Why Is Nursery School Crucial for a Child?
Nursery school is crucial for a child's development. Most importantly, it can help to regulate your child's condition. Nurseries also provide one-on-one support to the students and provide opportunities for students to assimilate into the environment.
It gives children the foundation they need to excel at school and in life. The kindergarten curriculum is designed to build a child's self-confidence and success. In addition, nursery school also helps children learn about their culture, which will help them become more confident.
Nursery schools in Singapore offer various subjects like music, arts, science and maths to ensure that these early childhood years are productive and fulfilling for all involved.
With the expansion of globalisation and a casual lifestyle, today's parents often have to work away as part of their job. This means that the parents who choose to send their child to nursery school are also attending to their own needs, and children need proper exposure to other children in the form of classroom interactions.
Benefits of a Singapore nursery school?
Parents hold nursery schools in high regard. They consider the below as the key benefits of choosing to send their child to nursery school.
They can be more independent in school. They learn first-hand how to function in the real world. They have a more manageable schedule, which is conducive to childhood development. They are able to establish strong relationships with their peers and teachers, which are crucial in the early years of life. They can easily adjust to new surroundings and cultural differences as they grow up.
What is taught in International Baccalaureate nursery schools?
Nursery school can provide the child with an opportunity for social interaction and help them develop qualities necessary for them to develop into socially accepting adults.
Nursery school aims to prepare the child in these years for primary school. The school is meant to instil personal and moral values, while also nurturing good habits of leadership, cooperation and mutual respect.
The International Baccalaureate curriculum covers various subjects like math, the arts (painting, music), science and language. While the curriculum changes from one year to another, it is designed to help children be independent in their learning for life.
Here are some subjects that are covered in nursery schools:
1. Alphabets and English letters
In this subject, students are taught the alphabets and words. Students will be taught to recognise the alphabet and words and also be able to spell out words correctly.
Although this is done through song and dance, students will also be exposed to studying sets of letters from the English alphabet, such as vowels; a, e, i, o and u, consonants; w, h, b, m and r etc.
These letters will be discussed to ensure that a child can pronounce each one of them correctly. Concepts like phonics and similar sounding words are used as basic building blocks to help the student grasp this subject.
2. Mathematics
Like the English alphabet, students will be taught basic numbers up to 10. Concepts like counting and similar sounding numbers are used as basic building blocks to help the student grasp this subject.
'High number' concepts are introduced, such as "a whole lot of money", "a whole lot of chocolate bars", and "a whole lot of lemons".
In addition, students will also learn how to add and subtract by using coins or objects. This is done in conjunction with other children to create a rapport between each child in nursery school.
3. Arts and crafts
In the arts and crafts department, students will be given different types of supplies to make their own toys. Students can use crayons, chalk, paints, clay or anything else to make whatever they want.
Students can also use craft items like stickers to create their own self-designed cards and decorate them with different colours. The purpose of this is to let children demonstrate their creativity while also giving them a way to express themselves more freely than they could in a classroom setting.
4. Storytelling
In this subject, students will be provided with a number of books which are divided into different themes. These themes include animals, the world, and their own lives, for example. These books teach children to read.
The children will then be taught how to use the book by using different techniques such as tracing, writing or painting on the book pages.
This is done with the International Baccalaureate teacher's guidance in order to ensure that children are not being left behind in this subject despite being short on time in nursery school. The key point to note here is that it builds a lot of cultural context for the children. They get to know the rich history surrounding the people of the country they were born in and live in. The engrossing storytelling and colourful animation with these stories make for an engaging time for the children.
To sign off
A Singapore nursery schoolis a stepping stone to a child's academic success. When they get admission to a quality school like GIIS, they get exposed to various subjects, as seen in this blog.