- At schools that emphasize “I can do it”, don’t children it doesn’t suit have a hard time?
- In the first place, is it really effective?
At around age 3, when you start choosing a preschool, these questions inevitably come up. On the other hand, partly because the Yokomine Method received a lot of media coverage in the late 2000s, positive evaluations and cautious views that “isn’t it too much?” are mixed together online too. Let’s calm down and sort it out from the starting point.
Origins and history of the Yokomine Method
The Yokomine Method is a practice that Yokomine Yoshifumi (born 1951) built over a long period at Toriyama Nursery School in Shibushi City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Mr. Yokomine is also known as the uncle of the professional golfer Sakura Yokomine.
- 1951
Yokomine Yoshifumi is born in Kagoshima Prefecture
After a career in business, he later entered early childhood education. He is not an academic researcher or university figure; his background is that of a hands-on nursery school operator who built his own methodology.
- 1980
Toriyama Nursery School opens
The Social Welfare Corporation Junshin Fukushikai opens 'Toriyama Nursery School' in Shibushi City, Kagoshima Prefecture. From the start, it began its own style of childcare based on the ideas that 'every child is a genius' and 'it is not that they cannot do it, it is only that they have not been given the chance'.
- 1990s-2000s
Reading, writing, arithmetic, and gymnastics are systematized
A curriculum of building up 'I can do it' gradually takes shape: daily running, gymnastics centered on the vaulting box and handstands, reading and writing hiragana and kanji, arithmetic, recitation of the Analects, and more. The standard that every child can jump the vaulting box and walk on their hands by graduation becomes well known.
- 2007
'Geniuses Are Made by Age 10' is published
His first book is published by Golf Digest-sha. Toriyama Nursery School is also featured on TV programs and elsewhere, and its name spreads nationwide.
- 2008
'The Yokomine Method: 43 Ways to Motivate Children' is published
A practical book for parents is published by Nihon Bungeisha. Organizes Mr. Yokomine's rules of thumb into 43 items, such as 'children want to compete' and 'children want to do things that are just a little difficult'.
- Today
Spread to certified and practicing schools across Japan
The Yokomine Method, with the Social Welfare Corporation Junshin Fukushikai as its base, spreads as a curriculum to kindergartens and nursery schools across Japan. The number of schools adopting it and how fully they apply it vary from school to school, and the reality is diverse, from 'full adoption' to 'adopting only some activities'.
What is worth noting historically is that the Yokomine Method is not a method born from the world of academic research, but a practice that a hands-on nursery school operator built empirically over about 30 years. Its starting point is different from Montessori and Steiner, who systematized their theories from backgrounds as a physician and a philosopher respectively. This is not a flaw, but as we will see later, it has created certain circumstances from the standpoint of “the body of research”.
What it involves in practice: what goes on at Yokomine Method schools
If you look into an actual Yokomine Method school, you see a daily flow quite different from an ordinary kindergarten. What the Yokomine Method values are three things: “strength of heart, strength to learn, and strength of body”, and the curriculum is built to develop each of these a little every day.
1. Daily running
In the morning, children run right after arriving at school. They run a distance suited to their age every day. Even on rainy days they often run indoors, and a feature is placing value on “continuing every day” in itself.
2. Gymnastics (vaulting box, handstands, bridges)
Elements of gymnastics, such as the vaulting box, handstands, bridges, cartwheels, walking on the hands, and walking in a bridge, are built into the daily curriculum. The goal is said to be that by graduation, every child can jump the vaulting box, walk in a bridge, and walk on their hands.
3. Reading, writing, and arithmetic
Hiragana, katakana, kanji, numbers, arithmetic: these are advanced little by little in a repetitive drill format. Being able to read simple kanji at age 5 and do arithmetic at the level of first grade of elementary school are the milestones often presented.
4. Recitation of the Analects
Children recite passages from the Analects of Confucius aloud before understanding the meaning. It is the traditional idea of recitation (sodoku) that “the meaning will come naturally later”.
5. The four “switches”
Mr. Yokomine’s books (such as ‘The Yokomine Method: Four Switches That Make Children Geniuses’) set out four psychological principles for drawing out children’s motivation.
