SINGAPORE: Singing, dancing, art and music-making are a big part of the daily routine of pre-schoolers at NTUC’s My First Skool at Edgefield Plains in Punggol, which uses an arts-based approach to conduct all classes.
It’s a pilot programme developed by My First Skool and the National Arts Council (NAC), offering children the chance to learn everything from languages, numbers and motor skills through the arts.
The pre-school in Punggol, which officially opened on Friday (May 5), was even specially designed to facilitate such learning. There are workshop spaces, courtyards between classrooms so some lessons can be conducted outdoors, as well as a gallery to showcase the children’s art pieces.
The aim of the arts-based programme is to help develop creativity from a young age.
For instance, in a class where kids learn about the different facial parts, the school makes use of visual arts, giving them twigs, leaves and seashells for them to form a face, instead of getting them to paint it. The school said this method allows for sensory and tactile experiences.
“We are not trying to teach arts as a specialisation, but using art as a form to deliver the other learning content to the children,” said deputy general manager of My First Skool, Thian Ai Ling. “We wanted to start with something that the children are most familiar and comfortable with, and they’re most excited and happiest to do, which is actually music and movement, as well as visual arts. That’s why we started with these two.”
A pre-schooler learning about facial features by forming shapes with twigs, leaves and seashells. (Photo: Rachelle Lee)
Pre-school teachers at this centre are trained and mentored by artists who are specially selected by the NAC, and who also help to develop lessons for the children. About three times a month, the artists will be at the pre-school to work as co-teachers and see how the curriculum can be improved.
The pilot programme, which started last July, has received positive feedback from teachers and parents, according the pre-school.
“This is a very special project because the collaboration began even before the centre opened. This created the opportunity for artists and teachers to engage in more in-depth preparation,” said Mr Kenneth Kwok, director of arts and youth at NAC, adding that council hopes to work with more partners to extend the reach of such programmes.
The two-storey school, which sits on top of a multi-storey carpark, has close to 200 students currently. The school charges the same fees as other My First Skool centres.
If the pilot is successful, My First Skool said it plans to introduce the arts education programme to all its centres in future.
