Why it is never too young to start learning process

SHARJAH: “In today’s world, most families are nuclear families with no grandparents or aunts and uncles to help parents with the very serious business of bringing up children.

Young children consequently interact only with parents and siblings while parents, busy with their professional lives and other responsibilities, oten have very litle time to educate and interact with their offspring, according to Geeta Manghnani, Kindergarten Supervisor, GEMS Millennium School, Sharjah.

“Very oten, the litle one in the family is let for hours on end watching endless cartoons or otherwise glued to their mobile phone or tablet. And those oten-rare chances for human interaction and the development of social skills have been further negatively impacted by the pandemic.

“It is a worrying scenario for so many of our future generations at the outset of their lives, but help is at hand. A pre-school education gives a kickstart to the core skills: communication and language, gross motor and fine motor skills and personal, social, and emotional development.

“Research indicates that early language abilities lead to the development of reading and higher rates of success in a child’s life. The best way to develop these key skills is to provide a languagerich environment with plenty of opportunities to interact with peers and adults.

“According to research, a child’s maximum cognitive development takes place from birth up to five years old. It is fundamental that each child’s skills are optimised. An enabling learning environment and carefully planned learning experiences under the guidance of caring adults is the key which helps children acquire skills in all areas of learning.

“At GEMS Millennium School, Sharjah, we have this month opened our new pre-kindergarten facility for the three-year-olds and over to fulfil this growing realisation and requirement from our parents to start the learning process at a formative age and offer their children a head start in life.

We have prioritised on smart innovative approaches to learning, to enrich our curriculum, provide intervention, and to immediately close learning gaps. It is certainly a taste of things to come in our increasingly tech and digital-led world.

The pre-kindergarten programme at GMS is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage principles. We will provide an enriching and simulating experience that ignites curiosity, imagination, and exploration, keeping in mind the student’s ability, age, and language proficiency. Activities planned in the free flow areas enhance and develop independent learning, self-reflection, and critical thinking skills. Regular observations are carried out to understand, assess and plan the next steps in learning for individual pupils’ development.