By Winnie Sim
The phrase “The days are long but the years are short” may resonate with many busy working parents, especially in their child’s preschool years because they pass in a blink of an eye! Preschool is also the time when children develop many skills, including socio-emotional skills. Hence, it is important for them to feel safe and confident so that they can build positive relationships in school and at home.
Family is a child’s primary social unit. Parents are their haven, the ones they turn to for basic needs, security and comfort. In the eyes of children, parents are their best friends. Spending quality time together is undoubtedly the best way to develop this precious relationship.
How can busy parents spend quality time with their children?
1. Attend school events and excursions
Attending a school event is one activity parents can do with their children which can create wonderful memories for them.
In May this year, families of our 3 Little Seeds Preschools – LSP (St. Andrew’s), LSP (TSA – Bukit Batok East) and LSP (TSA – Bukit Panjang) – got together for a Family Day event at the Singapore Sports Hub. This event gave families the opportunity to spend quality time together and with the community.
Despite a heavy downpour, more than 200 parents, grandparents and children turned up for the Family Day event. The Singapore Sports Hub turned into a sea of green as families wore the Little Seeds Preschool Family Day t-shirt in unity. It was heart-warming to witness the wonderful community of support for the children!
First, we started with a mass warm up exercise. While some children struggled to keep up with the demonstration, others tried their best to follow the instructor closely.
Then it was fun and games where the children, paired with their parents, showed off their motor coordination skills and great sportsmanship as they played the games with zest and enthusiasm! It was a fantastic bonding activity, and the parents got a good workout too!
Grandmother of Pre-Nursery child from LSP (Bukit Panjang), Mdm Ong, attended the event and participated in the games with her grandson Jed. Eddie Ong, father of Jed, said: “Jed is my mum’s precious grandchild so she will always be present and actively involved in his growing up years.”
Over at the games station, another grandmother-granddaughter pair spontaneously participated in the three-legged race! As the pair focused on moving forward with their legs tied together, they were cheered on by their family who was as excited as them to win the race. What a precious experience of three generations bonding together through one activity!
Teacher Cassandra Ho from LSP St. Andrew’s reflected on her experience from the event and said that she was encouraged to see lots of love and laughter from both the young and old.
Ms Cara Lee, Deputy Pillar Head of Anglican Preschool Services, who was helping out at the event, was heartened to see the community of teachers and families from different centres and backgrounds coming together.
Cara said: “The community bonding in action models so many important life lessons for our children, from sharing spaces, making memories to cheering one another on and celebrating others’ wins!”
“We hope that through events like this in Anglican Preschool Services, we can seek to build a caring and nurturing environment for our children in our preschools.”
2. Carve out quality time for special outings
Studies have shown that relationships and interactions in a child’s surrounding environment – from their immediate family to their school setting – has a lasting impact on their development.
In a fast-paced society like Singapore, parents may find it challenging to carve out quality time to bond and build deep relationships with their children.
However, it may be comforting to know that meaningful connections are built from spending quality time together, rather than quantity.
On how busy parents can spend quality time with their child, Centre leader of LSP (TSA – Bukit Batok East) Stella Samantham said: “Parents can go for a picnic and do an activity together with their child. For example, bring the child’s favourite toy, place it on a piece of paper and talk to the child if they can see the shadow of the toy and ask the child to draw the shadow. Parents and child can add in their own design to beautify the artwork. Frame it up and display in the child’s room to show appreciation to the child’s work!”
3. Schedule daily family time
It is also important for parents to schedule recurring family time with their children at home. Parents can create a special ritual with their child—something simple that can be done every day. For example, let your child choose and read one book with you at bedtime. Give them your undivided attention during this time. Try to turn off technology when you spend time with your child and avoid texting, answering call or scrolling through social media.
At the end of the Family Day event, parents were glad that they spent the day getting to know their children outside their school environment.
An LSP parent said after the event: “I felt a sense of connectedness and joy. This event gave me the chance to play and bond with Zed and mingle with like-minded parents. I will not forget the smile on his face when we played the games together. I have always been occupied with work, and it dawned on me how much I have missed out on Zed’s growing years, the small and big milestones. From today, I have decided to make more time in my schedule for Zed, especially outdoor time which he enjoys most.”
“I had another unexpected takeaway – the support of the community. Sometimes we think that our challenges are unique to us, but they are in fact commonly shared among other parents.
It was so encouraging to learn from and support fellow parents. I am already looking forward to the next play date and parents’ gathering!”
To find out more about our preschools, visit https://littleseeds.edu.sg/.