- Children want to compete: having a rival makes them try harder
- Children want to do things that are just a little difficult: tasks that are neither too easy nor too hard make them grow
- Children want to imitate: older children serve as models
- Children want to be recognized: building up experiences of being praised when they succeed
These were organized as rules of thumb, but they are also ideas that partly overlap with research findings in educational psychology, such as “appropriate difficulty (Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development)” and “motivation through a sense of achievement”.
What does the research say?
From here, we will tell you honestly about the effects of the Yokomine Method.
Main finding 1: There is almost no independent third-party research on the Yokomine Method itself
Even when the editorial team searched academic databases in Japan and abroad, “peer-reviewed research comparing children who attended Yokomine Method schools with those who did not, with long-term follow-up” could not be found as of now (May 2026).
This does not mean the Yokomine Method “has no effect”. It means that “academic material for talking about its effects has not yet accumulated”. Several reasons can be considered.
- Because the Yokomine Method is a practice born from a hands-on nursery school rather than an academic institution, there is no setup for researchers to be continuously involved
- Even under the single label “Yokomine Method school”, the reality ranges from full to partial adoption, making it hard to define the “intervention” for research
- Enrollment requires strong will on the parents’ part, making it hard to compare after removing the influence of family background (self-selection bias)
- Across early childhood education research in Japan, comparative studies with long-term follow-up are themselves scarce
This is also a common issue, including for Montessori and Steiner, pointed out in a paper reviewing the state of research on alternative educational approaches in general. It is fair to read the thinness of research on the Yokomine Method not as a negative evaluation of the method itself but as structural circumstances that the whole field of early childhood education faces.
Main finding 2: Adjacent general research gives some partial hints
Breaking the content of the Yokomine Method into elements, each overlaps with themes that have been examined separately in education research.
‘Visible Learning’, a large-scale study of educational effects integrating more than 800 meta-analyses
reports that the effect size of “direct instruction”, proceeding in a teacher-led, structured way, is d=0.59. This is a relatively strong effect, above the d=0.40 that Hattie uses as the benchmark “equivalent to one year’s learning growth”. The way the Yokomine Method proceeds with reading, writing, and arithmetic shares many of the features of direct instruction: clear attainment goals, gradual steps, and repetition with immediate feedback.
However, the subjects of Hattie’s research are mainly school-age children, and care is needed in extrapolating to preschool children. Also, the effects of direct instruction are measured in “defined academic skills (reading, arithmetic)”, and there is a separate debate about other indicators such as creativity and emotional well-being.
Main finding 3: There is research support for physical activity and repetitive physical skills
For daily running and gymnastics, there is support visible from another field of research. Several meta-analyses have confirmed that moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity in early childhood works positively on cardiorespiratory fitness, motor development, and executive function (self-control and planning ability) (for details, see the article on sports and physical activity in early childhood). It is also widely known from basic research on motor learning that acquiring physical skills such as the vaulting box and handstands depends strongly on the amount and quality of repetitive practice.
In other words, it can be said that much of the physical side of the Yokomine Method’s design, “moving the body every day” and “repeating while raising the difficulty little by little”, makes sense in research terms as well.
Main finding 4: Points to look at carefully
On the other hand, some points of caution have also been raised in research and practice.
- Consideration of the premise that “everyone reaches the same milestone”: for children who struggle with the vaulting box or who learn letters slowly, there is a risk that daily practice works in the opposite direction from building confidence. The pace of development varies greatly between individuals, and differences in attainment at age 5 do not necessarily mean differences in the future
- A tendency for time for free play and imaginative play to decrease relatively, as more time is given to repetitive learning: free play itself has confirmed research value for social skills, creativity, and emotion regulation, so how much time to spend on what is a choice
- A design that uses competition as motivation: “children want to compete” applies to many children, but some children prefer cooperation or their own pace to competition. Research on motivation holds that the balance between extrinsic (competition, rewards) and intrinsic (interest, exploration) motivation is important
It is reasonable to read these not as claims that “the Yokomine Method is wrong” but as the “fits / doesn’t fit” aspect that every educational approach has.
What the Yokomine Method values
What Yokomine emphasizes
Based on the belief that 'every child is a genius', building up 'I can do it' in reading, writing, arithmetic, and gymnastics through daily repetition. Emphasizes confidence through experiences of achievement, discipline, and acquiring physical ability.
