By Serene Leong
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a police officer is like?
On 19 July 2022, police officers from the Singapore Police Force visited Little Seeds Preschool The Salvation Army at Bukit Batok East to share with K1 and K2 children what they do as part of their job to ensure a safe and secure Singapore.
The children learnt about crime prevention and safety, had hands-on activity where they got to touch various police gears, and even experienced sitting in a police car!
Centre Leader Stella Samathanam knew about the programme last year when SPF conducted a virtual session for the school where they talked about crime prevention tips such as how to identify scammers and how to react when strangers approach.
This year, however, it was a pleasant surprise when the officers were able to come down physically!
First, the officers had an interactive, indoor session with the children. Then they brought the children out to tour the vehicle. They were all geared up in full police uniform with shields, vests and helmets and the children had the chance to touch and feel the police baton and handcuffs.
My K1 and K2s are quite daring. I don’t know if they were scared, but they were very excited. They enjoyed the whole thing because it was very interactive compared to last year.
Mrs Stella Daniel (Centre Leader)
Little Seeds Preschool – TSA Bukit Batok East
What did the children enjoy the most?
Stella said: “It was the touch and feel experience. They were more excited when the officers said, ‘Ok now it’s time to go out…!’”
The children also asked the police officers many questions such as “Why are you wearing (this uniform)? Why is the helmet so hard? What is this button (in the car) for?” and even shared some of their own personal stories.
In the midst of all the fun and excitement, the children remembered what they learnt about safety. When asked what they should do if a stranger approaches them, they responded saying, “tell my teacher, say no and walk away”.
The children were able to relate to other scenarios such as: What should you do if you meet a bully?
Stella said: “The K1 and K2s are more aware and able to relate especially to the word bully. Parents and children often use the word bully but we try to differentiate what a real bully is. The teachers also share newspaper articles of money scams so the kids are aware. The officers tried their best to keep it very simple and they were very patient with the kids.”
At the end of the session, the teachers and children thanked the officers for coming down to spend their morning with them.
The session helped the children understand and experience what being a police officer is about and encouraged them to set goals and explore what they want to be when they grow up.
Of course, these dreams and goals are always changing for our children, but it made the officers’ day when one child excitedly exclaimed, “I want to be a police officer!”
To find out more about our preschools and curriculum, visit https://littleseeds.edu.sg
