Preschool Education: Curriculum Highlights

Engaging Children in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Education

Together with our partners, our children are exposed to STEM at an early age through their pre-school education curriculum to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills. Learning stations within the preschool are dedicated to STEM and are equipped with technology-enabled toys.   The Technology Lighthouse at My First Skool introduces user-friendly, intuitive Apple technologies in our centres; and this both complements classroom activities and enhances engagement with young learners. Children gain a rudimentary understanding of programming and what coding is like in their preschool education.

Holistic Education through the ARTS (heARTS)

To advocate the impact and value of an arts education at pre-school level, My First Skool has partnered with the National Arts Council to nurture creativity in children. The programme offers varied opportunities for learning through the arts, with lesson plans co-developed by teaching artists and preschool teachers.   The preschools feature workshops spaces, courtyards and galleries to showcase children’s artworks, creating inspiring environments for free thinking and creativity. This programme also reaches out to engage parents in their children’s learning journey through workshops for both parents and children.

Excellence for Bilingualism and Cultural Intelligence

In conjunction with the Childhood Bilingualism Research Centre (CBRC), Chinese University Hong Kong and NTU’s Early Cognition Lab, we have designed learning environments and classrooms that provide cues to children in terms of what they should do and how they should behave (including language use) in that space.   Our children get to play games that require them to switch between English and Chinese, and are taught basic greetings in the four official languages. They also get to engage with other cultures through puppet theatres, technological tools and current affairs.

Shaping Character, Shaping Destinies

Core values such as respect, responsibility, honesty and care are the basic building blocks of a socially responsible person. Our character building programme (conducted in Chinese) uses a three-pronged approach:   Engagement - Children learn values such as care, honesty, good judgement, responsibility and respect for others who come from different cultural and racial backgrounds — through role-play and fun rhymes.   Critical thinking - Using pictorial scenarios as a teaching aid, children are engaged in discussions and share what they understand to be morally right or wrong.   Action - Daily activities such as independent attendance marking, queuing up to wash hands and being tasked to look after little bonsais help to reinforce aspects of character development like responsibility.   AIt is through hands-on experiences that concepts become internalised and children construct an understanding of how the world works. The programme engages parents in shared activities which can take place at home.

Every Singaporean a Naturalist

Through a partnership with the Nature Society of Singapore (NSS), the centre’s children will be able to learn and appreciate nature. The ‘Every Singaporean a Naturalist’ (ESN) programme equips children and teachers with the knowledge of local plants and animals. This is the first such educational initiative by a preschool operator in Singapore with NSS.   Through the ESN programme, teachers and children gradually learn more about the vast biodiversity of wildlife in Zhenghua Nature Park and the surrounding Nature Reserve. We have also developed a specially customised learning kit together with NSS to introduce young children and members of the public to the monitoring of wildlife and the natural environment around My First Skool at the 6 Segar Road centre.   Currently, 97% of our preschool centres have developed Community in Bloom (CIB) programmes with input from the National Parks Board (NParks); and MFS plans to set up a CIB garden at all of its preschool centres.

Learning the Malay Language Through Heritage

To help our children develop an interest in the Malay language and culture, we have partnered with the National Heritage Board and their ‘Singapore’s Little Treasures’ programme. The programme supports our teachers to deepen their knowledge and skills to help them conduct effective language lessons, while our children get to discover Singapore’s multi-cultural heritage through classroom activities and museum visits.   In the classrooms, our children also experience Malay culture, traditions and heritage through activities such as making kueh, playing traditional "congkak" and "batu seremban" games; and performing traditional musical instruments. The Learning Zones in each classroom at Wisma Geylang Serai also focuses on Malay Heritage, with each corner purposefully created to emphasise Malay cultural elements.