Basateen: Laying a firm preschool foundation

SHARJAH: In the quest to nurture kids at par with the theme “Early Start, Grow Smart” it is important to give special care to school-going children. Such is the objective that Sharjah Ladies Club (SLC) is trying to achieve at Basateen PreSchool Center’s afterschool programme, which aims to deliver a preschool service of the highest international standards to the children of members and non-members of SLC. The centre strives to create an environment where children, parents, and teachers can work hand-in-hand to promote the all-round development of each child.

“According to my previous experience with kids’ curricula, I believe that when the kid joins the school directly without joining any preschool programme, both the kid and his parents are going to face lots of challenges in education,” said Rifat Khan, Child Development Consultant at Basateen Preschool Center, during an exclusive interview.

The range of activities that are offered by the centre cover various life aspects. They include etiquette, life skills, critical thinking, gross motor coordination, fine motor skills, prewriting, reading, phonetics, early numeracy, artwork and dramatics, with a strong focus on selflessness and humanitarianism. The programme forms part of the centre’s efforts to encourage young children to advance their social skills, explore their creative abilities and build their confidence.

Speaking on the recent activities held at Basateen Preschool Center, she said, “There was an initiative called ‘Play. Learn. Grow Together’ held throughout May and June under the programme that comprised fun-filled ‘edutainment’ sessions with kindness and charity taking a central role. Play is at the heart of all of the programme’s activities, which are run by highly qualified Early Childhood educators and practitioners who provide one-on-one supervision and individual attention to each child.”

When asked about the importance of the play in educating kids, she replied, “Play has been described as being ‘the work of the child.’ Research has shown that play activities are essential to a child’s healthy development, with three-quarters of brain development occurring after birth. When children play in an interactive and learning environment, as opposed to being passively entertained by electronic devices, the connections between their nerve cells are stimulated. This process aids the development of fine and gross motor skills, language, socialisation, personal awareness, emotional well-being, creativity, problem-solving and learning.”

“Play as practised in the Basateen PreSchool Centre’s afterschool programme links sensory-motor, cognitive, and social-emotional experiences to provide the right conditions for brain development. The centre has recently opened up a brand new play area to maximise the benefits from this vital development activity,” she added.

“The teaching of literacy and numeracy skills is considered an integral part of a child’s early development, but we feel that there is often too little emphasis on other ‘soft’ skills that are vital for social cohesion.” Rifat averred, “We believe that it is important to imbue young children with these attributes at the earliest of ages so that they have a solid foundation for good citizenship as they grow.”

Basateen PreSchool Centre’s Afterschool programme was formulated to ensure the rounded and comprehensive development of all aspects of a child’s nature through its promotion of critical thinking, encouragement of creativity, movement and coordination and its focus on civic responsibilities.

Read more: http://www.gulftoday.ae/portal/c56599fc-209d-40ad-a9d8-6bb7b563be72.aspx