Sassy Scoop: Kids love learning through play at GSIS Kindergarten Sai Kung!

We all know about the importance of children learning through play; in fact, there are countless academic studies that back up just how essential unstructured, free play is in order to nurture our kids’ innate developmental abilities until at least six years of age. So New Territories mamas, read on, as there are some exciting new developments afoot at GSIS Kindergarten Sai Kung!

Starting on 10 February 2014, a new bilingual English and German programme kicked off at the newly refurbished GSIS Kindergarten Sai Kung campus, boasting plenty of great educational toys, a library and a gym area. There are fully trained and qualified teachers and teaching assistants on hand to gently guide – rather than dictate – students’ play, which, in turn, forms the basis for all learning at the centre.

Children who enjoy intensive play are typically found to be confident and successful in independent study in later life, and GSIS supports this by enabling kids to choose their own preferred medium of play from a wide range of activities on offer. These include a kitchen and reading corner, building and construction materials, arts and crafts, puzzles, books, maths and phonics games and a writing and drawing table, where little ones can add to their journals. In addition, GSIS’s experienced staff encourage and assist children in trying out new activities. These fun activities are designed around a theme, number or letter of the alphabet of the week and become more challenging as little ones grow, so your child’s progress is enhanced and developed at every stage.

The kindergarten follows the well-known Thüringer Curriculum, which continues on throughout the German stream at GSIS. This aims to enhance social, emotional, cognitive, language and motor skills development, while the low student-teacher ratio allows for plenty of individual attention in the classroom, helping to foster enjoyment of learning by making kids feel special, recognised and heard by their teachers – something that can be all too rare in Hong Kong’s academic hothouse culture.

Admission applications to GSIS Kindergarten are accepted throughout the year, and for more information you can contact Ms Eva Ubowski at [email protected] or call 2961 4028.