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Before moving into how we at Dibber thoroughly enjoyed being part of the International Schools Festival hosted by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), let us decode the one frequently asked question for you.
Why are kindergartens so important for early childhood development?
A pre-nursery or kindergarten is the first step towards lifelong learning for a child. It provides a safe and supportive environment where children can learn, grow, and thrive. The first few years at school also help children to develop important skills such as social-emotional skills, self-help skills, basic academic skills, cognitive skills, and motor skills to name but a few. Now let’s deep dive into our experience at the International Schools Festival – Hong Kong Island.
All about SCMP’s International Schools Festival
The International Schools Festival (ISF) is a wonderful opportunity for parents seeking the best education options for their children in Hong Kong’s highly competitive education market. The one-day ISF organised by South China Morning Post took place on 23rd September 2023 (Saturday) at JW Mariott, Hong Kong and concluded successfully by attracting over 2,900 visitors.
Choosing the right school for your offspring is one of the most critical decisions one can make as parents on behalf of the child. The ISF was a great platform for the local and expat parents to connect with leading international schools and learning centres in and around Hong Kong. And to state the obvious, we are so glad that we could participate in this school fair and interact with some amazing parents and their energetic little ones.
Highlight Moments for Dibber International Kindergarten
Parents were curious about Dibber’s Nordic Curriculum
What did the parents who were exploring options for their children have to say about Dibber, you may ask? All the parents who had visited our booth were very keen to understand more about the Nordic pedagogy that we follow at Dibber.
At Dibber we follow the Nordic pedagogy which is renowned world over. The pedagogy is rooted in early childhood research to support children’s well-being, holistic development, and learning. With well designed activities, structured and unstructured play time, and exposure to various extracurricular activities, each child in our care gets to explore their own areas of interest. Our aim is not just to help raise academically well-versed children, but confident, independent, and humane adults.
Along with age-appropriate academics, we focus on guiding the child in developing an inquisitive mind and a kind heart. We strongly believe that the initial years of a child’s life are the absolute best to instil all the fundamental values that we wish our children to have as they grow up.
The young minds loved our Learning Friends
Needless to say, the toddlers fell in love with our ‘Learning Friends’. They thought it was a very smart and cute idea to have each of them represent a subject area and entice the children to learn.
We at Dibber believe that ‘play’ invites children to learn how to learn, creates motivation for learning, sparks curiosity, and creates opportunities for learning through playful interactions. Children love learning through play. Thus, we introduced our 7 Learning Friends, namely, Hearty Howard, Rhyming Roger, Woody Woo, Jumping Jack, Counting Connie, Colour Paletta, and Play Penny.
The families were keen on knowing more about our Whampoa campus
When we started taking the parents through what Dibber has to offer to their children, they were attracted to and very impressed by Dibber’s Whampoa campus and the picture- perfect harbour landscape it faces.
What makes the campus special?
State-of-the-art Harbour-front Campus
Safe & Spacious Classrooms & Play Areas
Warm-hearted & Experienced Staff
Stimulating & Playful Environment
Inclusive Small Group Learning
Engaging Multi-sensory Learning
Over and above this, the ISF had hosted multiple panel discussions and sessions for parents around the following topics: Save, spend and give: ‘How to teach practical money-smart lessons’, ‘After-school activities: More or less is good?’, ‘Drill or chill: How to prepare for a primary admissions interview’. They also had ‘meet and speak’ with educators and specialists, sessions on practical tips on admissions, how to navigate the competitive education landscape in Hong Kong, the latest trends in children’s education, and why it is important to make informed decisions about your child’s education. We hope that all the parents who interacted with Dibber are now more confident to nurture their children and aid them to become both academically accomplished and independent.