With the growing demands and expectations on Singapore Preschool Education, the Ministry of Education (MOE) had recently published a refreshed Kindergarten Curriculum Framework (KCF) so as to enable the preschool industry to have a consistent desired outcome of preschool education and to manage parents’ expectations on the standards of preschool education locally.
In the framework, 6 key areas had been identified as the core competency a child should achieved at the end of Kindergarten 2:
- Aesthetics and Creative Expression
- Discovery of the World
- Language and Literacy
- Motor Skills Development
- Numeracy
- Social and Emotional Development
There are defined goals in each area of the holistic approach towards a child’s early education development. We shall highlight briefly on these areas.
1. Aesthetics and Creative Expression
Children should be able to:
- Enjoy art and music and movement activities
- Express ideas and feelings through art and music and movement
- Create art and music and movement using experimentation and imagination
- Share ideas and feelings about art and music and movement
2. Discovery of the World
Children should be able to:
- Show an interest in the world they live in
- Find out why things happen and how things work through simple investigations
- Develop a positive attitude towards the world around them
3. Language and Literacy
Children should be able to:
- Listen for information and enjoyment
- Speak to communicate with others
- Read with understanding and for enjoyment
- Use drawing, mark making, symbols and writing with invented and conventional spelling to communicate ideas and information
4. Motor Skills Development
Children should be able to:
- Participate in and enjoy a variety of physical activities
- Demonstrate control, coordination and balance in gross motor tasks
- Demonstrate control and coordination in fine motor tasks
- Develop healthy habits and safety awareness at home, in school and in public places
5. Numeracy
Children should be able to:
• Recognise and use simple relationships and patterns
• Use numbers in daily life
• Recognise and use basic shapes and simple
spatial concepts in daily life
6. Social and Emotional Development
Children should be able to:
• Develop an awareness of personal identity
• Manage their own emotions and behaviours
• Show respect for diversity
• Communicate, interact and build relationships with others
• Take responsibility for their actions
At the end of pre-school education, children should:
- Know what is right and what is wrong
- Be willing to share and take turns with others
- Be able to relate to others
- Be curious and able to explore
- Be able to listen and speak with
- understanding
- Be comfortable and happy with themselves
- Have developed physical co-ordination, healthy habits, participate in and enjoy a variety of arts experiences
- Love their families, friends, teachers and school
