Your child develops and learns more in her first five years than at any other stage of life. Pre-school can support and encourage your child’s amazing development – and it can be a lot of fun.
About pre-school
At pre-school (also known as kindergarten) children socialise and learn through play – and they usually have a lot of fun!
Children:
- get new knowledge and skills through play and activities with other children – for example, they start learning more about numbers, letters and words
- improve their communication skills through interactions with others
- learn social skills like listening and respecting the ideas of others, sharing and handling conflicts with peers
- make new friends and develop new relationships with adults
- develop responsibility, independence, confidence and self-worth through doing things like looking after their own belongings and spending time away from home.
What happens at pre-school?
Pre-school is all about learning through open-ended play and structured play activities that allow children to develop at their own pace. Whether your child is finger painting, building a block castle, or singing with other kids, pre-school helps your child increase her experiences, abilities and knowledge.
Most pre-schools offer both indoor and outdoor activities, as well as opportunities for solo and group play.
Indoor activities often include:
- painting and pasting
- clay or playdough play
- puzzles and games
- blocks and construction
- books and sensory activities
Outdoor activities often include:
- play in the sandpit
- exploring a natural landscape
- water play
- dramatic play
- swings and climbing equipment
Group times often include:
- stories and poetry
- dancing and singing
- playing with musical instruments
- drama and acting
- show and tell
Pre-school doesn’t usually involve teaching children specific academic skills. This starts happening at school.
When can children go to pre-school?
Children can go to pre-school when they’re three years old, or in the year they turn three. You don’t have to send your child to pre-school but it’s great if you can.
Some pre-schools also offer programmes for two to three-year-olds – these are much shorter days than traditional four-year-old programmes. Child care centres also offer pre-school programmes run by qualified early childhood teachers.
What kinds of pre-schools are there?
In Singapore there are several different types of nurseries and kindergartens:
- Sessional nurseries and kindergarten: these offer programmes ranging from two hours to four hours a day, five days a week. Programmes are run by an early childhood teacher with the help of an assistant.
- Child Care Centres: these programmes run for an entire day and include a lunch programme.
- Steiner, Montessori and Reggio Emilia pre-schools: these offer programmes based on individual philosophies of children’s learning abilities. The programme models and hours vary.
Most pre-schools operate in purpose-built facilities and are regulated by either the Ministry of Education (MOE) or the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).
There might be a fee for your child to go to pre-school, because government funding doesn’t cover all the operating costs. Your selected pre-school will be able to tell you the fees you can expect to pay.
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