Mandarin Lighthaus, Bangsar

Research has found that children who play outside are happier, with improved concentration, creativity, and memory. Being in nature is also a great stress-reliever and can help to boost a child’s confidence and overall wellbeing.

Unfortunately, many children living in urban areas have precious little opportunity to be outdoors–something which Mandarin Lighthaus, Bangsar, hopes to change.

The new preschool, which opened in November 2023, offers half-day (from 8.30am until 12.30pm) and full-day (until 5.45 pm) programmes for children aged between two and six years old. It emphasises a wholesome educational experience that integrates hands-on learning, academics, and play.

Physical activity and movement are encouraged here – with children spending 45 minutes each morning for exercise and outdoor activities. The spacious compound features a colourful playground and sand pit.

There is even a small garden filled with crops, where the children can take part in gardening and growing crops.

“We recently harvested a batch of vegetables which the children have been growing since earlier this year,” says principal Tiow Chai Nee. “They were very excited to bring it home to their parents! These activities are wonderful for the children as they’re learning through play and activity, not just confined within the classroom,” she adds.

Language-rich environment for immersive learning

As the brand’s second and latest branch, Mandarin Lighthaus, Bangsar follows the same, high-quality curriculum as their main centre in Mont Kiara.

The syllabus features elements from the National Standard Preschool Curriculum (KSPK) integrated with internally developed lesson plans and materials that focus on building strong foundations in Mandarin.

Subjects such as Mathematics, Science (STEM) and Moral are taught in Mandarin, and there are dedicated classes for other languages like English and Bahasa Melayu. Aside from language proficiency, the school also targets various areas of a child’s development through hands-on activities like messy play, arts and crafts, and music and movement.

Younger children are taught practical life skills in fun and engaging ways, such as during cooking classes, where they can improve their fine motor skills through tasks like scooping, pouring, and more.

Learning is also integrated into these sessions. For example, the children may be introduced to a new word, such as ‘egg’, in the classroom, which they will then use as an ingredient in their cooking class, to solidify the link between learning and doing.

It also allows children to learn more about culture through cooking, like when they made tang yuan, a traditional Chinese dessert of glutinous rice balls in sweet soup.

Hands-on: the best approach

Gone are the days of rote and memorisation when teaching was a one-way knowledge transfer from teacher to student.

In keeping up with the latest educational trends, Mandarin Lighthaus’s teachers are constantly thinking of creative ways to enhance a child’s learning by encouraging them to explore and experiment, to observe, think, feel, and do.

One of the school’s Science projects, for example, involved learning about a chick’s life cycle, which involved putting an egg into the incubator and hatching an actual chick.

“If they’re learning concepts such as sizes, it’s not just about memorising the character or word, but providing them with real objects that they can touch, see, and feel, so that they can understand the difference in a real scenario,” Miss Tiow explains.

At the same time, there is a need to strike a balance between these practical activities with more structured classes, to prepare students for formal primary education.

Thanks to the school’s robust syllabus and rich materials, most pupils can recognise more than 500 Mandarin characters by the time they graduate, in addition to radicals, strokes, and how to construct sentences.

Mandarin enrichment classes are also available and are conducted in very small groups of either one-to-one or two-to-one, ensuring personalised attention.

“We emphasise proper Mandarin usage when communicating with the children, so you will not find our teachers using slang or colloquialisms,” says Miss Tiow.

Conclusion

Parents who wish to immerse their children in a language-rich environment will definitely find it at Mandarin Lighthaus, Bangsar.

Beyond improving the child’s language proficiency – which is crucial as it forms the basis to literacy and other forms of learning – the school is also committed to overall development through hands-on learning and activities that encourage physical, social, and emotional growth.

Add to that a team of passionate, dedicated teachers with a genuine love for children, and you have a recipe for nurturing well-rounded pupils with a lifelong love for learning.