Singapore, my second home. I always feel giddy whenever I get the chance to go back to this beloved country where I used to work as an English teacher. It always feels like my first time-new places to go to, new hawkers to try out and old faces to meet once again. This time, my father asked me to give my brother a tour before his school year starts. So where did I bring him?
Counting the days ‘til the start of the school year and it looks like you’re more excited and nervous than your child. Whether it’s his first year in preschool or moving up to big school, we listed down the major concerns of parents and asked for tips from teachers and experts to prepare your child, and even you as parents for the school year ahead.
"My son loves everything fried! I want to form a healthy eating habit by giving him some veggies for his baon, but I’m afraid he won’t touch it and will leave him hungry at school all day. What other alternatives can I give to make him like his food aside from the fried ones?"
-You can still have it fried but you need to change the usual meal preparation. Slicing, dicing and mincing the veggies is one way of hiding it. Try an omelet with carrots and onions, tortang talong, deep fried pizza roll, and a refreshing drink like shake with fruits tidbits.
"Since I started working, I've always left my child with her lola and ate (yaya). She doesn’t go out and mingle with children her age. Whenever we go out on play dates, she would instantly run to her lola. It’s her first year in preschool and I’m afraid that she will always look for lola when in school. Howcan she make new friends?”
-When faced with new people, environment, and situations, prepare your children with gentle coaching, and roleplaying. For example, you can visit school grounds together to become familiar with the place- because if she is, it's one less daunting obstacle to overcome. Another tip is by playing various situations using toys, and having guided questions such as- “Ano kaya gagawin ni (toy) kapag lumapit si (toy)? Ano kaya pwede niyang gawin para makapaglaro sila? Sa tingin mo, pwede kayang..? Maybe your child just needs to transition at her own pace and soon enough, she'll be running to her classmates already.
-When faced with new people, environment, and situations, prepare your children with gentle coaching, and roleplaying. For example, you can visit school grounds together to become familiar with the place- because if she is, it's one less daunting obstacle to overcome. Another tip is by playing various situations using toys, and having guided questions such as- “Ano kaya gagawin ni (toy) kapag lumapit si (toy)? Ano kaya pwede niyang gawin para makapaglaro sila? Sa tingin mo, pwede kayang..? Maybe your child just needs to transition at her own pace and soon enough, she'll be running to her classmates already.
"My child has a tendency to say “mine” to everything he holds! I worry about t when he goes to school. How do I teach him about personal belongings?”
-Labeling things as "mine" is your child's way of exercising his growing need for independence and ownership. To help him understand that not everything is his (and avoid possible future problems), you can practice at home by labeling other people's things. That some are Mommy's, Papa’s and some are his. It is important that adults model proper behavior in respecting other people's belongings. Show the correct way process of borrowing, returning, and waiting for your turn. Depending on the age, he would eventually outgrow it to become more inclusive of their peers.
-Labeling things as "mine" is your child's way of exercising his growing need for independence and ownership. To help him understand that not everything is his (and avoid possible future problems), you can practice at home by labeling other people's things. That some are Mommy's, Papa’s and some are his. It is important that adults model proper behavior in respecting other people's belongings. Show the correct way process of borrowing, returning, and waiting for your turn. Depending on the age, he would eventually outgrow it to become more inclusive of their peers.
If you’ve already planned a trip to
Singapore this summer, you may want to squeeze in your itinerary a quick trip
to the ArtScience Museum located in Marina Bay Sands. Don’t worry, it won’t take a whole day like
Universal Studios. Tip: try to go there on a weekday so that your kids won’t
have to wait in long lines and can do activities without hassle. We checked out
a permanent exhibition called Future World: Where Art Meets Science. It showcases high-tech interactive artworks
built in collaboration with teamLab, a renowned Japanese interdisplinary art collective. Future World lets you have an
interactive discovery in Nature, Town, Park and
Space. I won’t give you a whole tour of the place, just those that we enjoyed the
most from the stations.
If
you’re like me who tries to stay way from toy stores because you think that
most of them were created for business sake alone, then you will love shopping
from this online toy shop. Mom and Milly offers educational
toys for toddlers that will help in developing your child’s skills-
cognitive, emotional, social and fine motor skills.
