Our little Malaysians

Proud to be Malaysians ... The students of Q-dees Happy Garden Centre proudly displaying the Malaysian flag.

Are our toddlers too young to grasp the meaning and significance of Merdeka? Not if you include stories, songs and innovative teaching tools to make it interesting, exciting and easier to grasp, says Mrs Shireen Ong, Principal of Q-dees Happy Garden centre who recently celebrated Hari Kemerdekaan with her young charges and impart the essence of Merdeka and what it means to be Malaysian.

At the same time, it was an opportunity to cultivate in the children a love towards the school and country by abiding to the rules and regulations.

The day started off with the children congregating excitedly at the school foyer dressed in various traditional costumes. Once settled, they began by singing the national anthem, NegaraKu and reciting the Rukun Negara Pledge. This was followed by the teachers introducing the importance of the day’s lesson and some of the exciting activities the children will partake in their respective classes.

With the support of the exclusively created Fliptec@QTM (Focus, Learn, Imagine and Play) programme, the team of dedicated teachers used a combination of short stories, songs and interactive play and activities to help the children comprehend the concept of Merdeka.

During the day, patriotism was instilled in the lesson plan. Included in the day’s lesson, the understanding of the Malaysian flag and what the various colours represent, drawing the flag and the traditional costumes of the different races in Malaysia as well as to help the children understand the importance to comply with the rules to be a good citizen of Malaysia and Q-dees.

Aside from this, the teachers also weaved in lessons on how these children can play their part as citizens of Malaysia despite their tender age. The children were also taught about the different festivities that we celebrate here in Malaysia to encourage a sense of respect and harmony among the many different ethnic groups at Q-dees.

“Our children today spend a lot of time in school interacting with other children so it is a perfect avenue for us to teach them to value each other’s uniqueness. Furthermore, they are little individuals in their own right, so it is imperative for us to mould them from young to be effective and contributing members of the community,” added Mrs. Ong

The day concluded with the children excitingly showing their parents their artwork that they did in class.

Mrs. Kelly Kok, a parent of one of the children applauded the school’s initiative for educating the children to learn and understand each other’s faith and ethnic differences. “While it is important for children today to learn the 3Rs, it is also important to learn social skills, and I am glad that Q-dees is taking the initiative to instil such positive values in our children,” added Mrs. Kok.

For more information about Q-dees and their innovative Fliptec@Q™ programme, please log into their website at www.qdees.com .