Sometimes it’s not just about what you learn – it’s also about how you learn. This rings true at MindChamps Preschool @ MacPherson.
Voted as the best preschool by parents, MindChamps Preschool @ MacPherson offers an exceptional playgroup, nursery, kindergarten, and childcare experience for young Champs. Through the award-winning MindChamps PreSchool curriculum, children excel in their learning journey in classes such as the MindChamps Reading & Writing programme, Numeracy Strategies, Gourmet Moments, NeuroMooves, and more.
Here are some of the unconventional yet effective ways our Champs learn things differently at this preschool:
1. Hands-on activities boost understanding at MindChamps @ MacPherson.
Who knew that learning math could involve fruits?
During a Nursery 2 math class, Champs grasped the concept of patterns and sequencing in a yummy way by sorting various colourful fruits including cubed papaya, persimmon, pineapples, and star fruit.
Instead of just looking at pictures of patterns, the kids learned by handling real-life materials.
What’s more, these MindChamps @ Macpherson Champs were motivated to complete the task because once their pattern was finished, they could indulge in a refreshing fruit salad.
2. Play is an integral part of learning.
What does it mean to “live the lesson”?
When Nursery 1 students were exploring shapes in math class, they hopped from one hula-hoop to another, each one representing a different shape, to learn all the different shape names.
It was an unconventional way to learn a math concept, but the children delighted in the game and were motivated to complete it.
Another example of play-based learning is when Playgroup Champs learned the letter “Z” by forming it with their bodies. This progressive reinforcement of a letter stimulated their imagination and teambuilding skills.
As a part of the NeuroMooves programme, children are encouraged to try new ways to connect their bodies with their minds.
To discover the different ways they could use their body parts, they delved into an exciting balancing game. Play such as this empowers Champs to try new things to reach greater levels of imagination and cognitive ability.
“Play is self-motivated and fun. When you get them to play, they are actually living the lesson,” said Norizan Quathu Bte Abdul Majid, principal at MindChamps MacPherson.
3. Various exciting learning materials are used
Whenever possible, MindChamps MacPherson’s highly trained teachers bring in different types of play materials to help Champs solve complex problems.
For example, when learning about the different types of transportation, the Champs may be given pictures, photos, recycled materials, and toy cars.
They then graphed how their classmates came to school: on a bus, taxi, car, or on foot.
When learning about seeds, the children handled real fruits, toy fruits, and illustrations of fruits to sort which fruits had seeds and whether they were edible seeds or not.
The use of divergent play materials ensures that children are engaged during the lesson and have a more well-rounded understanding of the topic.
4. Teamwork and self-reliance are both encouraged
At MindChamps MacPherson, all the Champs build their relationship-making and social skills through teamwork and taking turns. At the same time, independence is also encouraged. During Gourmet Moments, each Champ may have his or her own plate, and he or she is responsible for independently carrying out the sequence of preparing and assembling the ingredients.
Other examples of independent work include potting their own plants when learning about vegetation, and exploring the properties of 3D shapes during math lesson by building their own sphere, cube, or pyramid.
“We treat each child as an individual who is special in his or her own way. If they are building a cube, and another child wants to do a pyramid, that’s okay. They are given a choice. They can participate and take ownership of what they’re learning,” he said.