Preschool
How to Hold a Pencil
Mar 4th
My friend who is in the teaching profession sent me this picture when I told her that my girl’s teacher commented that my girl was not holding her pencil in a right way. This picture clearly indicates the way we should hold a pencil and what we should avoid to do when holding one. In case you are keen, here you go … the correct method of holding a pencil. Cheers!
Source: http://www.drawyourworld.com/index.html
Choosing a Preschool
Feb 25th
What are the criteria you look out for when choosing a preschool for your children? Costs, distance, curriculum, teachers, environment?
My 3 years old Genz Kid is now in attending preschool in my neighbourhood. My 10 years old Genz Kid used to attend private preschool which required him to do some travelling. Why the difference, you may asked?
Well, the 2 main reasons are (i) there’s no good preschool in my neighbourhood; and (ii) since my son was the one and only then, my domestic helper can help fetch him to and from school. It’s a bit tricky now that my son is in primary school. I need to take into consideration a number of issues when sorting out my daughter’s preschool arrangement.
The advantages of the neighbourhood preschool? It’s cheaper and within walking distance. The disadvantages? They do not offer 2nd language for Nursery 1 so my girl is not exposed to her mother tongue (i.e. Mandarin) in school, they changes teachers too often and sad to say, their teachers do not speak proper English (my husband once thought he was talking to an admin clerk when in fact he was talking to a teacher). To make matter worst, my girl does not enjoy going to that school. If you asked her if she wants to go to the school opposite, it’s a firm “No” but if you ask her if she wants to go to her weekend Chinese enrichment class, it’s always a firm “Yes”.
I recently asked my son what’s so great about his preschool, he said he liked the teachers (whom I am still in contact with) and the environment. For myself, it’s the communication and professionalism of the teachers that impressed me.
I believe that in order for you to do / learn something, you need to have a liking in that thing first. Once you have the interest , you will naturally enjoy doing that thing. Same philosophy applies to going to school, you need to enjoy going to school first before you enjoy attending the lessons and learn.
Now, I’m really contemplating whether I should put my girl in my son’s preschool even though it means more money and require her to take school bus (the journey is about 20 minutes one way). On bright side, I can be assured that she would be in good hand with professional and experienced teachers.
Which would you choose if you were me?
For reading, http://preschool.sg/ (a website where parents shared their views and experiences on preschools, childcares, kindergartens & early educations in Singapore)
Children and Television
Oct 14th
Shall we allow our young children to watch television programmes? This is one of the most common questions asked by most parents nowadays. I was told by some parents that they do not allow their young children (mostly below the age of 4) to watch television programmes. To them, watching television is not time well-spent. They prefer their children doing something more meaningful such as reading, drawing instead of spending their time in front of the “box”.
My 2 years old girl is a fan of Playhouse Disney on cable TV. Though she can’t tell the time, she knows exactly when to turn on the television so she won’t miss her favourite programme (i.e. Mickey Mouse Club House). My son, now 9 years old, used to be a great fan of Playhouse Disney too. His favourite programme then was Rolie Polie Olie. I still remembered that when our family travelled to Korea when he was 4. What he missed most was Playhouse Disney programmes! Today, my son watches programmes such as Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel and News. Of course, kids being kids, he watches cartoons as well. His favourite? Ben 10 and Mr. Bean on Cartoon Networks.
To clarify, I am not here to encourage you to let your children watch television programmes. I personally think that for children (especially the older ones), watching television can help to reduce stress. Just sharing, my son would laugh out loud whenever he watches Mr Bean and I find that a good form of stress reliever. In addition, by making the right choices, television actually provide a very wide range of general information and also in teaching our children. For example, my girl learns her counting with Mickey Mouse when she watches Mickey Mouse Club House and my son widens his general knowledge through Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel.
I guess the question is not whether we should let them watch television but the questions should really be what type of programmes they should be watching. I believe that with appropriate time management and with the right selection of programmes, television would do more “good” than “harm” to children. Anyway, we get to choose the type of programmes we want to and don’t want to watch. The choice is ours!
For reading, visit http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/health_safety/television.shtml, http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html
For information on Disney Playhouse, visit http://tv.disney.go.com/playhouse/index.html
For information on Cable TV, visit http://www.starhub.com/tv.html
Learning through Play – Preschooler
Oct 8th
Young children learn best through play. My 2 years old girl likes to use her head to hit the ball (like a footballer). She would first throw the ball in the air, jump up high and use her head to hit the ball. Seems easy to you? Well it takes her a few days before she master the skill.
Play allows the children to find their way to the big world in a fun way.
Photo by incurable_hippieResearch has shown that children’s brains develop better when they engage in interactive activities instead of rote learning.
The following scenario might sound familiar to most parents.
Your child invites you to a tea session and asked, “Mommy, would you like to have something to drink? I have milk, coffee, tea, milo, …..”
You replied, “Well, maybe a cup of tea, please.”
“Big cup or small cup, mommy?” she asked again. “Big one” you replied.
Seem pleased with your answer, she happily starts preparing your BIG cup of tea. After she was done, she cautioned you to be careful and that your BIG cup of tea was hot before handing you the BIG cup of tea!
Amazing isn’t? Through play, they have learnt that tea (i) can come in BIG cup or SMALL cup; (ii) is hot and you need to be careful when you drink it. Similarly, when your child is playing with her cooking set, she is given the opportunity to learn the different types of cooking utensils.
Through play, children are given the opportunity to learn and explore their world. They develop their motor skills, creativity, intelligence and interpersonal skills through play. It is important for children to play, so next time your child invites you to play with them, say yes and go along with their “plot”. Who knows, you might end up enjoying yourself and learn something through play too!
For more reading, visit http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbaby/play.html