Meaningful routines and engaged learning: How this kindergarten gets children ready for Primary 1

When Lyra Neo started Primary 1 (P1) at Jing Shan Primary School, there were no tears at the school gate. She walked into school calmly, already comfortable with her surroundings and some familiar faces.

At home, preparation felt just as manageable. Lyra packed her own schoolbag the night before, and for her mother, 37-year-old homemaker Madam Chua Ming Boon, the transition felt like a natural next step.

That sense of ease had its roots in Lyra’s earlier experience at

MOE Kindergarten

(MK) @ Jing Shan, located within the same school compound as Jing Shan Primary School. Her smooth adjustment later gave her parents the confidence to make the same choice for her younger twin siblings, now in Kindergarten 2 (K2) at the same kindergarten.

The Neo family had initially planned to homeschool the twins until P1, but seeing how well Lyra adapted in the primary school led them to change their minds.

Says Madam Chua: “Lyra was homeschooled until she was five and was quite fearful of new places without us. Her K2 experience at MK@Jing Shan and having the centre within the primary school made a big difference to her transition, which gave us the confidence to enrol our twins there as well.”

For many families, the shift from kindergarten to primary school can be one of the most challenging milestones. Children face longer school days, larger class sizes and more structured teaching and learning, while parents worry about their attention span, independence and emotional readiness.

Building meaningful routines 

To ease this transition, MK teachers introduce routines that build good habits starting from Kindergarten 1 (K1).

Deputy centre head Norain Nordin (Ms Ain) of MK@Sembawang elaborates: “We get children to practise packing their own school bags according to the timetable for the day, and even let them dress up in actual  P1 uniforms. 

“Being situated in a primary school definitely has its perks – we can borrow the uniforms for the children and tour the grounds to familiarise them with the primary school environment!”

For Madam Ng He Fang, these small details made a difference. Her elder daughter, Wu Lixian, transitioned from MK@Sembawang and is now in P2 at Sembawang Primary School, while her younger child, Wu Liying, is in K2 at the same MK.

Says the 40-year-old public servant: “When Lixian was packing her bag for P1, she would tell me, ‘Ms Ain told us to put things in order. The small books go in front and the big books go behind, so we can find them easily.’

“These are little details that parents may overlook in helping children to develop organisation skills, responsibility, and independence required to take care of themselves in school.”

All MKs also carry out a series of learning activities designed to let K2 children have a taste of primary school life, building their familiarity and confidence in navigating a new learning environment. 

At MK@Jing Shan, a five-week experiential learning programme prepares children for the transition to P1.

Ms Mak Kit Meng, centre head of MK@Jing Shan, says: “Working with our primary school colleagues, our children participate in school tours and library visits, interact with P1 teachers, experience a P1 lesson and enjoy a canteen experience with a P3 buddy.”

These carefully designed experiences – together with the emphasis on children’s holistic development through the MK curriculum and programmes that are aligned with the Ministry of Education’s Nurturing Early Learners Framework – help to build children’s confidence and prepare them psychologically, emotionally and socially for a smooth transition to P1.

Fostering engagement in learning

One of the biggest adjustments children face in P1 is learning to stay focused during lessons.

At MKs, children are engaged in interactive and hands-on activities.

For example, teaching of language skills and early reading and writing skills are done through stories, songs, and games set in the local context that are familiar to the children.

For K2 child Raghavan Dhananjai, who also attends MK@Jing Shan, reading is now a familiar part of his school day and something he looks forward to.

His father, 36-year-old data scientist Raghavan Kalyanasundaram, shares: “It was MK@Jing Shan that made reading a daily habit. So, he got used to that routine and can concentrate well on the task.”

And for Madam Ng, she found that these sessions helped her elder daughter express herself more readily.

“During her time at MK@Sembawang, Ms Ain noticed that she could actually read really well, so she encouraged her to read and ask questions in class, which further built her confidence,” she says.

At MK@Jing Shan, Chinese language teacher Guo Dongdong integrates music into learning activities to create a warm, engaging learning environment that supports children’s active participation.

“I use the ukulele because it captures children’s attention and helps them feel relaxed and ready to learn,” he says.

Madam Chua has observed the impact of this approach at home.

“They sing a lot, and they’ve learnt many Mandarin songs that we were not even aware they knew,” she says. 

“Sometimes the twins will start singing while playing, and Lyra will join in too because she remembers the songs from the MK. That really surprised us.”

Beyond language and literacy development, the range of interactive activities to support children’s engagement in learning includes singing, movement, role-play and games that require children to listen, remember and follow instructions, as well as take turns. 

These activities help build children’s executive functioning skills, which are essential for supporting their attention and engagement in learning for primary school. 

Learn more about how MOE Kindergarten supports children holistically for P1 at its Open House this March, held across 57 centres.