Month: October 2017

If your child has an active imagination and has a thirst for writing, we can guide him with these super fun classes of creative writing for kids in Singapore.

Whether your child dreams of being a writer or just likes to make up stories, creative writing is a cathartic exercise that allows children to make sense of what is happening in their lives and their ever-changing feelings. Its something they can try out on their own at home, but if you want to provide a bit more guidance, here is how we guide creative writing classes for kids in Singapore.

With so ample amount of creative writing classes available in Singapore , it is common for its very concept to escape us.

Approaches to Creative Writing

Our creative writing program greatly aids in the development of techniques for composition writing. It does not interfere or has overlaps with the regular English curriculum that we teach our students. We mainly focus on it three important components of the 3 Minds.

The Champion Mind

Celebrating the individual students uniqueness, going beyond conventional wisdom and overcoming struggle to attain success.

The Learning Mind

Learning How to learn strategies that actively assist our learner to understand, store, recall and create material and concepts.

The Creative Mind

Linking many perspectives and incorporating them to generate new and creative ideas.

What Our Program is about?

The program is planned in accordance with the students ability. It is designed so as to work hand in hand with what the child is already learning at school. It focuses on the understanding and creative aspects of writing, rather than attempting to force a mechanical approach, before each student has adopted the super important desire to write.

During the program, an emphasis is placed on engaging the childs imagination, before facilitating writing from that engagement. Moreover, it provides the grammatical structures to allow for glowing appearance of the childs ideas.

Tips for creative writing for Singaporean kids:

How to start:

Like any other fear, one of the best ways to get past the I am not able to write phase is to just start writing. Often as the pen starts moving, kids should become less self-conscious and they start writing. If its gibberish, well so what? Nobody creates a masterpiece on the first attempt. Creative writers do not have a lack of ideas. Writers get a block when they are not able to really pinpoint where to start.

Think of what to write about:

The most basic and sort of difficult thing to consider is what the topic should be. Scoping the content is important as it sets what we are going to achieve at the end of the written piece. The best thing for creative writing is to sketch an outline of the story and then from there, you can add in the flesh. Less is more, meaning that in writing it is always okay to use simple words, short sentences and to begin with simple dialogues.

Enjoy the moment:

The best moments of creating anything is when there is joy in the process of creation. The sky is the limit when it comes to being imaginative and the world is the oyster when we attempt to visualize it through words. Start by picking up a pen. Enjoy the moment. Good luck!

A message for the parents

An acute sense of creativity in writing can also be cultivated from a young age of kids in Singapore. Parents can help develop enthusiasm from writing by encouraging their children to keep a writing journal, writing two pages a week. This helps encourage their champs to write freely about anything that interests them. We can guide interested parents and answer queries they might have. So what are you waiting for! Visit us now!

One of the popular questions that most parents have when it comes to learning abacus, is what is the right age to start learning? In general, there is no such

rule which limits abacus learning to a specific age but the results achieved are specific to age.

Brain development is catalyzed by learning abacus at an early age

Right half of the brain is attributed to creativity, visual thinking and imaging. When the right half of the brain is regularly used, it becomes dominant.

Childhood marks the time when the brain function is at its highest. If any changes in its utilization are to be made, childhood is the best time. In order

to learn abacus, the child must have the basic understanding of concepts like numbers, therefore an ideal age to start is 3. Disciplining a child under the

age of 3 to sit in one place and concentrate can be difficult. A child who has started training in pre-school has a statistical advantage over other children

when it comes to solving mental arithmetic of 6 digits.

Calculation skills are developed when trained during elementary school

Mental math strategies can be easily taught to children in elementary school can be used during math maths class and elimating the need for a calculator. A simple reason why junior high students are poor in math is because of lack of

basic practice. Practicing simple calculations like addition, multiplication, subtraction and division is important in order to progress. Also, there are

children who do not learn the multiplication table before advancing. Students, who have a firm understanding of the four mathematical operations, can easily

master complex calculations in high school. Training at the elementary level becomes important when the final goal is development of calculation skills.

