June 7, 2019

Why Do You Need Playgroup for Toddlers?

Infant care, toddler care, playgroup, childcare, nursery and kindergarten are the different types of care services and foundation learning centres that are available in Singapore for children before they begin their primary school education.

A playgroup is generally designed for children from 18 months old up to 3 years old. Each session tends to last for a few hours. A playgroup can be adult accompanied as well, with the activities led by teachers or facilitators.

Attending playgroup is not necessary for children who have a full-time caretaker, who can fully dedicate their attention on the child’s growth. At 3 years old, this is the age where children are like sponges, readily absorbing information and knowledge.

One of the best things about playgroups is that they provide a social setting that gives children opportunities to pick up and practice their social and communication skills. The guided learning inculcates a culture of eagerness to learn and concepts are introduced earlier.

Activities like storytelling, identification of objects as well as basic skills such as feeding themselves, using the toilet and being independent at an early age are important. By starting young in a playgroup, a child can adapt and be comfortable with a routine suitable for learning and development.

With the right balance of lessons, sharing in playgroups, as well as multi-sensory experiences such as stories, music, dances and kinesthetic activities, your children will pick up both cognitive and emotional quotient skills during the playgroup.

Some centres allow parents to sit during the playgroup for them to observe their children. However, some centres do not allow parents to enter the childcare as they could potentially disrupt the playgroup or might even cause stress to the child.

For parents who have shy children, check with the playgroup whether there are instructors who can accommodate to shy children. The instructor can guide them by connecting with them, encouraging them to express their needs, help with verbalizing their thoughts, and build their confidence in speaking up.

To prepare young minds for the future, it is essential for children to pick up social awareness and empathy at a young age. All these skills can be picked up when your children participate in a playgroup.

Ultimately, children are more active learners and they learn better with visual and physical stimulus. Dynamic activities in a playgroup can encourage children to embrace the culture of learning and think of class and learning as a fun activity rather than to fear it. Playgroups will help to aid this.

To find out more about the Playgroup curriculum offered for toddlers at My Little Campus, click here.