by on 20/01/2021 240
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Melody Kindyland was founded 28 years ago in Penang with the aim of cultivating well-rounded, lifelong learners through an innovative curriculum. In 2018, Melody Kindyland opened its 35th outlet, the first one in Klang Valley, at The Cube Bandar Puteri Puchong. It lends a continuity to the aim of its founding school and keeps the focus clearly on the quality of the children’s preschool experience.
Housed in a 3-storey building, the Puchong branch features a well-designed environment that supports children’s progressive needs as they grow. It boasts open spaces fitted with purpose-built learning corners, collapsible partition walls that can be converted into individual classrooms, child-sized fixtures, accessible materials arranged on low open shelves and a metal wall grid, a stage, and an outdoor compound, to name but a few.
Melody Kindyland is more than just a typical preschool. Children go through much more than a stagnant, one-classroom day routine. Through a balance of engaging activities, academic learning and social-emotional development, children are guided according to their individual strengths to reach their full potential.
Here, teachers use a blend of the best early childhood education approaches to nurture children holistically – intellectually, cognitively, socially, emotionally and physically. Over the years, the curriculum has evolved to become a future-focused one, priming children with a solid foundation they can build on as they move through this rapidly changing world.
One of the most prominent components in the programmes offered in this preschool is 21st century learning. It incorporates STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Math) content, project-based learning, guided discovery teaching and the development of multiple intelligences to help children acquire not just the knowledge but also the skills needed to thrive in the future.
Moving away from traditional rote learning, children are encouraged to learn through the discovery of facts and relationships on their own. Instead of just memorising facts, they experiment with different materials in different settings and ask questions to gain an understanding of how things work in real life. Throughout this process, well-trained teachers observe the children, identify their interests and ways of learning, and then facilitate appropriate opportunities for children to discover the world through a broad range of STREAM activities. These activities take many forms:
For the 3- to 4-year-olds, STREAM experiences mainly emerge from play and hands-on participation at different learning corners. These are designated areas filled with manipulatives, books, art materials and many other instructional tools to enhance children’s learning. There are 8 learning corners, namely Literacy (to develop reading, phonetic and language skills), Numeracy (to promote early mathematical conceptual learning), Practical Life (to develop fine motor skills and independence), Creativity (incorporates art & craft and messy play to stimulate creativity), Music and Movement (to help children’s minds and bodies work together through nursery rhymes and percussion instruments), Heuristic (involves open-ended play with everyday items to stimulate multiple senses and imagination), Role Play (to practice self-expression) and Playground (to train gross motor and balancing skills).
For the older bunch, STREAM education is augmented with projects that connect conceptual knowledge to real-world issues and problems. These projects require children to share ideas with the group, work together to solve problems, reassess situations to enforce success and present the final product to an audience. By doing so, children develop the 4C’s – creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration – to be able to fully participate in today’s global community.
The core programming also includes Cambridge English, Ditoso Right Brain Programme (offered as a compulsory component for the 3-year-olds and as an enrichment programme for the 4- to 6-year-olds), outdoor experiential opportunities, annual sports days and concerts, monthly cultural celebrations, excursions, holiday camps and internal competitions that strengthen children’s confidence and public speaking skills. Layering on top of that, there are a variety of enrichment programme options, such as speech and drama, Taekwondo, ukulele, and robotics, to help children discover their talents and passions.
At the heart of Melody Kindyland is a community of early preschoolers, parents and teachers that is shaped by caring trust and love. Everyone works together in partnership towards the same goals of ensuring the very best preschool experience and fostering competent future leaders. Melody Kindyland children will be ready to think bigger and aim higher when they graduate.