Most training classes outside school enroll students who are of age 6 or higher. Six is an appropriate age to receive training. Such students have a fairly

clear understanding of numbers and sufficient concentration span to sit through class. At the same time, the right half of the brain is active to develop an

imagination to solve math mentally.

Teaching the basics of abacus to toddlers

The ages mentioned in above is for a classroom setting where the child is enrolled in special training. Parents can familiarize the concept of abacus to their

toddlers. There are many parents who use a simple abacus to teach colors and the primary concept of numbers and counting. Parents can start off with the initial

training at home. Toddlers are fascinated by colors, so ensure that the beads are divided into color groups of two. The first exercise in learning abacus at home

is through mirroring. Have your child mimic the move you make. Start in the beginning position when all the beads are in one side. Move a random number of beads

to the opposite side and move it back. Have your child mimic the movement with the same number of beads. The pattern can be mixed up and arranged in groupings.

The second exercise is the counting game. Learning starts at home and it is now common for a child to know the alphabets and numbers before he/she enters school.

Teach your child counting using abacus. Say the number out aloud when the move the appropriate bead(s). Also, count the number of beads left behind.

Abacus can also be used to teach skip counting. Skip counting is an alternative method to saying counting in 10s, 5s etc. Learning skip counting helps in recognizing

patterns (including odd and even number). Skip counting must be taught only after the child is through with counting from 1-50. Abacus simplifies teaching numbers

because it involves mirroring actions of the hand.

A popular Chinese proverb goes , Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will Understand.

According to VARK model, learners are categorized into 4 groups, which are:

” Auditory learners

” Writing/ reading learners

” Kinesthetic learners

” Visual learners

All young children can be grouped in Kinesthetic learners because they understand best when they watch a live demonstration. It is

common to teach young children rhymes and poems with gestures. Many teachers also incorporate voice intonation and dramatics during

story time to keep the listens hooked on.

Chinese Speech and drama class Singapore explores the importance of teaching Chinese through drama:

” Ability to solve problems with creativity: Drama is powerful tool which challenges a student s perception of themselves and the

world around them. Drama sets a safe stage for the child to express their feelings, dreams and thoughts which they cannot, otherwise.

For a brief moment, a student puts on a faade of a complete stranger. Such a liberated experience allows them to be whoever they wish to be.

A shy child will transform into the skin of a stern emperor when immersed in that part. Over time, a child develops the ability to solve problems by looking

at it from a different perspective. Start off by assigning simple plays in Chinese with a few lines for each child. Watch them bloom into confident speakers

as they take on more exercises.

” Improved Communication: Learning during young age is through repetition. When each child is given a limited number of lines, they not only learn their

own lines, but also understand the cues from a speaker before or after their turn. They end up learning most lines apart from their own. Memorizing the lines

improves understanding of the language. Drama is the ideal platform to improve communication in today s technologically merged world.

” Collaborative learning: Children fare better when they learn as a group. Teaching young children is effective when they have company. When in a group,

they lean on each other emotionally to create a symbiotic environment. Children within a group help each other learn. Sometimes, a child understands best when

a concept is explained by another child. Learning Mandarin Chinese becomes easy when the children in the group are each give a line to memorize. They will invariably

collaborate and co-ordinate to ensure that each child completes the given task. The task given is completed only when all the children in the group are successful

in their roles. There is no other learning form which is more collaborative than drama.

” Active learning: Active learning is fulfilled through empathetic understanding and kinesthetics. Making students enact a play is more than putting up a

show: it subtly influences the child to empathize with any given character leading to a deeper understanding of the topic. Information retention is improved when

understanding is deepened. Children who are learning Chinese through drama can also be taught portions of other subjects through enactment.

” Hone confidence: An attempt of learning a new language is successful when the child is confident while communicating. Drama instills confidence in

children and removes stage fright. It is OK for children to make mistakes while learning, what is important is the confidence with which they deliver.

Having understood the importance and efficiency of learning Chinese through drama, start today by assigning each child in class one or two lines to deliver.

As they grow confident and learn more words, the number of lines can be increased. Within no time, the child will develop fluency in the language and speak without any hesitations.