If you don’t want to send your kid for enrichment lessons, how can you use everyday activities to teach your child English, maths and science?
Juliet Chia, a preschool education curriculum specialist with the Ministry of Education, which runs MOE Kindergartens, offers this advice on how to teach preschoolers maths, science and English.
“Children do not see the world in the lens of “English”, “maths” and “science” – that would be strange indeed!” says Juliet. “The world to a young child is an amazing place, full of discoveries to be made, and parents should help children learn in a holistic way.
“Everyday routines and activities are opportunities for rich learning in language, numeracy and other areas such as art, music and socio-emotional development.
“Here are some things you can do with your child to help him or her develop language and literacy, numeracy and understanding of the world.”
Before heading to the supermarket, make a list with him of what to buy. If he is not ready to write, ask him to draw the items and write down the quantity. At the supermarket, get him to look for the items. Count along as he picks them out with your help. This is a good way to teach preschoolers maths.
Before eating, ask your little one to lay the table. Name the cutlery and utensils, and count the number of pieces needed – again, this is a natural way to teach preschoolers maths. Whenever appropriate, let him decide on the number of pieces to eat – for example, fishballs – and count together as he picks out the pieces.
While eating, talk about the ingredients that make up the food and about healthy diets. Your child may even ask you how the food is made – which could lead to another activity, shares Juliet.
Children are curious by nature. They might ask questions such as “why is the sky blue?” or “why are there no more dinosaurs?”. You might find these questions cute, or mind-boggling, but try not to overlook them. Explaining the answers to them not only teaches them more about how the world works, but also encourages curiosity and critical thinking.
And don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers. You can always seek them out together. Bring your child to the library to find books on the subject, or sit down and watch a documentary together – that way, they’ll also pick up valuable literacy skills.
Reading is one of the most effective ways of teaching young kids literacy skills. They’ll learn new words, and instinctively pick up on things like grammar.
Try to incorporate the habit of reading into their routine, whether it’s by going to the library every week to pick up a new book, or by getting them to read aloud a recipe for you as you cook. If you have newspapers delivered to your house, you could also encourage them to flip through it and tell you a few interesting things that are going on every day.
And if they encounter words that they don’t understand, you can always look them up in the dictionary together, and find ways to use these words in everyday conversation.
After playing with toys, tidy the room with your child. Count the toys as you put them away together to teach preschoolers maths. Help him to observe and talk about the colour, shape or size of the toys. You can even get him to sort and put them away by those categories. Compare the different toys by engaging him in conversation about the similarities and differences.
He may even surprise you by picking out attributes such as texture (you can then talk about how some toys are smooth, while others are rough). Such activities allow your youngster to think beyond himself and show care and concern for the environment and the larger community.
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This was first published in Young Parents.
Additional Reporting: Jesslyn Lye, June 2022
- TAGS:
- BackToSchool
- education
- preschool