Get a well-rounded education through fun activities
April 15, 2019
At a pre-school in Bukit Panjang, children have fun trying to identify the different bird and plant species in a park. Through this outdoor activity, they learned to appreciate biodiversity and cultivate a love of nature. My First Skool’s teachers can also leverage this activity to inculcate values of caring for the environment.
The children are from NTUC First Campus' My First Skool at Segar Road, which is built within Zhenghua Nature Park.
Several of My First Skool’s 140 pre-schools islandwide have a niche, and the Segar Road pre-school’s focus is on nature-based learning.
This provides both physical and mental health benefits for their children, assists gross and fine motor development, and helps them develop lifelong love of the outdoors.
Apart from nature-based learning, the other niches include the arts, bilingualism and cultural intelligence, and STEM-based learning (science, technology, engineering and math education). In addition, all NTUC First Campus' My First Skool centres teach children a holistic quality curriculum made up of six holistic learning domains. These six domains allow pre-schoolers to experience the joy of learning, and pick up important skills to prepare them well for primary school and beyond.
Here is a run-through of each domain:
1. Language and literacy
Pre-schoolers sharpen their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills through interactions with adults and their peers.
At My First Skool, class discussions, public speaking and show-and-tell sessions are woven into the syllabus to develop the children’s communication skills. The pre-schoolers also get to design birthday cards and pen messages to their classmates.
Through these activities, pre-schoolers are encouraged to express themselves freely and confidently.
2. Numeracy
Tell the time, count the money, sort the shapes and weigh the fruits. Your young ones will be taught basic skills in numeracy through the use of teaching materials, pictures and symbols. Having a grasp of these numeracy concepts will put them in good stead to learn more advanced concepts when they enter primary school.
3. Discovery of the world
Pre-schoolers at My First Skool go on termly field trips to places such as the zoo, the park or a precinct in the neighbourhood so that they get to explore their living environment.
Through the field trips, they not only make sense of the world around them, but also acquire knowledge about living things, non-living things, places and events. These fun-filled activities lay the foundation for geography, history and science lessons in the future.
4. Motor skills development
Time is dedicated daily for outdoor activities where pre-schoolers get to do what they love most: Run, jump, skip, and any other physical activity that develops their gross motor skills.
They also get to improve their hand-eye coordination through ball games.
Furthermore, writing and art lessons hone fine motor skills which are needed for tasks such as tearing of scrap paper, cutting of shapes, folding of paper and drawing.
5. Aesthetics and creative expression
Pre-schoolers are encouraged to express themselves and explore artistic pursuits such as chalk drawing, origami (art of paper folding) and making of clay models. Your young children will sing and dance as they explore elements of music such as beat and rhythm; they will also learn to to play simple musical instruments like the triangle and tambourine.
6. Social and emotional development
Children learn to relate to one another through collaboration and cooperation in group activities. Classroom activities focus on individuals, family and community. They will also be able to share their likes and dislikes, talk about their feelings, and learn how to build positive interpersonal relationships and to take responsibility for their actions.
SPECIAL FOCUS AREAS
Apart from these six holistic learning domains that form the core curriculum, selected centres specialise in one of these niches — STEM-based learning (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), arts, bilingualism and cultural intelligence, or nature-based learning.
To find out more about the niches visit https://www.myfirstskool.com/curriculum-highlights
Upcoming roadshow
To experience My First Skool's learning methodologies personally, head to the My First Skool Experience roadshow at Jurong Point on April 27 and 28. Fifteen centres in western Singapore will be participating in the roadshow.
Enrolment is open for up to the March 2020 intake.
Parents who register their child for pre-school during the roadshow will receive a free goodie bag worth $65.
Registration will require copies of both parents’ NRICs, the child's birth certificate, as well as a payment by NETS of $85.60 in registration fees.
Also, bond with your child over these activities:
- Create a special greeting card at the Mother's Day Zone
- Discover how role-playing helps teach children literacy and self-discipline at the Outdoor Camp Zone
This article was brought to you by NTUC First Campus' My First Skool.
