Chapter 4
The Curriculum
Child care centres and kindergartens
4.1
It is important that at any stage of education the curriculum should take into account the capabilities and needs of the pupils themselves and this is particularly important in the early stages of education.
4.2
Between the ages of two and four the child's pattern of behaviour becomes more complex and purposeful. It is marked by wider sensory exploration, greater development of motor activities, an enrichment in his understanding and use of language, control of behaviour and greater social and emotional develop- ment. Around the age of four, he shows an interest in construction and in imitative and dramatic play. This interest becomes more pronounced after a year or So.
At this stage he has mastered the use of his hands to perform simple operations. He can also display a relatively high level of language proficiency and is able to express his wants and his feelings through language as well as action. During this period "how" and "why" questions are at their most insistent. The most important characteristic of the four-five year old is his widening interest in others and in the world in which he lives. The building up of social relationships which began as curiosity for the two- year-old reaches a high peak when he is about five or six. The development of social awareness coincides with the period in which he has attained a degree of emotional independence from his parents as a result of increased mobility.
4.3
Play is very important during this whole period. It is one way in which a child learns and forms concepts from actual first hand experience, especially if his play is directed into meaningful channels.
4.4
In Hong Kong, where a large number of children live in small flats in highrise buildings, there is little opportunity for social contact and constructive play at home and it is particularly important that kindergartens and child care centres should provide the conditions, facilities and guidance to compensate for this and so help the child develop effectively at a pace commensurate with his abilities.
4.5
However, Hong Kong kindergartens do not tend to recognise the importance of play. Teaching through rote learning is a common practice. Instead of providing an interesting environment in which he is encouraged to explore and play, the child is immediately faced with rote learning of the 3Rs and excessive homework.
4.6
Instead of this formalized learning process, organised pre-primary education, irrespective of whether it takes place in a kindergarten or a child care centre should be concerned with the creation of a special controlled environment, including trained and knowledgeable adults, in which each individual child will be helped through his increasing experiences and practice to develop, at an appropriate rate, a range of skills. Pre- primary education should not exert pressure on a child to study specific subjects, but should instead give him opportunities and encouragement to learn. It is, however, important to keep careful records of his progress.
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