KinderStars Academy, Skudai, Johor

KinderStars Academy, Skudai, Johor prides itself on delivering the highest quality early childhood education to families with children aged 18 months to 6 years in the local community. This award-winning preschool is driven by a vision to “nurture a group of future leaders who are resilient, competent and well developed in all aspects.” Putting all learners at the heart of its meticulous care and efforts, KinderStars is committed to the continual pursuit of each child’s personal best.

A purpose-built environment inspired by nature

Since its establishment in 2014, KinderStars has grown to include 3 preschools in the vicinity of Mutiara Rini and 200 KinderKids collectively, with a new premium flagship preschool coming up this year. The purpose-built school boasts a nature-based environment that is conducive for exploratory learning. While it embodies the warmth of an inviting second home, this two-storey building comes with a host of child-friendly facilities that include classrooms, library, role play station, canteen, multipurpose hall, reception area, multimedia room, as well as a Little Jungle outdoors. When parents visit the school, be prepared to be in awe of its beautiful, calm atmosphere presented to make children feel at ease with learning.  

To provide parents great peace of mind, the team at KinderStars observe strict safety and hygiene procedures, even before the pandemic hit. Children undergo mandatory temperature checks and health screenings before entering the school; children who show signs of illnesses will be sent home; thorough cleaning and sanitization of the premises are carried out every day; staff and children are required to perform weekly RTK Covid-19 tests.   

Nurturing children’s full potential while preserving the wonders of childhood

As it was once mentioned by Ms Ho Ching, the wife of Singapore’s Prime Minister, “The key to education is building character and developing capability. I believe that children should be more rounded and developed to unlock their full potential. They grow up so fast, so it’s important to let them enjoy their youth because they’re only young once,” and therefore, at KinderStars, they allow children to enjoy their childhood, while tapping into children’s innate curiosity to fuel learning.

Children are born eager to learn. Everything is a wonder. Wisdom begins from wonder. KinderStars Academy, Johor

The preschool’s WONDROUS approach arose from this. Its carefully designed curriculum is also largely inspired by Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which implies that all children are born with nine different intelligences, but each child shows varying strengths of each intelligence. Thus, in order to nurture each child’s individual strengths and interests, the following all-rounded elements are integrated into the curriculum so that children can gain the skills necessary to thrive in this highly complex world.

Word smart – KinderKids are provided with sufficient platforms to develop their reading, writing and comprehension skills.

Oral and presentation skills development – KinderKids are guided to become confident in delivering speeches or explaining new ideas to an audience.  

Nature-grounded development – KinderKids can relate well to their natural surroundings and have a strong environmental conscience. 

Development of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence – While exploring the outdoors in the nature-based environment, KinderKids are exposed to many opportunities that help strengthen their physical skills and dexterity.   

Right environment to foster spatial intelligence or visual thinking – KinderKids will have improved ability to use visuals to see the solution to the problem.

Opportunities to boost logical intelligence – KinderKids will heighten their ability to think and reason logically in order to solve problems.

Understanding of musical intelligence – musical experiences will enhance KinderKids’ self-expression, social development, awareness of movement and body positions, as well as creativity and imagination.

Self and interpersonal intelligence – KinderKids will learn to collaborate with their peers to problem-solve, reflect and develop new ideas by building on their existing knowledge.   

Setting the stage for a love of learning, KinderStars offers much more than ABCs and 123s. The programmes are devoted to preserving the joy and wonder of the young child while preparing them for primary school and life beyond. Each day, children are greeted by loving teachers who are committed to present them with a world of opportunities to nurture their main domains of development. Through play, hands-on activities and plenty of real-life experiences, children are able to build a deep understanding across a broad range of learning areas, including language, science, 9 beads abacus system, speech and drama, art and craft, physical movement, character building, music and movement, practical life, cookery, and more.

At KinderStars, children will spend a lot of time in nature, whether it’s in the school’s outdoor Little Jungle or during adventures in their field trips. This time outside not only gives children the chance to play in imaginative ways, but also develops a deep connection for them to the natural world. Children live in their senses, and nothing feeds their senses better than nature. As they discover treasures among the bushes, examine little insects creep around the grounds, and watch the birds soar over the treetops, they learn to understand how the world works, which are the foundations to key subject areas like language, mathematics and science.

When coronavirus restrictions permit, children also get to enjoy holiday programmes, attend graduation camps, and participate in fund raising events, to name but a few. Even though some events have to be put on hold, the teachers at KinderStars are ever so dedicated to ensuring children’s imagination and capacity to learn are continually nurtured through other experiential and creative means.  

In each of the locations of KinderStars Academy, they have managed to successfully create a world rich in possibilities and unlimited potential to introduce learning as a playful and magical adventure for children. The team behind it has taken the best of early childhood education and wrapped it up into a wholesome programme that educates children and equips them with a strong foundation that will take them through to a successful future.