Child Enrichment Centre, Scholar Base, Launches Summer Programme Aimed at Using Children’s Unstructured Holiday Time to Stimulate their Minds and Develop Creativity
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (PRWEB) August 08, 2014 -- Leading child development centre, Scholar Base today announces its summer programme, which embraces children’s unstructured holiday time as an opportunity for them to expand their minds and develop their creativity. More information about Scholar Base’s summer programme is available now at http://scholar-base.com/.
Newly released findings from the Afterschool Alliance and Shugoll Research show a steady increase in the number of parents enrolling children in summer learning programmes. According to the report, 33 percent of the 14,000 families surveyed had at least one child enrolled in a summer learning programme last summer and 51 percent of families want their children to participate in such a programme this summer (Source: Afterschool Alliance).
This growing support for child enrichment centres is indicative of the number of parents seeking to fill their children’s free time in order to keep them from becoming bored during the school holidays. Scholar Base’s programme director, Poh Lee, commented:
“A common perception is that boredom arises from the lack of structure in children’s routines during their summer holidays. However, unplanned time should not be seen as a catalyst for boredom.” She continued:
“Rather, this unstructured time away from the classroom and daily routine, is an opportunity for children to develop their creativity and expand their minds without the restrictions of academic schedules, or pressure to attain grades, targets and scores.”
Poh Lee identifies three key ways in which children’s development can be facilitated during summer holidays:
- Physically: Children will naturally create and engage in physical activities when they are with their peers, whether they are playing catch with each other or creating something out of nothing—like building a fort, or even interacting with nature through rolling, sliding or swimming.
- Constructively: Children with nothing to do eventually take interest in activities that are not part of their usual routine. Using free time constructively could include arranging blocks, playing with toy cars, or acting out a story with toys using self-generated sound effects.
- Mentally: Children are mentally and creatively stimulated when engaging with storybooks. Stories give children the secondary experience where they travel on journeys full of adventure, excitement and fantasy, without them having to leave their home.
Scholar Base director, William Chin, explains that boredom can lead to innovation, as constructively bored children will find ways to develop new activities with the resources they have. Mr. Chin said:
“Boredom breeds creativity, as the mind is free to explore without the distractions of a busy daily routine. This is evidenced by many inventions and theories - consider, for instance, the breakthrough that Newton had as he simply sat under a tree.” He added:
“Somewhere in the hollows of the empty mind, there may creep an original thought or idea that could change the world.”
Scholar Base’s new summer programme is aimed at engaging children with literature in order to stimulate creative thinking during the holidays. As such, Scholar Base children are enticed into fictional worlds of war, adventure, expeditions, time travel and fantasy. The summer programme is not governed by rules or assessment constraints; Instead, children are given rewards and incentives to pursue mentally stimulating activities.
Scholar Base children are encouraged to borrow books, role play, narrate stories, draw illustrations and even write plays. Such activities expand children’s minds, foster creativity and imagination and, importantly, allow children to become fully immersed in imaginary worlds. More information about Scholar Base's summer programme is available at http://scholar-base.com/.
About Scholar Base:
Founded in Malaysia in 2005, Scholar Base takes a holistic approach to learning, offering children supplementary English Literature education with an emphasis on the creative side of literacy.
Scholar Base's teachers use a range of faculties to ensure that children enjoy learning and developing reading, writing and thinking skills. Now with three chapters, Scholar Base is gaining reputation in Kuala Lumpur as an enrichment centre, which develops skills in children for long-term academic success.
More information can be found at http://scholar-base.com/.
Poh Lee, Scholar Base Sdn Bhd, http://scholar-base.com, +60 362760808, [email protected]
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