What adjacent research supports
Adjacent research supports
The value of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity in early childhood, the effectiveness of structured instruction (mainly for school-age children), and the aspect of experiences of achievement leading to motivation: these are consistent with the Yokomine Method's design.
What is still thinly tested directly
Not yet directly tested
'Long-term outcomes of children who attended Yokomine Method schools', 'what early acquisition of reading and writing brings ten years later', and 'how uniform milestones for everyone act on individual differences' have not yet been sufficiently tested in independent research.
When I went to visit the Yokomine Method kindergarten near us, the children seemed really lively. They were doing the vaulting box and kanji one after another. But I’ve been wondering what the research says.
That’s a reasonable thing to look into. To be honest, at present almost no independent research on the Yokomine Method itself can be found. That doesn’t mean “it has no effect”; it means “there is still little academic material for talking about its effects”.
Without research, what should I rely on to decide…?
One approach is to break the content of the Yokomine Method into elements and check them against adjacent research. For example, “daily physical activity” has research support. “Instruction that proceeds in structured steps with repetition” has also been confirmed to be effective, though in research on school-age children. On the other hand, how “a design in which everyone reaches the same milestone” acts on children with large individual differences is a part that still hasn’t been tested enough.
My child goes at her own pace a bit, and she might not be good with competitive things…
That’s an important observation. The Yokomine Method takes “children want to compete” as one of its premises, and it’s designed so that children it suits grow quickly. On the other hand, for children who prefer to work steadily at their own pace rather than compete, another approach may feel more comfortable. When you visit, taking your child with you and seeing how she reacts to the atmosphere of the classroom is the most reliable clue.
I see. It seems best not to decide based on preconceptions, and to go and see first.
Children this method suits, and children it may not
Although the body of research is thin, from the voices of practicing schools and parents and from adjacent research, the following tendencies can be said to some extent. However, they are not absolute; please read them only as a rough guide.
Children it often seems to suit
- Children who love moving their bodies: children for whom daily running and gymnastics are a pleasure, not a stress
- Children who are delighted by “I did it!”: children who can build up confidence through experiences of achievement
- Children who like working on things together with friends and get excited by a little competition: children who try harder with a rival
- Children who feel comfortable continuing with the same rhythm every day: children for whom routine brings a sense of security
Children for whom you might also want to consider other approaches
- Children who want to work steadily at their own pace: for children who go at their own pace, a preschool centered on individual activities, such as Montessori, is also a candidate
- Children with a strong sense of being bad at physical activity: daily gymnastics may become “a painful time” rather than “a fun challenge”. Watch the pace while supporting them at home
- Children who get absorbed in imaginative play and pretend play: if you want to value time for free play, also consider Steiner schools, forest kindergartens, or schools that incorporate the ideas of Reggio Emilia
- Children who prefer cooperation and dialogue to competition: likewise, Reggio Emilia or Montessori mixed-age classes may feel more comfortable
Choosing a preschool is less “searching for the right answer” and more the work of finding “where is a good fit for my child and our family’s values”. If there are several options in the same town, we recommend visiting them in person as far as possible and comparing your child’s reactions (see also the articles on Montessori, Steiner, and Reggio Emilia).
For families whose children already attend a Yokomine Method school
On this site, as a rule, we do not write in a way that criticizes families who have already chosen something and are working on it. This is a particularly important point.
If your child goes happily every day, that is enough. There is no need to feel anxious on hearing that “there is no research support”. It is only that research has not caught up; the experiences your child gains every day, the habit of moving the body, experiences of achievement, discipline, the joy of working together with friends, certainly exist.
Conversely, if your child cries “I don’t want to go” or keeps looking tired at home too, that is an important sign. Talking with the school to adjust the pace, or thinking about options including changing schools: that kind of flexibility is something only parents can provide.
Not “keep going because it’s the Yokomine Method” or “quit because it’s the Yokomine Method”, but please make “how my child is doing, right now” your most important criterion.
Closing dialogue
In the end, how should I think about whether to put my child in the Yokomine Method kindergarten?
