Bridging the Generation Gap - Children connecting with elderly
It’s not always easy to get people of different age groups (especially children and elderly) to come together for games and bonding these days. Greying hairs and wrinkled skin ...
Chinese Innovation Programme
PCF Toa Payoh East Blk 45 volunteered to participate in this innovation programme which won the MOE Innovation Award (Distinction), with 11 other PCF centres with the aim of benefiting the teachers, parents and children.
Through this programme, Chinese teachers from the 12 centres participated in seminar and workshops to learn how to make learning Chinese interesting for children. They also went on an exchange programme with students taking the Early Childhood Education Degree programme in UniSIM to learn from each other how best to help children in their learning.
The Confucius Institute in Nanyang Technological University donated sets of books complete with teaching material and follow-up activities to the centres. Each K2 child received a set to bring home to work with their parents. In the centre, the Chinese teacher used the same book to read with the children and got them to work on the activities to reinforce what they have learnt from the book.
Parents were then invited to a Parent Sharing session where they learnt from invited speakers how to help their children learn Chinese creatively. They also shared with each other how they have used the book and material given to them and how their children have benefitted from the material.
The Chinese teacher from the centre went on a learning journey to the Peranakan Museum as part of this programme and came back to show the children how to make Nonya kueh and crafts made with beads.
“Read a Story with My Dad”
This programme is done with collaboration with the National Library Board. Children bring home books to read with their fathers over the weekend. After reading the books, they will write comments and short summaries of the books read on the storybook review cards. Fathers will need to sign on these cards to indicate that they have read with their children.
The children, in turn, will come to school, after the weekend, to share with their classmates, what books they have read and what they have learnt from the books.
Besides building the children’s cognitive, language and oral skills, this activity also provide fathers with opportunities to bond with their children and participate in their learning. This programme was so well-supported by parents in the centre that it emerged as one of the top five pre-schools which submitted the most number of storybook review cards in 2012.
Apart from this reading programme, the centre also has a mini-library and children are encouraged to borrow the books home on Fridays. Strong parental support
The centre receives a lot of support and help from the Parent-Support Group. One team of parents help to manage the mini-library on Fridays while another team comes in once a month to tell stories to the children. Others help out with the centre’s events and celebrations. In fact, the centre’s Sports Day is organised and run by the Parent Support Group with the teachers helping out as required. Parents of different races also come to the centre during Festive celebrations to tell children about the culture related to these festivals.
With such strong support, the teachers can focus more on the curriculum and programmes for the children. Parents’ participation also strengthens the bonding between children and parents and teachers and parents. Through their involvement, parents will know what is being taught to the children in the centre and can extend their learning back home.
