Enjoying our ‘free and easy’ days
Here in Singapore, Nursery and Kindergarten kids generally spend an average of three hours at school.
Before or after those three hours, however, some may have been signed up for tuitions, enrichment classes and other extra-curricular activities.
If the child is in K2 (Kindergarten 2, also known as ‘pre-school’, ie. one year before the child enters Primary One), some parents also send the child to extra classes and enrichments in a hope to better ‘prepare’ him/her for Primary One’s higher academic expectations.
[For Anya’s case, so far, she has ballet once a week, and Chinese enrichment class once a week too, right after school]
I don’t know if I’m the ‘odd one out’, but while I still can, I prefer to keep my kids’ days less ‘busy’ with programmed schedules (especially since they’re only three and five years old).
I mean, if my kids attend Primary schools here in Singapore, they’d naturally be busier with school, its homework, exam preparations etc anyway.
So, while they are still NOT in such a phase yet, I’d like my kids to have the option of enjoying ‘free and easy’ days (usually our ‘spare time’ is right after their afternoon naps).
Like having arts and crafts session together on one day, and playground time on another.
Helping out with dinner preparation on one day, and biking around the neighbourhood on another.
Or, … going out and about to fun places like Sentosa’s Palawan Beach late in the afternoon, like we just did earlier this week!
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Gwen:
Hey there Gwen … I guess us being here in Singapore makes our decision stand out even more? But really, at such a tender age of 2.8yo and 16 mths, aww … how can we not spend as much time with them over the weekends, yes ?
Madster:
Hi hi … thanks for sharing your thoughts with me! Love to hear more from you in future posts ya …
Priscilla:
somehow i feel, it’s not about the activities themselves, but more about ‘when’ and ‘why’ the kids are signed up for so many at any given time. if the reason is more about ‘being better’ than the peers, then really … i feel so sad for the kids … I dunno .. it just gets rather complicated these days, don’t you think ?
anyway, I’m with you 🙂
Christie:
I totally am with you when you said we can never get this time back. And I’m trying to treasure these growing up moments as much as I can … and somehow I just hope many more other parents out there too can see how fast this phase will go and never be back …
I’m a working parent and I feel our weekends are too precious to be filled with enrichment classes to further take away time that we can spend in free play with the children.
But yes I do feel fairly oddball sometimes…especially when a mom of younger kids than mine asks me what I do with our kids (2.8 yrs and 16 mths) after telling me she sends them for gym, music, etc etc and my answer is “we don’t yet send them to any classes”.
Hi again,
Love reading your blog and your approach toward parenting. It is encouraging. Like you, I am indonesian living in Singapore who believes of kids enjoying their childhood to the fullest.
I hear ya! Even where I am, I am beginning to always feel like the odd one out especially amongst the Asian parents. Most of thir kids would have piano, ballet, Chinese lessons, Kumon and etc. I always feel slightly pressurised when I get questioned when I am going to sign up my kids for piano, violin and etc etc…For the moment, is 2 extra activities after school and is all sports oriented which makes me even the more odd one out! Good on you for keeping their early childhood as relax n uncluttered as possible, they have the rest of their lives to pick up many other skills!
Your children (and you) will never get this time back, Leonny. I think you are giving them so much by giving them time to relax and the opportunity to learn through real life experiences. Good on you for going against the ‘norm’ and making a stand for what you believe is right for your family.