Prep Talk

Starting primary school is a big leap for a six-year-old. How do major preschool chains prepare their young charges? Young Parents finds out.

From a class of 15 to a class of 30 or more. From a homely set-up to a sprawling complex of buildings. From teachers who hug you, to teachers who don’t smile (much). And let’s not talk about homework.

Is it any wonder then that many parents are anxious – perhaps more so than their children – about how prepared their little ones are for Primary 1?

“The transition from kindergarten to primary school is a big one, and advancing from kindergarten to primary school can actually be quite daunting,” says Thian Ai Ling, deputy general manager of My First Skool.

“Apart from learning subjects at a deeper level, children have to adjust to a new environment, follow a different routine and exercise a greater degree of independence,” she adds.

“Today, transition activities between preschools and primary schools tend to be ad-hoc and unstructured in nature. Yet, research has shown the importance of strong linkages, close coordination, and continuity between early childhood programmes and primary schools.”

That’s why the preschool chain partnered with five primary schools last year to offer a more structured transition programme for 320 K2-level kids from 13 centres.

Through learn-and-play activities over six months, the preschoolers learnt about the primary-school environment and routines such as recess and assembly time.

They practised paying for food, used the toilets independently and waited for their turn in a big group. The kids had a taste of the primary-school curriculum and learnt to get along with new friends from P1.

Their parents also had the chance to meet with the primary school’s leaders and parent support groups to find out more about formal education.

This year’s K2 cohort will also be using a journal to document their learning experiences in primary school, Ai Ling adds. 

NEW SCHOOL NEW RULES

Other childcare chains, such as The Little Skool-house International, Star Learners, Pat’s Schoolhouse and Etonhouse, also organise excursions to primary schools for the same reason.

Under The Little Skoolhouse’s school experience programme, for instance, teachers take the learning a notch up.

Its deputy general manager, Coreen Soh, explains: “The teachers will facilitate the experiences further by doing compare-and-contrast discussions, getting children to draw the map of the school and the childcare centre, identifying key similarities and differences and associating them with potential challenges and how they may be resolved.

“Classrooms in our preschools are ‘transformed’ to imitate a school setting and small practices are mocked up to let kids understand some key differences between the operating environments.”

It also holds workshops so parents can learn more about the emotional, physical and social adjustments of P1.

Cultivating independence is key for the preschools YP interviewed. At Brighton Montessori, for instance, K2 children start “buying” their morning snack using real money in the third and fourth terms.

Pat’s Schoolhouse’s K2 curriculum includes a theme on money concepts and management, where kids role-play in a shop or supermarket setting, practising budgeting and buying food and stationery, as if they were in P1.

“By K2, our children are also well-equipped with selfhelp skills such as showering and dressing independently. They are responsible for their own belongings, are mindful of others and also take turns to maintain their classrooms through daily classroom duties, from arranging of library books on the shelves to ensuring classroom stationery is neat and tidy,” says a Pat’s Schoolhouse spokesman.

“They also serve themselves breakfast whilst ensuring there is still enough for their classmates and friends before they have second helpings.”

To prepare for the longer school day, some preschools phase out naps in K2. At Brighton, these are usually done in the third term, while Etonhouse turns nap time into a rest period of 30 minutes.

Pat’s Schoolhouse, however, keeps nap time “to allow them to collect their thoughts, take a break and recharge. This is especially effective for children who are in school from 7am to 7pm”, says its spokesman. 

TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST

With the transition comes the weekly grind of weekly spelling tests in English and mother tongue, and preschools handle the challenge differently.

A spokesman for Star Learners admits that this is “one of the major concerns” of its parents, so it introduces English and Chinese spelling in the first term of the K2 year.

“The main intention is to heighten the children’s phonemic awareness and reinforce words that are commonly used in both languages. Our goal is to help them develop skills to correctly represent the written language and not to memorise words temporarily,” cluster supervisor Sharon Teo explains. 

Star Learners also created its Write A Rainbow programme to develop reading and writing skills. The stories written by each K2 cohort are published and presented as a graduation gift.

Brighton Montessori starts its spelling tests after Chinese New Year, with 10 words per week in the first and second terms. These increase to five words and five phrases in the last two terms, it says.

Pat’s Schoolhouse, on the other hand, believes strongly that language is caught and not taught. “Little emphasis is thus placed on rote learning and spelling tests,” its spokesman says.

Instead, its teachers use phonics, one-to-one and small group readings, as well as games and activities (which include spelling exercises), so kids learn the language in a meaningful context.

“These skills are further enhanced via Reader’s Theatre and preparation for our Graduation Performances, where children have a purpose to write, read and share their ‘imagination space’ with others, as they learn to understand their world, create their own scripts, perform aloud and bring enjoyment to both themselves and their audience,” its spokesman adds.

As the K2 graduating classes across the island ramp up their preparations for the big transition, parents would do well to remember that primary school is ultimately a journey, not a destination.

Munia Ahmed Syeda, principal of Etonhouse Pre-School, Vanda, sums it up: “In the 21st century, we aim to work with children towards understanding and not memorising. It’s not about preparing them only for primary school, but also for life.

“We believe that, more than the 3Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic), today’s children need to learn the 4Cs – collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking.” 

My Very Own P1 Journal

Parents of kids in Primary 1 this year received a special activity book from the Ministry of Education last November. The 104-page hardcover book, which comes with sheets of stickers, has 10 tips and 50 suggested activities to help kids with the transition to a new school environment. It will also be given to parents whose kids will enter P1 next year.

YP deputy editor Elisa Chia, whose elder child is now in P3, reviews the book:

“Flipping through the illustrated pages quickly, I initially mistook this for a fun journal for the new pupils. But when I read it, I thought: 'What a well-planned survival kit for the kids – and parents.’

“If I had been given this book two years ago, it would no doubt have helped to ease the P1 jitters – mine, not my daughter’s.

“While her preschool, like many others, developed her soft skills reasonably well for primary-school life, there weren’t many resources available for parents.

“If I had this book, I would’ve learnt useful tips, such as how to teach my kid to pack her bag, and what to ask beyond “How was your day?” to bond better with her.

“I would also have remembered to praise and encourage my child more often.I love the template pages, which you can fill in to ‘congratulate’ her with ‘You have gone to bed at _____ (time) for one whole week!’, or for ‘showing big improvements in _____ (subject or behaviour).’

“In fact, I find that much of the advice is still relevant, even though my daughter is already in P3.”