Enrichment for little ones is popular and some believe that it is critical to a child's learning journey especially when both parents are busy working - having a child's learning journey kickstarted by the right programme is so important.
Enrichment centres play big roles and shoulder great responsibilities being building blocks of a child's learning journey. Yet, many parents struggle to find the 'right one'.
"I'm here to check out the centre but I'm still evaluating a few," common sharing from parents. Often, they themselves struggle to make a decision. Other times, they make the decision only to have their little one terrified of attending classes and having to pull out a month later.
So what is it that parents should look out for when looking for the 'right' centre for their little one?
Here are 3 tips.
Firstly, LOVE.
A loving teacher is key - if you walk into a centre and your Mama/Papa instincts tell you that this teacher genuinely loves children and loves your child like his/her own - then you've found a gem!
At a young age, your child is still trying to build confidence and emotional security. Your child could benefit from a loving teacher who would be able to build your child's confidence in learning while associating good feelings like love to learning.
Secondly, class size.
It is recommended to keep the class size at a maximum of 5 students for anyone below six years old. This is to ensure that every child gets individualised attention while also learning to take turns and observe.
When there are fewer children in the room, the teacher has
• more time to devote to each child
• managing the group requires less teacher time
• opportunities to have longer conversations with each child
• more time to observe each child’s interests and activities so they can develop lesson plans that respond to individual children’s learning styles, strengths and weaknesses.
Research has shown that teachers in small classes spent more time on instruction and less on managerial and organizational tasks.
Finally and most importantly, your child's interest.
Sending a child who looks forward to a class is a much smoother process than sending a child who is reluctant to take a step further into a school or premises. Surely children tend to have their moods and there will be days, like you and me, they may dread an activity they regularly would enjoy.
However, if a child refuses to attend a class over an extended period of time despite repeated sessions, > 4 times, it may be time to have a chat with your child to better understand his/her challenges.
By then, it would be best to evaluate if the course is worth continuing with.