Inject more fun into pre-school curriculum

I refer to the report “Pre-school curriculum designed to ease transition to primary level, says MOE” (April 3).

The Education Ministry’s constant review of its kindergarten curriculum to facilitate the transition to Primary 1, with one feature being the strong emphasis on bilingualism, shows the foundational importance of kindergartens to Singapore’s future generation.

To give children a comfortable head start, a fun and more relaxed curriculum would help instil interest in learning English and mother tongue without the stress or fear of the difficulty in juggling between the two. Pre-school teachers have a role to play as enabler and feedback channel to see what works and what does not as the curriculum is fine-tuned and improved.

Children look up to parents as their main source of guidance, care, providence and acceptance. In turn, parents should not see fun and games as unproductive time, but rather as part of children’s childhood memories, which are invaluable.