Close to 200 kindergartens and pre-schools signed up to be put on SKM’s mailing list at the Kindergarten Conference held on 22 and 23 Nov at Republic Polytechnic. This would allow for SKM to contact these schools for possible collaborations in the new year.

These schools and centres received goodie bags that included collaterals such as a DVD about kindness, height chart, and activity book that were targeted for kids aged 3 to 6. These items would help the teachers pass on the values of kindness and graciousness to the very young, to form a foundation before the children enter primary schools.

To reinforce the kindness message, SKM General Secretary, Dr William Wan, also held a talk entitled ‘The MITE Approach to Value Inculcation’ which encouraged adults to be good role models and spread kindness by acting upon it first. He said this would then allow children to pick up the actions of the adults.

During the two-day forum, the Ministry of Education (MOE) unveiled a set of six picture books that taught key values to children. Titled ‘Nurturing Learning Dispositions: Picture Books for Kindergartens’, these books were distributed to all English Language teachers from MOE registered kindergartens.

The Kindergarten Curriculum Framework was launched by MOE in 2003 to help kindergartens develop programmes. A Kindergarten Curriculum Guide was then launched in 2008 and a revised curriculum will be sent to pre-schools by the end of 2012.

By Emma Pang