Singapore's Nurturing Early Learners Framework: Fostering Joyful, Holistic Development in Preschoolers

Welcome to the National Education Office MOE website, where you can find comprehensive information about early childhood education. Our Nurturing Early Learners NEL Framework serves as the guiding principle for preschool educators and supports the development of curriculum for children aged four to six in Singapore.

The NEL Framework is med at creating high-quality early education for young learners and shapes how preschool curriculum is designed across Singapore, including our Ministry of Education Kindergartens. It emphasizes four core aspects:

1. Fostering a joyful learning environment that ignites excitement in students as they explore the world around them.

2. Nurturing values, social skills, and learning attitudes to enable children to develop harmoniously alongside peers and adults.

3. Encouraging active engagement through practical experiences so students can learn by doing.

4. Enhancing holistic development that supports every child's unique needs.

To become an informed educator or parent, visit the NEL Portal for in-depth resources and guidelines based on our framework.

Children are energetic learners with a passion to discover and interact within their community. Preschool education should focus on:

• Promoting joyful learning experiences that encourage curiosity and exploration.

• Building values and social skills to cultivate respectful behavior among peers and adults.

• Facilitating hands-on activities for effective knowledge acquisition through practical experiments and play.

The Key Stage Outcomes in preschool education highlight the importance of a balanced development journey, emphasizing confidence building and foundational social skills necessary for future lifelong learning:

• Understanding right from wrong

• Sharing and playing together harmoniously

• Displaying care and respect towards others

• Curiosity to learn more about their environment

• Communication abilities to express their thoughts effectively

• Self-confidence in personal growth and identity

• Development of motor coordination, healthy habits, and arts appreciation skills

The cultivation of values, social-emotional competencies, and learning attitudes is crucial for children's holistic development. These aspects form the basis of character building and lifelong learning experiences:

• Values such as respect, responsibility, care, and honesty guide how students apply their knowledge and make decisions.

• Social-emotional skills encompass self-awareness, management, understanding others, relationship-building, and responsible decision-making abilities.

• A positive disposition towards learning includes trts like perseverance, reflection, gratitude, creativity, wonder, and engagement.

The goal for preschoolers is to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Cognitive Development: Knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to prepare children for lifelong learning experiences are developed through activities across five key areas:

   • Aesthetics and creative expression

   • Discovery of the world

   • Health, safety, and motor skills development

   • Language and literacy enhancement

   • Numeracy improvement

2. Personal Growth: Teachers should encourage children to attn their goals by fostering values, social-emotional competencies, and learning attitudes through integrated teaching methods:

   • By integrating different areas of education with a hands-on approach.

   • Encouraging play-based learning as the primary mode for knowledge acquisition.

   • Providing authentic learning experiences through meaningful interactions between students and educators.

   • Promoting self-learning through guided discovery activities.

Parents can also contribute significantly to their child's development in preschool by:

1. Ensuring balanced attention towards cognitive and non-cognitive skills like emotional intelligence, social skills, etc.

2. Collaborating with teachers from both preschools and primary schools to instill a positive attitude toward learning at an early age.

3. Encouraging exploration and questioning to enrich their child's experiences beyond the classroom.

For educators looking for more detls about NEL guidelines, visit our dedicated portal for comprehensive information and resources.

Let the National Education Office MOE assist you in nurturing young learners' growth while they embark on their educational journey.

Government of Singapore Ministry of Education

Last Updated: 22 July 2024
This article is reproduced from: https://www.moe.gov.sg/preschool/curriculum

Please indicate when reprinting from: https://www.zk74.com/Mother_and_baby/Early_Education_Support_NEL_Framework.html