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Young Parents Education Feature
Prepare your kid for Primary 1 with a very different type of brain enrichment called the Kuno method, which uses experiential brain training.
There’s a lot kids have to learn once they start primary school, and they’re often expected to learn concepts at a fast pace. This can be stressful, but if you want to make that transition from preschool to primary school easier and more enjoyable, brain enrichment can help.
Experiential brain training for preschoolers
To help them become better and faster learners, many parents enroll their babies in brain enrichment courses, like right-brain training, for instance. Such programmes are helpful, but their main focus is getting kids to memorise vast amounts of information using flash cards and the like.
This fast-paced, touch-and-go strategy emphasises only right-brain stimulation and may not necessarily help kids become the well-rounded individuals they need to be to fully grasp the concepts they’ll learn when they start school.
The Kuno method, on the other hand, is an experiential brain training programme that develops both right- and left-brain abilities. Yasuyoshi Kuno, a recognised expert with over 45 years of teaching experience in the early childhood sector, founded it in Japan more than 30 years ago.
His pioneering programme helps three- to six-year-olds grow their intellectual, emotional and social skills by exposing them purposefully to experiences that encourage them to construct their own knowledge, think and understand concepts.
How the Kuno method develops well-rounded, thinking kids
Established in Singapore in 2017, the Kuno method gives preschoolers a strong foundation in English, Mathematics and Science.
But here’s where its experiential brain training differs from other brain training methods you may be familiar with. The Kuno method doesn’t “serve” information to children and make them commit it to memory.
Instead, it follows a structured and progressive, concept-based curriculum that develops the six areas of learning, namely:
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Logical thinking
Spatial abilities
Number Sense
Geometry Intuition
Listening, comprehension and oral communication
Scientific thinking skills
Your kids are introduced to concepts through interactive group play. These fun sessions use real-life items, so that your little ones can experience the concepts at a deeper level. They also learn about social interaction, socialisation and cooperation in the process.
THE CONCRETE STAGE
Your kids are introduced to concepts through interactive group play. These fun sessions use real-life items, so that your little ones can experience the concepts at a deeper level. They also learn about social interaction, socialisation and cooperation in the process.
THE PICTORIAL STAGE
Individual sessions reinforce the concepts. Your kids are given their own set of hands-on items to explore on their own, and to practise the concepts with the teachers’ guidance. This stage helps them see the link between a real-life object and its pictorial form, teaches them about trial and error, and helps them feel more engaged in learning.
THE ABSTRACT STAGE
Teachers interact with your kids to make sure they understand the concepts and provide immediate feedback. They will also get a chance to apply what they’ve learnt and practise articulating their thoughts. This stage improves your children’s communication skills and self-confidence in their ability to be understood and heard.
Puzzle play
Every lesson also includes puzzle play. This fun, hands-on activity using Kuno method’s original puzzles boosts your kid’s critical thinking, problem-solving skills, spatial recognition and hand-eye coordination. Your kids pick up flexible thinking skills that allows them to see things in different ways, learning how to think and come up with strategies to tackle problems. It also hones their focus.
The well-planned curriculum doesn’t just improve your child’s literacy and numeracy skills; it also motivates your little one to think independently, creatively, and to collaborate, communicate and cooperate with their peers.
This well roundedness makes them lifelong learners and allows them to embark on the next stage of their formal education with confidence and joy.