I recommend starting by going to visit. If possible, take your child along and see how she reacts to the atmosphere of the classroom and to the children running and jumping. If she watches with shining eyes, the fit is likely to be good. Conversely, if she shrinks back or won’t get down from your arms, it’s a sign you’d do better to look at other schools as well.
If we don’t send her there, is there anything we can do at home?
Some of the elements the Yokomine Method values are easy to bring into the home. For example, a habit of moving the body at a set time every day (a morning walk, outdoor play in the park), small chances to take on “something just a little difficult” (doing up buttons herself, helping to wash the rice), and properly being happy and recognizing it when she succeeds. These alone become a foundation for the Yokomine Method’s idea of “growing confidence through experiences of achievement”.
So I don’t have to make her do the vaulting box or kanji at home.
There’s absolutely no need to force it. Being able to jump the vaulting box or read kanji at 5 is closer to a symbol of the experience of achievement, “if you keep at it every day, you can even do this”, than a goal in itself. At home, doing things your child is interested in together, at her own pace: that alone is a more than rich enough experience.
Thank you. I’ll go to visit the school I’ve been curious about with my husband, and take our time deciding.
Research details
Primary sourcesType of material: A book by the practitioner (general-audience book)
Content: The first systematic work setting out, from hands-on experience, the ideas of the Yokomine Method practiced at Toriyama Nursery School and the concrete ways of proceeding with reading, writing, arithmetic, and gymnastics. The central themes are the basic stance that “every child is a genius” and “it is not that they cannot do it, it is only that they have not been given the chance”, daily repetition, and building up experiences of achievement.
Position: Not peer-reviewed academic research but an experiential account by the practitioner. It has high reference value as the original source for learning the ideas and methodology of the Yokomine Method first-hand, but note that it is not a book aimed at “evaluating effects”.
Type of material: A book by the practitioner (a practical book for parents)
Content: Sets out 43 concrete ways to draw out children’s motivation, built around four principles: “children want to compete”, “children want to do things that are just a little difficult”, “children want to imitate”, and “children want to be recognized”. Proposes ways of being involved that can also be practiced at home.
Position: A systematization of rules of thumb. It includes ideas that partly overlap with research findings in educational psychology (the zone of proximal development, achievement motivation, modeling, etc.), but the book itself is not academic empirical research.
Study design: A “meta-meta-analysis” integrating more than 800 meta-analyses (synthesis of meta-analyses). Compares and organizes the effect sizes of various factors in education.
Participants: Integrates existing meta-analyses that together include data on tens of millions of pupils and students (mainly school-age).
Main results: Calculated the average effect size of educational interventions as d=0.40, and positioned this as “the benchmark equivalent to one year’s learning growth”. The effect size of direct instruction is d=0.59, among the relatively high. Its features are clear attainment goals, gradual instruction, and repetition with immediate feedback.
Limitations: Because of the method of integrating meta-analyses, the context of individual studies is averaged out and hard to see. Most subjects are school-age pupils and students, so care is needed in extrapolating to preschool children. Also, effect sizes are measured mainly in “defined academic skills”, and creativity and emotional aspects need separate discussion.
Study design: A systematic review of Montessori education (also touching on the state of research on alternative educational approaches in general)
Scope: An integrative review of the main existing research on alternative education.
Main results (parts relevant to this article): For evaluating the effects of alternative educational approaches, including Montessori and Waldorf (Steiner), there are almost no rigorous randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Most are observational or matched studies, with problems of selection bias, sample size, and fidelity of implementation. More methodologically robust research is needed to speak rigorously about the effects of alternative educational approaches. It does not directly target the Yokomine Method, but it has reference value for understanding the common issue of “the difficulty of academically evaluating early childhood educational approaches born from practice”.
Limitations: Not a comprehensive review of the Yokomine Method. Strictly an essay setting out methodological issues in research on alternative education in general.
Type of material: Official information from the operating organization
Content: Posts the basic philosophy of the Yokomine Method (“strength of heart, strength to learn, strength of body”), the history of Toriyama Nursery School, Yokomine Yoshifumi’s profile, information on certified and practicing schools, and more.
Position: Has reference value as primary information, but because it is information from the operating side, note that its evaluation of effects and track record is different in nature from independent third-party verification.