The preschool years are a vital period in your child’s intellectual and personal development, and it’s imperative you choose a preschool for your child that meets his or her needs. To help you make an educated decision, early childhood education and development expert Shen-Li Lee provides an overview of the preschool curriculum options.
If you are a parent choosing a preschool curriculum for your child, there are two basic questions you should begin by asking yourself:
Actually, there is considerable overlap between the two questions since most play-based programs are generally child-centered, while academic programs typically necessitate teacher direction.
Play-based programs are based on a philosophy that children learn best by doing what comes most naturally to them – playing. They are encouraged to direct their own learning and are given the autonomy to follow their interests. By allowing children to pursue a course of learning that is self-motivated, this play-based/child-centered method for learning fosters independence, creativity and confidence.
The academic/teacher-directed programs are generally more traditional as they focus on imparting specific skills and knowledge to children. Teachers usually follow a set schedule of activities that is broken up with periods of free play in the form of recess. The objective of this type of program is to prepare children for the rigors of later school life, and could be a wise choice for your child if you are planning on sending him or her to an academically-intense primary school environment, such as a Chinese primary school.
Once you decide which type of curricular approach is best for your child, you can begin examining the various preschool curriculum options available in Malaysia. This article provides a broad overview of the major preschool curricula widely seen here.
MONTESSORI
The Montessori program is a child-centered curriculum that offers children the freedom to explore activities of their own choosing at their own pace. The teachers are present to facilitate rather than to direct children’s learning.
Here are the key strengths and benefits of a Montessori education:
BEACONHOUSE
Beaconhouse, a renowned global education network, pioneered the “Play to Learn & Learn to Play” teaching philosophy, which ensures that preschool students truly enjoy the learning process. This internationally-proven and result-oriented methodology infuses the fun element into both teaching and learning, allowing students to grow mentally, socially, physically and emotionally into well-rounded individuals.
Here are the key strengths and benefits of a Beaconhouse education:
This is only a preview of the article.
This article originally appeared on Education Destination Malaysia. To read more on preschool curriculum options, please click here.