Once my little girl could sit up on her own, I decided that it was the perfect time to start reading picture books to her. I grew up loving books, so I was determined to make sure that my daughter enjoys reading too.
Me, introducing my baby to the world of Dr Seuss for the very first time.
I wondered if there were any reading programmes or workshops for kids that I could potentially register her for when she’s older, to make reading even more enjoyable. While doing some research on reading enrichment classes, I came across the MindChamps Reading & Writing Program.
Based on the reviews that I’ve read online, MindChamps was the top choice among parents who were looking to get their kids to brush up on their reading and writing skills.
Having heard many good things about them, I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to meet up with their team at MindChamps Katong V.
The love of reading starts at home
You might have noticed that as your child enters toddlerhood, she begins to develop a copycat behaviour.
I’ve seen this pattern in my 1-year-old recently, as she tries to imitate every single thing that mum and dad does: from copying her dad when he wipes the play mat with a cloth to following my action of running my finger across the page when reading books to her.
Kids learn about the world around them by imitating what others are doing.
Kids learn a great deal by imitating the actions and habits of those around them – particularly their parents. Thus, it is crucial to set a good example on habits and hobbies that you’d like your little ones to develop, such as a love for reading.
According to Quek Swee Kim, Centre Manager of MindChamps Reading & Writing Program at Katong V, kids will naturally associate books and reading with pleasure and fun when their parents show great interest in them.
“Parents can ignite their child’s love for reading by reading to them books that contain characters and themes that they love, such as dinosaurs and princesses,” she said.
Tip from the experts of MindChamps Reading & Writing Program: Choose a book that contains a character or theme that your child loves!
Based on research conducted by MindChamps, it has been found that when kids are positively engaged when they’re reading (or being read to), they are also learning new things along the way.
To keep reading time fun for their kids, Quek suggested that parents try incorporating some creative storytelling techniques to ignite their child’s imagination by bringing the story to life.
Incorporate some creative storytelling techniques when reading to your child.
Here, a teacher is acting out a story with the kids during the MindChamps Reading & Writing Program at Katong V.
About MindChamps Reading & Writing Program
The MindChamps Reading & Writing Program is an enrichment program that focuses on learning literacy for kids aged 3 to 7 years old. Developed by the team of educators at MindChamps under the leadership of Mr Brian Caswell, an educational expert and bestselling author of several parenting titles, the program aims to build an interest and passion for reading and writing in your child.
MindChamps Reading & Writing Program was developed by a team of educators under the leadership of Mr Brian Caswell, Dean of Research and Programme Development, MindChamps.
The MindChamps Reading & Writing Program aims to equip your child with 8 critical literacy skills:
1. Engagement: Teachers will be actively engaging your child to develop a love for reading and writing
2. Active Understanding: Your child will be taught to understand what she reads to facilitate better learning
3. Narrative Intelligence & Higher Order Thinking Skills: To nurture your child’s thinking and intelligence to help her make better sense of the world
4. Phonemic Awareness: To teach your child to hear sounds in context
5. Phonics: Your child will learn to connect sounds to symbols with MindChamps’ unique phonics approach
6. Fluency: This will help to familiarise your child with the natural flow of the language
7. Vocabulary-building: To build your child’s vocabulary through MindChamps’ extensive reading library
8. Structural awareness: To help your child understand how language and sentences are constructed
Your child will need to take the MindChamps Literary Assessment before enrolling for the program.
Before joining the MindChamps Reading & Writing Program, your child will be assessed on their reading and writing ability by taking the MindChamps Literacy Assessment. Based on the results, he/she will be placed in the relevant class (referred to as levels 1 to 12) to achieve the corresponding learning outcomes.
Parents’ involvement in the program
Now that I had a better idea about the MindChamps Reading & Writing Program, I wondered if there was anything mums and dads can do to help their kids keep up with the things that they’ve learnt at the centre.
Parents will get to go through the lessons taught at the centre through their kids’ activity book.
Quek reassured me that the teaching team at MindChamps Katong V works closely with parents to tailor a targeted lesson plan that meets the literacy needs of their child.
She said, “From the comprehensive literacy assessment that is conducted every 3 months to the bi-annual Parent-Teacher Conference, parents will be kept informed of their child’s learning strengths, as well as areas for improvement.”
She added that on top of the suggested weekly reading list that will be given to parents, they will also get to go through the activity sheets in the enrichment books used in the MindChamps Reading & Writing Program. “Through the activity book, parents can monitor the progress on their child’s reading and writing, while reinforcing the same learning concepts taught in class during the week, at home.”
Special registration offer for all readers
If you’re interested to enrol your child for the MindChamps Reading & Writing Program at Katong V, we’ve got some great news for you!
Head down to the centre and mention this article to get:
– Complimentary reading assessment for your child (worth $80), conducted by one of the literary experts.
– A FREE set of bookmarks
Visit MindChamps at Katong V today!
Address: 30 East Coast Road, #03-02/06 Katong V, Singapore 428751
Tel: 6440 6626
Email: [email protected]
