Friday, 10 July 2009

Brainwerkz II

The experience at Little Neuro Tree turned out pretty well so far. M enjoys her classes and looks forward to it every week. Each 1-hour lesson is so packed with activities that I sometimes find it a tad too intensive.

One good thing is that I’ve managed to restart the flashcards at home although I’m doing it quite randomly now (whenever I remember and feel like). The advantage of flashing the cards in class is the kids (maximum of 6) are all seated with parents behind them and the teacher in front across the table. At home, M is always trying to snatch the cards away from me but she is usually one of the most attentive in class!

Each class typically also includes songs, memory games, activities for training fine motor skills, pretend play, learning about concepts like fast and slow etc. Hence, the pace of the class can be quite fast – good for kids who are easily distracted but not so good for kids like M who often need more time. I try to replicate some activities (putting beads through a wire, tearing and cutting paper) at home so she can take her own sweet time.

I definitely agree the class is not just for M. As a parent, I also get to learn about how to introduce some concepts to M and different games we can play with them at home. It’s true that some activities and concepts are covered in any typical playgroup curriculum. But parental involvement and 1-to-1 attention can enhance the learning experience.

It’s also true this once-a-week class don’t come cheap (to us). Come to think of it, we may never know if we are fools for spending this money :P

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