Enrichment class for a K1 kid
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pepper spice:
Agree that we should inculcate reading in our kids, I am targeting to do that as well this year for my K1. My struggle is always reaching home on time to catch up with her on her day in school and reading to her after my long working hours. This is my KPI to myself this second half of the year to read at least 1 book to her everyday !Would like to put in my thoughts here - I believe \"a child\" is about the same age as my son. Like \"a child's\" parents, hubby and I did not sign up our son for any single enrichment classes during his pre-primary school days. Even now, in secondary school, his days are tuition-free and enrichment-free. He spent his childhood reading (lots and lots of it), playing with toy cars, dinosaurs, legos, watching Tom & Jerry, Hi-fives, Power Ranger ... and he turned out OK. He is doing OK in school, in fact, hubby \"allows\" him to achieve \"whatever results he can achieve based on his own capability and as long as he puts in effort\". While many school-going children complain of \"time not enough\", my son has the luxury to indulge in his favourite past-times - soccer, reading, catch movies with daddy, outings with friends ... Many times I also wonder whether I am doing the right thing, sensing that competition is so intense here. But I put myself in his shoes. After spending hours in school, after being drilled by teachers in school and returning home so late, is it fair for him if I request him to do more and more worksheets, attend more lessons?
My close friends and people around me also adopt the same attitude as me towards our kids' education, and these kids turn out well-adjusted and doing OK in school too. Maybe we are a bunch of out-dated parents, maybe some might even say we are being irresponsible? But I keep reassuring myself, if a kid is being 逼得太紧, 会有反效果, but if you let your kid flourish on his own (you know your own kid - whether sensible or not), he will be 懂事 and knows he is being appreciated for who and what he is and in turn, tries his best.
Lastly, I would like to appeal to parents to inculate in their children, the love for reading - ie. reading for the love of it, not reading to improve English, reading to note down \"creative phrases\" for compo. After the kids had fallen in love with reading, the improve English and compo parts will fall in nicely. What more, the kids would by then have acquired tonnes of general knowledge from reading. Just my 2cents. -
Kids nowadays are so busy!!!
I try to let my son attend the extra-curriculum in his CCC.
Every Fri, the abacus centre next to his CCC will walk over to pick him up for classes.
I also place him in a montessori CCC, everyday the teacher will teach Phonics to him.
His school also have half day chinese program everyday.
In addition, the school also offers group piano lesson.
He only have a art class to attend on Wed evening, that is also the only day i can have a break as i need to juggle with another toddler at home.
After his CCC, he will be at home to do writing, reading and practising piano. If there’s enough time, he will be allowed to watch cartoons or play Ipad games. However, i always tell him he has to learn to do things fast and independently.
Most of the time, i dont have the time to guide him in homework, i will open up the pages of the assessment books and leave him to do himself and i will be busy with housework and the younger one.
I think not all kids are matured enough to know what they like or dont like. Like my son, i send him to piano class, he will tell me:" Huh…y got piano class…" but at night, he will say today:" i want to practise 5 songs." -
Indeed - kids nowadays are so busy (those who attends cc/kindergartens and enrichments classes). I was prompted the other day, why was my child not enrolled for swimming lessons. My rply was,"Aiya, my child very busy, cannot have another class." this group, comprised of singles and parents with preschoolers went,"your son very busy meh?"
When I told them my schdule, one countered with,"still got week nights mah…?"
In that instant, I really felt like shooting back," remember you just said doing a part time masters programme and working is difficult?" often, we are only aware of our (parents) tiredness and overlooked the children’s fatigue. Children are blessed with abundance of energy but it does not mean that they are always at the top form, even if they are still jumping non-stop.
But having said this, I still feel that some enrichment classes is a good idea and that how much is too much depends on the child. -
I believe in having anything in moderate. That goes with enrichments. One parent ever ask me children these days are very poor thing, no childhood and so on… but then why dun you think children actually pick up things faster when they are young and also giving them a wide variety to learn…unless your child finds enrichment classes tiring and not enjoyable then that would be a different story. Enrichment is jus part of their childhood … if they are enjoying it.
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Hi All, need advice. My LO is K1 full day CC and have enrolled her 3 enrichment classes that the CC has offered.
Wed - Abacus (4 - 5pm)
Thurs - Speech & Drama Chinese (4 - 5 Pm)
Fri - Science (5 - 6pm)
Just last night, my LO told me she doesn’t want to learn Abacus and going to school this morning. The form teacher told us that my girl seems to prefer 1 to 1 teaching. I ask my LO why she don’t like Abacus.
She replied: I cannot.
I asked: Did teacher scolded you? She replied: Yes. (But I doubt that’s true cos she still can’t differential)
However, my LO give me the idea that she can’t, cannot, don’t know. All those negative thinking.
In fact, when I teach her the abacus, she knows how to do. But why she said don’t want to go to class.
In fact, when I ask her how’s school or what did the teacher teach, she replied: I don’t know. I was like huh!!!
Can someone advice me how should I go about to encourage her? How to open up communication with her? Thanks in advance. -
Have you considered changing a different school? My kid (K2) attends English Enrichment class at two different schools (just trying out). He looks forward to going to one but not the other. The one he loves, he will voluntarily share what he did. For the other which he feels bored, he will just reply me "it’s ok" and that’s it.
