[Children's Day] 90% of Nursery Teachers Found Learning in 'Children's Power' - The Key to Unlocking True Potential is the Caregiver's Mental Margin | Codmon Fact-Finding Survey 2026

Codmon Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and CEO: Yoshinori Koike) announces the release of the survey report 'The Reality of Children's Power Survey 2026', targeting 404 teachers facing children at nurseries, kindergartens, and certified centers nationwide (hereinafter referred to as caregivers), to coincide with 'Children's Day' on May 5th.

This survey revealed the reality that caregivers, who are childcare professionals, gain 'learnings' from children, and the 'children's power' that adults should emulate. Furthermore, it highlights that the caregivers' own 'mental margin' is an indispensable element in drawing out this power.

In recent years, information related to 'Children's Day' has often been discussed from the perspective of social issues such as the 'declining birthrate', 'child-rearing costs', and 'shortage of childcare workers'. However, the true protagonists of 'Children's Day' are each and every child possessing rich abilities that adults tend to forget.

We hope this survey will provide an opportunity to once again turn our attention to the innate powers children possess, and to consider the relationship between the 'mental margin' of professional caregivers and the nurturing of 'children's power'.

[Key Points of this Release]

☑ Over 90% of caregivers have had the experience of being 'taught or surprised' by children in the past year.

☑ The number one ability they want to emulate from children is 'unconventional thinking' (39.6%).

☑ Over 80% responded that the caregiver's own 'mental margin' is necessary to draw out children's power.

*More detailed data from this survey can be viewed in the attached PDF file (appendix).

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[1] Over 90% of Caregivers Have the Experience of Being 'Taught by Children'

The number of caregivers who answered that they felt 'I, as an adult, was the one taught or surprised by looking at the children' over the past year reached 91.3% (369 people). This suggests that childcare is not just a one-way interaction from adult to child, but a two-way relationship where children bring awareness and learning to adults. Such relationships can be likened to 'reverse mentors*1' in the business world where young employees instruct their bosses, and this survey showed that it widely exists in childcare settings as well.

Q. Over the past year, have you had the experience of feeling that 'you as an adult were taught' or 'surprised' by watching the children's behavior?

● Yes: 369 (91.3%)

● No: 35 (8.7%)

▼ Episodes of Caregivers 'Being Taught by Children' (Excerpt)

● 'Thank you for making it beautiful'

'The way they question every single thing as flowers bloom, insects appear, leaf colors change, or snow falls during the seasons: 'Why?' 'How come?' They think of answers outside the bounds of adult common sense like, 'Is God doing it?' 'Is someone changing the colors?' They have a sense of gratitude towards nature, saying, 'Thank you for making it beautiful,' 'Please drop acorns again.' I feel there are words born from sensibilities cultivated in the child's unique worldview.' (Licensed Nursery / Homeroom Teacher / 10-19 years experience)

● 'Grape-flavored Apple'

'When I had them color a picture of a fruit during a craft activity, they colored an apple purple and called it a 'grape-flavored apple'. I realized I was bound by common sense when I tried to suggest the fixed color out of a stereotype.' (Certified Center / Principal / 4-9 years experience)

*1 Reverse Mentor: A business term where a younger or subordinate employee instructs a boss. Here, it refers to the relationship where adults gain learning from children, as in the examples above.

*Other episodes are also listed in the appendix.

[2] The Number One 'Ability to Emulate' is 'Unconventional Thinking'

The survey also asked caregivers 'What abilities do adults particularly feel they want to emulate from the behavior of children?' (Multiple answers allowed). Top responses included 'unconventional thinking' (39.6%), 'the ability to immerse oneself in what they like' (33.7%), and 'the ability to enjoy the present moment with all their might' (25.7%), indicating that the abilities modern adults tend to let go of in their busy lives ranked high.

Abilities Caregivers Particularly Want to Emulate from Children's Behavior (Multiple answers allowed) *Over 20%

1st | Unconventional thinking (39.6%)

2nd | Ability to immerse oneself in what they like (33.7%)

3rd | Ability to enjoy the present moment with all their might (25.7%)

4th | Sensitivity to be moved by small changes (25.0%)

5th | Curiosity to question everything (23.5%)

6th | Ability to challenge without fear of failure (21.5%)

*7th place and below are listed in the appendix.

[3] The Key to Drawing Out Children's Power is the Caregiver's 'Mental Margin'

In the survey, when asked 'To what extent do you think a caregiver's 'mental blank space (mental margin)' is necessary to draw out the innate power children possess?'