After a successful two-week run filled with insightful webinars and impactful conversations between parents and child experts, Singapore Parenting Festival (SPF) 2023 caps off with an epic activity - the PCF Parenting Conference 2023 that was held last weekend, May 20 at Our Tampines Hub and May 21 at One Punggol.
Organised by PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots, the annual PCF Parenting Conference returns for its third edition, in conjunction with SPF 2023, organised by MediaCorp and theAsianparent. The two-day event was filled with a series of physical seminars featuring industry experts and hands-on workshops for parents and kids alike. Over two thousand parents and children were in attendance at the said event.
PCF Day 1: Learning for Parents and Children Alike
The event kicked off with an inspiring message from Minister Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs. As this year’s Parenting Conference centres around the theme of parenting in the 21st century, Minister Teo acknowledged the challenges and opportunities that parents face in the volatile world.
"At PCF, we always believe in, and have in fact always been partnering, with parents in this journey to guide their children's development and growth. Parents are our child’s first and most important teachers. Your role is critical in supporting your child’s development and education," she said.
"A strong home-school partnership between parents and educators is critical for a child's learning and development. And many parents want to contribute actively," she added.
We went straight to business on Day 1, where the issue of preparing your child for primary school and parent involvement was tackled. The sessions kicked off with the first topic, How Can I Prepare My Child for Primary 1? featuring Mr Charles Chan, the Principal of Henry Park Primary School and representing the Ministry of Education as the keynote speaker.
It was followed by The Importance of Parental Involvement for School Transition Success featuring education expert Dr LauYi Hung Eva, Associate Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Early Childhood Education of The Education University of Hong Kong.
Then it was on to panel discussions. The first one was more parenting-related as the talks centred on The Truths About Early Childhood and a parent's role in their children's development.
Parcsen Loke, Family Life Educator and Coach at Centre for Fathering talked about a father's powerful role in playing with their kids and reading to them, while Dr Chia Moira Suyin, a consultant at KKH Women's and Children's Hospital emphasised the importance of tummy time in babies. Completing the powerful lineup for Panel 1 is Kelly Tay, the founder of Juicy Parenting to talk about Mai Kancheong – How to Cultivate Patience in Children.
Parents and kids alike were treated to fun workshops in the afternoon as well. Toddlers enjoyed the interactive workshop entitled Words Around the World, led by instructors from Singapore Wolf-Trap. Mums and dads were then encouraged to participate in the next workshop, Parent-Child Games for Promoting Children’s Executive Functions led by Dr Lau Yi Hung Eva.
Capping off Day 1 was another education-centred panel entitled Exploring Literacy, beginning with a talk on Early Literacy and Executive Function Skills, featuring Dr Aishah Abdul Rahman, Education Research Scientist at the National Institute of Education Office of Education Research.
It was followed by a refreshing talk on the importance of bilingualism in early childhood, featuring Dr Mary Lee Lay Choo, research coordinator for Assessment Tools; Child Language (Bilingualism) at NUS.
Finally, the last talk of the day was about building literacy at home, featuring You Se Teo, and Educational Therapist for Inclusive Education Team at PCF. Question and answer portions followed after each panel discussion.
PCF Day 2: The Fun and Learning Continues
Day 2 of the PCF Parenting Conference 2023 kicked off with 4 fun and energising workshops for kids: Words Around the World for preschoolers this time, Exploring Materials and Movements with Puppets for toddlers led by instructors from Playeum Ltd., See-Think-Wonder by Children's Museum Singapore and Raising Readers for Life, facilitated by librarians from the National Library Board.
The learning continues in the afternoon with the third panel entitled Digital Wellbeing of Children, featuring Shem Yao, Head of Department at TOUCH Community Services, Dr Chitra Ramalingam, Associate Consultant, Department of Child Development KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital who talked about parenting in the digital age.
Dr Evelyn Law Chung Ning, Assistant Professor at the Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at NUS shed light on the potential benefits and dangers of digital media use in young children.
More fun and insightful workshops followed in the afternoon; Let’s Make Playful Connections with Puppets for preschoolers and Empowering Your Child: A Body Safety Workshop for Parents and Children.
It was full STEAM ahead in the last panel discussion of the conference as parents delved into the future of education in four letters - S.T.E.M.
Dr Tan Kok Siang, Senior Educational Consultant at SGReflect educated parents on learning-thinking approaches to support young learners’ engagement in STEM learning, followed by Mr Jeffrey Nah, Founder and CEO of Future Ready Academy who talked about S.T.E.A.M. into the future.
Completing the powerful lineup of speakers for the panel discussion was Ms Nancy Soon, Founder of Stemie Advantages, who also facilitated the innovative workshop for kids entitled, Bee an Inventor. It followed an exciting Introduction to KUBO Robotics session facilitated by Duck Learning.
While the parents were in learning mode during the panel discussions, the children were also amused and entertained with fun games at the conference venue like Jam Jar Bingo, arts and crafts, face painting and a storytelling booth.
Truly, the PCF Parenting Conference 2023 was a learning affair to remember for the whole family. With all the learning and parenting tips we got from this event, we are already anticipating an even better turnout next year.
PCF Sparkletots is a Gold Partner of the Singapore Parenting Festival. Missed any of the webinars and discussions? Be sure to check out our website for the recordings and articles related to the event.