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lostkitty:
Could it be because Abacus is something that cannot be taught during a preschooler's nap time?Hi All, need advice. My LO is K1 full day CC and have enrolled her 3 enrichment classes that the CC has offered.
Wed - Abacus (4 - 5pm)
Thurs - Speech & Drama Chinese (4 - 5 Pm)
Fri - Science (5 - 6pm)
Just last night, my LO told me she doesn't want to learn Abacus and going to school this morning. The form teacher told us that my girl seems to prefer 1 to 1 teaching. I ask my LO why she don't like Abacus.
She replied: I cannot.
I asked: Did teacher scolded you? She replied: Yes. (But I doubt that's true cos she still can't differential)
However, my LO give me the idea that she can't, cannot, don't know. All those negative thinking.
In fact, when I teach her the abacus, she knows how to do. But why she said don't want to go to class.
In fact, when I ask her how's school or what did the teacher teach, she replied: I don't know. I was like huh!!!
Can someone advice me how should I go about to encourage her? How to open up communication with her? Thanks in advance.
In any case, you need not worry too much. Abacus isn't something that you should waste your time on. Have they gone into the 口诀 yet？ It's still quite straight forward now, but will get more tedious when they advance to addition and subtraction of any number beyond 9 represented by 1+4 beads. You'll start to wonder why you need to memorise an additional set of add/sub combis just to do a simple arithmetic question when you could do that by memorising the basic number bonds! Whilst it teaches the child on place value, which is good, it also wires them to count differently. They might run into prob when they learn how to add/sub vertically. They might forget to borrow, transfer because in their mind, they can mentally add/sub using those Abacus 口诀. -
zephyr_bloom:
Have you considered changing a different school? My kid (K2) attends English Enrichment class at two different schools (just trying out). He looks forward to going to one but not the other. The one he loves, he will voluntarily share what he did. For the other which he feels bored, he will just reply me \"it's ok\" and that's it.
Zephyr, the enrichment was done at the CC itself. CC outsourced the classes. I can't be changing the CC. If my LO really don't like the class, I can only withdraw her out. -
jetsetter:
The class was being taught after the teabreak which is after their Nap Time. Classes starts at 4 - 5 pm. Is there a 口诀 for Abacus? I learned before during my Sec sch time but I don't recall there is. Where can I get the 口诀 from? I just don't know what should I do to encourage my LO to continue as Abacus is something useful in future when they go P1. Nxt Wed, she will say don't want to go to sch....
Could it be because Abacus is something that cannot be taught during a preschooler's nap time?
In any case, you need not worry too much. Abacus isn't something that you should waste your time on. Have they gone into the 口诀 yet？ It's still quite straight forward now, but will get more tedious when they advance to addition and subtraction of any number beyond 9 represented by 1+4 beads. You'll start to wonder why you need to memorise an additional set of add/sub combis just to do a simple arithmetic question when you could do that by memorising the basic number bonds! Whilst it teaches the child on place value, which is good, it also wires them to count differently. They might run into prob when they learn how to add/sub vertically. They might forget to borrow, transfer because in their mind, they can mentally add/sub using those Abacus 口诀.
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lostkitty:
I see, I have forgotten that they have woken up by 4pm in cc!
The class was being taught after the teabreak which is after their Nap Time. Classes starts at 4 - 5 pm. Is there a 口诀 for Abacus? I learned before during my Sec sch time but I don't recall there is. Where can I get the 口诀 from? I just don't know what should I do to encourage my LO to continue as Abacus is something useful in future when they go P1. Nxt Wed, she will say don't want to go to sch....jetsetter:
Could it be because Abacus is something that cannot be taught during a preschooler's nap time?
In any case, you need not worry too much. Abacus isn't something that you should waste your time on. Have they gone into the 口诀 yet？ It's still quite straight forward now, but will get more tedious when they advance to addition and subtraction of any number beyond 9 represented by 1+4 beads. You'll start to wonder why you need to memorise an additional set of add/sub combis just to do a simple arithmetic question when you could do that by memorising the basic number bonds! Whilst it teaches the child on place value, which is good, it also wires them to count differently. They might run into prob when they learn how to add/sub vertically. They might forget to borrow, transfer because in their mind, they can mentally add/sub using those Abacus 口诀.
Yes, if their vendor is teaching the Taiwan method. You might not find it so cumbersome because you already had your foundation set when you came into contact with abacus in sec. school. But when I was practising the speed calculations using big friend/small friend 口诀 with my ds when he was in N2, I myself found the method inefficient (by minusing and then adding back again to derive the solution (多此一举）). JMHO...
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIy06icfZfw][/youtube]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq3_jjNo2PA][/youtube]
If they give them rewards for completing each test within the given time limit, I guess they might be more inspired to do more and at a faster rate
If you like it and it's something offered by the cc to pass the weekday afternoons, then continue. I personally didn't find it very useful. I think Kumon, Montessori Math, MPM are more practical. They need to do heuristics in P1-2 so abacus doesn't help much in that.
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