Consider capabilities of children or risk overwhelming them with too many enrichment classes and lessons, experts warn
FOR the past couple of months, Monija Nair has been on a gruelling mission to look for the best enrichment centre for her children.
The mother of two has been spending her weekends hunting for one that teaches skills like robotics, block-building, baking and even carpentry, as she feels that “normal lessons” are just not good enough anymore.
“Learning languages, arithmetics and piano lessons might have been enough in the past but there are so many new things that kids can pick up these days,” she said.
As far as Monija is concerned, time is running out for her children to learn these new skills – especially for her eldest daughter, who is turning five next year.
“Many of my friends are sending their kids, some as young as three, for enrichment lessons. I wouldn’t want my children to miss out,” she said.
As more and more parents become increasingly anxious to give their children a leg up in school, enrichment classes that teach atypical skills such as coding and sewing have become the norm in a child’s academic lifecycle.
Consider capabilities of children or risk overwhelming them with too many lessons, experts warn.
These lessons, said Universiti Malaya Faculty of Education senior lecturer Dr Mohd Nazri Abdul Rahman, can be an effective early learning resource with practical outcomes for children.
“Some unique classes are closely related to the development of modern science and technology, such as programming, robotics, and artificial intelligence classes. Other unique courses, such as carpentry classes, are closely related to our lives,” he told StarEdu.
These lessons, Mohd Nazri asserted, can help to better prepare children for their future careers and lives.
Mohd Nazri: Enrolling a child at too young an age might lead to an adverse reaction such as separation anxiety.“Many of the enrichment classes provide children with hands-on application skills that promote eye-hand coordination, improve their language skills and equip them with better insights into problem-solving,” he explained.Enrolling in unique enrichment classes may even boost a child’s confidence to tackle new challenges, according to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) lecturer Yip Chan Ling.
“Children are willing to go through the trial and error process, learn something new and explore to get the answer. Enrichment classes challenge children to accept failure and give them the confidence to solve problems that pop up in our daily life,” said Yip, who is attached to the varsity’s Department of Early Childhood Studies.
Early exposure to a myriad of lessons, she added, would give children a head start in identifying their ambitions.
“This is an excellent opportunity for children to explore their parents’ careers, learn social skills and gain new world experience. Children will get to know different occupations, which will help them understand events and people, and learn how to plan and make decisions,” she said.
Yip, however, cautioned parents against overwhelming their children with too many enrichment lessons.
“Some parents might have the ‘kiasu’ mindset and send their children to an endless list of enrichment classes to gain more knowledge without considering the latter’s abilities,” Yip said.
HELP University Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, Education and Languages senior lecturer Rosalind Ahju said enrichment classes must be viewed as a progression of what their children have learnt or are learning.
“Choosing a class that is repetitive or is not in line with the child’s abilities can lead to the child feeling bored and becoming disconnected from the lessons,” said Rosalind, who is the programme chair of the university’s Diploma in Early Childhood Education.
Sign of the times
Enrichment classes essentially offer supplementary learning experiences that go above and beyond what is possible in the traditional setting of a school classroom.
They offer additional support to a child’s current learning or enhance their developmental progress. The fact that unconventional lessons have made it into these centres is a sign of the rapidly changing times and environment.
Classes such as robotics and artificial intelligence highlight a growing need to future-proof the next generation’s skillset, said Rosalind.
“There are many studies and research on 21st century learning skills and how crucial it is for early learning programmes to provide children with these skills to help prepare them for the future,” she explained.
Rosalind: Enrichment classes must be viewed as a progression of what children have learnt or are learning.By providing children with various learning experiences, she said, parents and teachers can better assess the children’s talents and capabilities.
“Such experiences provide more information about their developmental progress and help identify their strengths and weaknesses while altering their learning needs,” she said, adding that these experiences also increase a child’s knowledge for future learning.
But for enrichment classes to be truly beneficial, Rosalind said timing is of the essence.
“These classes should be introduced to children according to their developmental appropriateness, such as age, cognitive developmental stage, ability, interest and how these skills are used in their daily lives,” she said.
Mohd Nazri cautioned that parents should take their children’s interests into account, and that might be tricky if the kid is too young to fully comprehend the situation.
“An adult-led lesson may not be particularly aligned with the developmental characteristics of preschool children in terms of goals, methods and content,” he said.
As a result, children may lose enthusiasm, interest and pleasure in learning knowledge and skills. When that happens, it would be detrimental to the child, Mohd Nazri noted.
Putting the child first
Children who attend enrichment classes at a younger age have more time and opportunity to learn, Yip believes.
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Yip: It is important that parents understand their children well.When they go to these classes, the teacher will teach them the foundation of important skills and concepts. When children master concepts, they will learn faster and be more confident of communicating with others,” she said.
Rosalind, however, cautioned that such an outcome is not always a given as different students absorb knowledge at different speeds.
“There is no guarantee that children who enrol early in enrichment classes will be able to overtake their peers in school,” she said.
At the end of the day, it boils down to the kind of experiences that these enrichment classes provide.
“Some enrichment classes provide children with temporary knowledge that can only be applied during that specific period. It does not retain in the child’s long-term memory and it cannot be extracted. The child is then unable to give meaning to it as a piece of new knowledge,” Rosalind shared.
Mohd Nazri, meanwhile, said enrolling a child at too young an age might lead to an adverse reaction such as separation anxiety. It might even cause the parent-child relationship to become distant.
“Enrichment classes adapted to children’s developmental features and interests are an effective educational resource. Nevertheless, they should not be used as an excuse or compensation for lack of parenting during the children’s early learning period,” he said.
While it’s understandable that parents worry about their children’s future, it is also important that they consider what their children truly want.
“Parents need to understand their children well. Do not assume that you know what children want to learn. Before making the decision, talk to children. Ask for their opinions, provide examples of what you want them to learn, and give them time to think about it,” Yip concluded.
Evaluate your goal of exposing your child to enrichment classes. Why do you want to enrol your child in the programme? Take time to understand what your child likes and what his or her strength is. If unsure, you can expose your child to new things, but monitor and see if he or she likes that activity. If not, let your child try something else. Enrichment classes will only benefit the child if he or she enjoys the lessons. These classes should nurture your child’s interest and talent. Do not force your child to take a class. There is no point having an unhappy, unwilling child and a frustrated parent. Good mental health helps the child develop positive emotional, social behaviour, cognitive and communication skills. It also helps lay the foundation for future mental well-being and relationships. - Dr Woo Pei Jun, Psychology Department head, Sunway University
Dr Gerard Louis, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Mental Health) and dean, HELP University
While enrichment classes are helpful, there is the tendency to overdo them to the point of exhaustion. When this happens, children will miss out on their childhood and quality bonding time with their parents. If an early childhood programme in a formal setting is well run, there isn’t a need to have additional classes outside of school. Allow children to have the time after school for different kinds of family activities. These could be going to the park with their caregivers, developing personal interests in creative things like art and craft, or building stuff at their own pace. - Dr Gerard Louis, pro vice-chancellor (Mental Health) and dean, HELP University
Dr Woo Pei Jun, Psychology Department head, Sunway University
