Why Do Parents Attend Shichida Classes?

One of the most common questions new families ask is: “Why do parents have to attend Shichida classes?”

The short answer is that parents are not expected to be spectators. In the Shichida Method, the accompanying adult is part of the learning environment and is also shown how activities can be continued outside the classroom.

This article explains why Shichida UK uses this approach, what parents actually do during a class, and what broader research says about responsive adult-child interaction and play.

Why Do Parents Attend Shichida Classes?

Parents attend Shichida classes for three main reasons:

1. To provide a familiar, responsive adult presence while the child participates in class.
2. To learn the activities and techniques used during the session.
3. To continue appropriate learning activities at home between weekly classes.

This means the parent is not simply observing what happens in the classroom. The aim is for the parent and child to experience the activities together and for the parent to understand how the approach is intended to work beyond the weekly session.

You Are Not a Spectator

At Shichida, you sit alongside your child for the full 60-minute class. Rather than leaving your child with the teacher and returning later, you participate in the classroom experience.

This is a deliberate part of the Shichida Method. The teacher demonstrates activities, while the accompanying adult observes, participates and learns how to support the child.

1. A Familiar Adult Can Support a Positive Learning Environment

Young children learn within relationships. Research from Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child describes responsive, back-and-forth interactions between children and caring adults—often called “serve and return” interactions—as an important part of children's early developmental environment.

These interactions involve a child communicating through sounds, gestures, facial expressions or actions and an adult responding appropriately. Harvard's research resources explain that these responsive exchanges support early social, emotional and language development and contribute to the development of brain architecture.

Shichida's use of a parent or familiar caregiver alongside the child reflects the importance the programme places on an engaged adult-child relationship.

Read Harvard's research on serve and return interactions →

2. Parents Learn the Techniques Used in Class

A 60-minute weekly class represents only a small part of a child's week. One reason Shichida asks parents to participate is so that they can understand the activities and approach used in the classroom and continue suitable activities at home.

Depending on the child's age and programme, this may include activities involving memory, visual attention, language, listening, movement, play and other forms of cognitive engagement.

Parents can therefore learn more than simply what activity the child is doing. They can also observe how the teacher presents it and how the child responds.

What Parents Can Learn

• Pacing and presentation: how activities are demonstrated and presented to young children.
• Positive encouragement: how to respond constructively to a child's effort and participation.
• Activity ideas: ways of incorporating short learning activities into everyday routines.
• Child observation: how to notice a child's responses, interests and engagement during activities.

For parents, this can make the weekly class more practical: rather than simply hearing that an activity happened, they see it being demonstrated and can ask the teacher questions about how to approach it.

Parents can also explore ways to support learning at home between classes.

3. Shared Positive Experiences Can Make Learning Enjoyable

Learning is not only about completing an activity correctly. Young children also experience learning through relationships, play, encouragement and shared attention.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that developmentally appropriate play with parents and peers can support social-emotional, cognitive, language and self-regulation development. Its clinical report, The Power of Play, was reaffirmed in 2025.

Read the American Academy of Pediatrics report on the power of play →

Shichida's approach builds shared parent-child participation into the classroom experience. The intention is to make learning an activity that the child and adult experience together rather than something that happens separately from the parent.

What Does the Research Say About Parent Participation?

It is useful to separate two different questions:

1. What does developmental research say about responsive adult-child interaction and play?
2. What evidence specifically demonstrates the effectiveness of the Shichida Method?

The first question has a substantial research base. Harvard's Center on the Developing Child describes responsive, back-and-forth interactions with caring adults as important to early development, while the American Academy of Pediatrics highlights developmentally appropriate play with parents and peers as an opportunity to support multiple areas of development.

These sources provide context for why an engaged adult-child relationship can be valuable during early childhood learning.

What Is Different About Shichida's Approach?

The distinctive feature of the Shichida classroom is not simply that a parent is physically present. The parent is expected to participate in the experience and learn how the programme's activities are presented.

This creates a connection between three parts of the learning experience:

Passive Observation vs. Active Participation

The difference is important. Shichida is designed around an accompanying adult who participates rather than simply dropping a child off and returning later.

How parent participation differs from passive observation

Passive Observation	Active Participation at Shichida
Parent is separate from the classroom activity.	Parent sits alongside the child during the session.
Parent may only hear afterwards what happened in class.	Parent sees the activities being demonstrated first-hand.
Learning may remain largely within the classroom.	Parents can learn activities and approaches that may be continued at home.
Teacher is the main person interacting with the child.	Teacher, child and accompanying adult participate in the learning environment together.

What If I Cannot Always Attend?

Families do not necessarily need the exact same adult to accompany the child every week. What matters for the Shichida classroom is that the child is accompanied by a familiar adult who is able and willing to participate.

Many families alternate between parents, while grandparents or other familiar caregivers may also accompany a child. If a different adult will be attending, it is helpful to let the instructor know beforehand so the transition can be handled smoothly.

If you are considering Shichida for your child, you can learn more about what to expect in a Shichida class or contact Shichida UK about a trial class.

What Parents Actually Gain From Attending

For many families, the value of attending the class is not limited to the hour spent in the classroom. Parents also gain a clearer understanding of the activities their child is experiencing and how the programme is intended to connect with home life.

• First-hand understanding: You see the activities rather than relying on a description afterwards.
• Practical ideas: You can take appropriate activity ideas away from the classroom.
• Teacher feedback: You can observe how your child responds and discuss questions with the instructor.
• Shared experience: You participate in the learning process alongside your child.
• Continuity: You can understand how classroom activities may connect with interactions at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do parents have to stay in the room during a Shichida class?

Yes. Shichida classes are designed around active participation by a parent or familiar accompanying adult. The adult sits alongside the child for the 60-minute session and takes part in the classroom experience.

Can a grandparent or nanny attend the class instead?

A grandparent or other familiar caregiver can accompany a child where appropriate. The important consideration is that the accompanying adult is familiar to the child and able to participate actively in the class. If someone different will be attending, let your instructor know beforehand.

Why do parents learn the techniques used in Shichida classes?

Parent participation allows adults to see how activities are presented and understand how the Shichida approach is intended to continue beyond the weekly classroom session. Parents can then use suitable activities and learning interactions at home.

Does research show that parental involvement is beneficial for young children?

Research supports the importance of responsive adult-child interaction and developmentally appropriate play. For example, Harvard's Center on the Developing Child describes responsive “serve and return” interactions as important to early development, while the American Academy of Pediatrics highlights play with parents and peers as supporting social-emotional, cognitive, language and self-regulation development.

Can parents continue Shichida activities at home?

Yes. One purpose of parent participation is to help adults understand the activities used in class so that suitable learning interactions can continue at home. Your instructor can advise you on activities appropriate for your child's programme and stage.

Is Shichida the same as general early-years play?

No. Shichida is a specific educational method with its own classroom structure and activities. Some broader principles relevant to early childhood learning—such as responsive interaction, play and parent-child engagement—are also discussed in independent developmental research. Those broader principles should not be confused with independent validation of the Shichida Method as a whole.

Sources & Further Reading

The following sources provide independent background on early childhood development, responsive adult-child interaction and play.

1. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Serve and Return: Back-and-forth exchanges.
   Explains how responsive, back-and-forth interactions between young children and caring adults contribute to early development and brain architecture.
2. Yogman, M. et al., American Academy of Pediatrics. The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children.
   Reviews the role of developmentally appropriate play in supporting social-emotional, cognitive, language and self-regulation development. The report was reaffirmed in 2025.
3. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. A Guide to Serve & Return.
   Provides additional background on responsive caregiver-child interaction and its relationship to early development.

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