“It’s my happy place”: Why these children look forward to kindergarten every day

Six-year-old* Josh Tan cannot wait to get to his kindergarten every day. 

MOE Kindergarten @ Punggol View, where he has spent two fulfilling years, is his happy place. It is where he can role-play as a brave firefighter commanding a cardboard fire truck, or perhaps a shopkeeper making a list of things they want to sell and carefully sorting and arranging the objects for sale. 

Eager to see what adventure awaits, Josh usually heads straight for one of the five special corners in the classroom where his imagination can come alive. 

These thoughtfully designed learning spaces, known as Learning Centres to teachers and children, are just one example of how

MOE Kindergartens

make learning fun and engaging. 

Located in 56 primary schools across Singapore, MOE Kindergartens were set up to provide quality preschool education that is affordable to Singaporeans. Run directly by the Ministry of Education, the curriculum is developed by MOE specialists who are familiar with both the early childhood and primary school curricula. 

This expertise shows in the thoughtfully designed learning experiences that recognise how young children learn best – through play, discovery and engagement rather than rote learning. 

By nurturing children’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm, MOE Kindergartens’ curriculum helps build positive attitudes towards learning that can last well beyond their preschool years.

Learning through play

“It’s my happy place and I love playing with my friends here,” Josh says. 

“We get to create all sorts of things together. Sometimes we make robots, sometimes buildings or bridges – there’s always something fun to build.”

For this K2 child and his classmates, purposeful play makes learning feel more like an exciting journey than a task, whether they are conducting a spider hunt around the school grounds or creating obstacle courses with hula hoops and traffic cones.

His teacher, Ms Alyssa Amritha Loganathan, who has nurtured young minds here since 2016, explains: “When children direct their own play experiences, they naturally develop creativity, problem-solving skills and learn to work together. 

“Our role is to create opportunities for them to explore and discover.”

This approach has transformed not just Josh, but also his older sister Faith, who also attended MOE Kindergarten @ Punggol View. 

Once shy and reserved, Faith has blossomed into a confident student at the Punggol View Primary School – a change their father, Mr Tan Zhihao, attributes to the kindergarten’s supportive environment.

“The teachers create a safe space where children feel comfortable expressing themselves – asking questions and sharing ideas,” says Mr Tan. “These communication skills have helped Faith adapt well to primary school.” 

Now in Primary 4, Faith lights up whenever she passes her former kindergarten. “She’s always very happy to say hi to her former teachers. If you don’t do a good job as teachers, kids won’t want to do this,” he adds.

Where curiosity sparks joy

These happy memories are built both in and out of the classroom.  

MOE Kindergartens share generously sized premises with primary schools, benefiting from their own playgrounds and larger outdoor areas. Equipment like climbers and balancing beams helps develop children’s gross motor skills while fostering natural opportunities for teamwork.

Child development specialists have long recognised that outdoor play is essential for building resilience, self-confidence and encourages a love of exercising. MOE Kindergarten children have at least 30 minutes of outdoor playtime every day.

Ms Alyssa herself particularly enjoys Fun Friday, a centre-based initiative in MK @ Punggol View, because the children get to indulge in water play or gardening and sand play outdoors. 

Each term also culminates in a Weeks of Wonder (WoW) project where children work together on a topic of their interest or choice. Ms Alyssa says: “If they are curious about insects, we transform part of the classroom into a mini bug research lab with magnifying glasses and toy bugs. This year, they were curious about spiders so we went on a spider hunt around our school.” 

Another teacher who sees great potential in this discovery learning approach is Ms Karyn Ang. She used to teach at the lower primary levels for 10 years before joining MOE Kindergarten.

“We try to create authentic experiences for the children to learn about people in the neighbourhood and about their friends’ different cultures. For example, we get them to interview parents who are nurses or police officers,” she says. 

This integration of real-world experiences helps children make sense of the world in ways that cannot be taught in textbooks.

Growing through care and connection

What also sets MOE Kindergartens apart from other pre-schools is its emphasis on helping children understand and manage their emotions, a crucial developmental milestone at this age. Children in MOE Kindergartens are guided to recognise, express and manage their feelings and behaviours through visual aids, calm down strategies and stories.

In Ms Ang’s K2 classroom at MOE Kindergarten @ Zhenghua, storytime is another of the children’s favourite sessions. Through storytelling, the children learn values such as care and respect. A story she picked is about a young boy who accompanies his sister, who uses a personal mobility aid, on her delivery rounds.

“When the sister encountered obstacles along her route, like a dustbin blocking her path, the children eagerly shared their thoughts,” Ms Ang recalls. 

“Some suggested ways to help, others spoke about similar situations they’d seen. These moments help children learn to see things from different perspectives and understand others’ feelings and needs.”

Josh’s mother, Madam Kanice Kwan, has seen the difference in her son. She says: “One of the things I appreciate most is how the teachers support the children’s emotional development. 

“They have created such a nurturing environment that my son has grown more confident, curious and expressive. Here, the balance of academic and social experiences has helped him thrive.”

She also likes how his kindergarten offers half-day programmes, giving her the flexibility of planning family activities outside of school hours. However, for parents who need a full-day childcare service,

KCare is available

at all MOE Kindergartens.  

To help K2 children with their transition into Primary 1, Josh and his K2 classmates are also getting a taste of primary school life. They have conducted special “interviews” with the primary school principal and staff, practised buying food in the canteen, visited the library, and even taken part in P.E. and music lessons with older students.

“I really like it when we visit the big school. The library has so many books, and it’s fun to play sports with the primary school students,” he says. 

So what is Josh looking forward to most when he starts primary school?

“I’m excited about learning new things… and buying yummy food at the canteen!”

Find out more about your nearest MOE Kindergarten.

56 MOE Kindergartens will hold their Open House on February 8 or 15, 2025.

Click here to find out more and register!

_{*Josh was six years old in 2024. This year, he turned seven and began Primary 1 at Punggol View Primary School.}