As we know, today is the 1st day of the PSLE. For those of us whose child is taking what is probably the biggest exam (so far) in their life, it is a day of trepidation and anticipation.
I remember this day, some 20 years back , when at 5 am , I woke up and nervously went through my notes in my head, at the same time having no appetite for breakfast. Back then, I had no idea what my PSLE results were going to be, but I knew for sure that all the effort my forced studying (ahem – ‘forced’ by parents) would culminate in this big examination that would determine which Secondary school I could get into, and therefore my future.
Well, achieving a T-score of 262 and getting into CHIJ St Nicholas’ Girls school was like a dream come true. When I look back today, I have my parents to thank for disciplining me and ensuring that playful me had sufficient study time. (Thank You Daddy and Mummy, if you are reading this!)
To help us tide through these critical 5 days, here are some of my favourite tips to ease our kids minds (hopefully!) and to ensure that they remain in optimum health and mental state for their exams.
5 Tips for surviving the PSLE
(1) Sleep Well
Pack up the assessment books and send your child to bed. A good night’s sleep is the most important in acing the exam. Revising the “life cycle of living things” for the 10th time is not going to make much of a difference; having sufficient sleep will.
(2) Stay Hydrated
Water is essential for the brains to function well. I know that we all worry about having to go to the washroom during those precious minutes of an exam. The trick is to get well hydrated the day before the exam. So, load up your child on water the day before the exam and immediately after a paper if there is a subsequent paper the following day.
(3) Eat Normally
Let your child eat the usual food he is used to. A sudden change in diet, even if it is for the better, may result in upset stomach and discomfort. If you want to start on a “better or more nourishing diet”, do at least four weeks before the exam and not right before.
(4) Relax and Destress
Yes, PSLE is stressful for both parents and child. Help your child relax by staying with the usual routine as much as possible. Offer your listening ear to your child if he looks stressed and this is definitely not the time to chide him for not having studied harder in the past. Assure him that as long as he tries his best, the results do not matter and that you will love him just as much. 🙂
(5) Take a Brain Placebo
Acing an exam is highly psychological. Give your child a little edge by giving him some supplements or fruits (that he is already comfortable with) and tell him that it will help him relax and think better during the exam.
Much like music, drawing, and sports, kids can be drawn to the world of coding early in their life. Interesting books on the subject not only help in coding classes for kids, but help promote analytical skills and computational thinking. Read about the top four books that introduce kids to coding in a fun way.
Computational Fairy Tales
Jeremy Kubica brings the world of fairy tales to the age of coding, using powerful narrative to introduce programming to young kids. The book is full of goblin attacks, kingdoms in danger, and magical curses. At the same time, kids learn algorithms, binary code, and loops. What a fun way to start your child on coding!
Coding games in Scratch
This book is a step-by-step guide to developing computer games. With a graphic design that resembles that of Minecraft, the book uses Scratch—a free programming language to teach kids how to code. Featuring a plethora of practical activities, it gets children actually started on code rather than just reading about it.
Getting started with Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi, an affordable but innovative computer has taken the world by storm and has inspired many coding classes for kids all over the world. The book features Linux, Scratch, and Python. This book is for kids who are simply interested in programming and coding, or who wish to take their programming knowledge one step further with a programmable hardware component.
Python for Kids: A playful introduction to programming
Voted in 2015 as the most popular programming language in the world, Python is turning out to be a popular programming language to begin coding. The tone and language of the book is very casual and irreverent, so that kids can find it enjoyable. It is the first book written by programmer Jason R. Briggs, and has been downloaded over 50,000 times, and translated by the community into Spanish, French, German, Italian and Bengali.
Extremely excited to be featured in Japan’s top News Media – Check us out in the latest issue of Nikkei Ecomom! (Only available in Japan)
Singapore is truly at the forefront of innovation and Technological education. Proud to be involved in shaping our Nation’s young minds.
Excerpts from the article:
“Roughly the size of Tokyo, without natural resources, Singapore has made good effort in developing her people, with roughly 17% of its budget on education (compared to Japan’s 7%).
Under Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, also a Mathematician, the nation revealed its “Smart Nation” strategy. On the side of education, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education has been pushed forward. Experts in STEM teamed up with teachers in schools, providing advice from their professional perspective.
Starting from 2017, high school entrance examinations will be including programming as one of the subjects. As a result, more and more students are learning coding (programming) outside of schools as well. It is said that coding is useful to train students’ logical thinking. ”
The recent #SmartNation initiative in Singapore as well as the Global trend of introducing young ones starting from preschoolers to Coding classes, have left many parents baffled and unable to keep up with the tech jargon sprouted by their preschoolers as young as 3.
Start your Child on their journey in logical thinking with our immersive and enriching preschool programme, suitable for ages 4-6, to give them a head start on coding. Involving physical activity, where they get the chance to learn logic and commands using live-sized blocks, children get to act out these commands with their classmates, with lots of running around (specially designed for active little ones!).
Themes range from Nursery Rhymes, Stories, Nature and Fairy Tales, subjects that our little ones love the most, to engage all their senses as they are challenged to think logically, whether it is to program a fairy to fly, vanquish evil with a Wizard’s wand, or make monkeys jump on the bed at different speeds.
With our MIT-inspired curriculum and small class ratio (1:6), your child is guaranteed a strong start on their foundation in Coding and Mathematics which will put them in good stead for the Elementary/Primary School curriculum.
P/s: Did we also mention that the kids get to play with a host of uber cool tech toys? Come and join us for hours of fun at our campus!~ #SeeYouSoon!
Join us for our 120-minute Childrens’ Day Workshop! Kids get to draw, program and record sound to their own adaptation of 5 Little Monkeys, the popular nursery rhyme! Limited to 8 slots only. Sign Up!Coding with Scratch Junior and life-sized blocksProgramming on Scratch JuniorPlaying with SpheroCoding Classes for 4-6 year olds
How have your September holidays been? I hope you have been having fun with your kids, and for those studying for their exams, they deserve huge hugs and cuddles everyday. Let’s continue to encourage them to do better!
After their exams are over, you may want to let them relax, unwind and if you’d like, here is a nice list of Tech and Math related TV shows to keep them engaged. Enjoy!
