Social Media

back

Nurturing Holistic Development and Preschool Education at Preschool for Multiple Intelligences (PMI)

LearnPost Category - LearnLearn - Post Category - SchoolsSchools

Preschool for Multiple Intelligences (PMI) walks the walk with a unique programme dedicated to educating every child — and celebrating every child’s strengths!

Believe us, mama, we know how overwhelming the Singapore Preschool scene can be. Keeping track of curricula, philosophies, facilities – not to mention getting a feel for a school’s teachers and principals – is hard work, and it’s no wonder it all starts to feel like a sea of sameness after a while.

But there’s one particular preschool – with two locations, in the East and at Newton – that really stands out to us, both for its unique curriculum and its incredibly warm and welcoming team of teachers. With the conviction that the early years are crucial for children’s holistic development, Preschool for Multiple Intelligences (PMI) seeks to nurture all forms of intelligences (according to Harvard psychologist and education professor Howard Gardner, there are eight in total) as a means of laying a foundation to fulfill every child’s potential.

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences posits that each person possesses different strengths, which are innate in all of us, to varying degrees. One person may be particularly physically adept, another might have a strong knack for math and spacial awareness. When every child is viewed as intelligent in his or her own area of strength, you’d be amazed to see how far children can go, mama!

PMI preschool

PMI’s morning programme reflects an integrated curriculum that taps on children’s different intelligences so they can all understand concepts. This means “learning is experiential, meaningful to the child, and applicable in real life,” according to PMI’s founder, Dr Khoo Kim Choo. For instance children learn that writing is another form of communication, hence write letters to their parents and will learn to put them in envelopes, buy stamps at the post office and mail them out. Parents are encouraged to reply to their children’s letters, which children will then read out to one another. PMI is also fully bilingual, with one English-speaking teacher and one native Mandarin speaker per class.

PMI preschool

PMI teachers have also been specially trained by Brainy Moves, an innovative physical education-cum-brain-training programme based on scientific research to enhance cognitive functions through exercise and games. We’ve not seen another preschool in Singapore that incorporates and values physical movement in such a holistic manner, mama!

While the multiple intelligences are at the heart of PMI’s philosophy, core values of love and compassion, respect for self and others, responsibility, independence and initiative, and honesty and integrity are also a driving force.

PMI’s founder, Dr Khoo, is one of the most respected educators in Singapore’s early childhood space, and is a constant presence at the two school campuses, personally setting the tone. Whereas many preschools in Singapore either feel overly corporate and impersonal, or else run by people with limited experience, mamas can feel reassured and encouraged by Dr Khoo and her team of wonderful, caring teachers. And we say this from personal experience — one of our own Sassy Mama team members sends her kids to PMI!

PMI preschool

Part of what makes PMI so special is everything that happens outside the classroom: from the unique Make a Difference (MAD) Programme where kids learn about Singapore wildlife including local flora, fauna, and ecology; to its specialised urban gardening program (children harvest their own veggies!); to community service including charity drives and visits to the elderly. We also hear the trampoline and large outdoor play area at the East Coast location are a pretty big hit. We highly recommend checking out PMI’s Facebook page to see all the cool activities they do on a weekly basis!

Preschool for Multiple Intelligences (Newton), 37 Newton Road, Singapore 307965, Tel: (+65) 6259 9661
Preschool for Multiple Intelligences (East), 39 Lorong Melayu, Singapore 416923, Tel: (+65) 6747 1343

www.pmi.com.sg

Brought to you in partnership with Preschool for Multiple Intelligences

more sassy mama

What's New

We're social

We're social

What we're up to and what inspires us