Mulberry Learning’s International Friendship Programme – Where Friendships Begin
Making friends is an integral part of growing up and an essential aspect of social and emotional development for children. Preschool is the age when they begin to make friends and build relationships with their peers as they play and interact through different activities. By sharing experiences, feelings, and interacting with one another, children learn how to meet the social needs of others and that of their own.
As educators and parents, we can create an environment for friendships to be formed and nurtured. One platform that Mulberry Learning has is the International Friendship Programme, that connects Mulberrians to children from other schools across multiple countries. Using video conferencing technology, doorways to discoveries are made as the Mulberrians learn about diverse new cultures while fostering beautiful friendships across the globe.
A Journey of Friendship from Singapore to China
The Mulberrians from Tanjong Pagar and Alexandra were recently connected to their fellow Mulberrians in Shenzhen, China through the International Friendship Programme. This enabled the children from both countries to embark on a cultural exchange and share stories about one another while meeting new people and fostering friendships.
This programme enabled the children to harness their creativity as they made crafts and practiced their handwriting as they wrote personalized greetings for their new friends. As there was a video-call involved, the little Mulberrians practiced hard on their introductions whilst gradually building up their confidence as well. They even memorized the “Good Morning” song which was sung at the beginning of the call.
On the actual day, there was much excitement and anticipation in the air as the children waited for the call to connect. Cheerful greetings were exchanged, and introductions were made. The children from both countries shared exciting stories about themselves and talked about their families too. Even though there was some shyness at the beginning, everyone quickly warmed up and had so much fun getting to know one another.
A Mulberrian sharing about her family with her friend in China.
The Mulberrians in Shenzhen with the “Friendship Package” posted by their friends in Singapore.
In Conclusion
It was certainly an eye-opening experience for the Mulberrians in Singapore and China as it promoted camaraderie and nurtured friendship among the children. Through the International Friendship Programme @ Mulberry Learning, the children get to broaden their views and learn through exposure to the diverse cultures beyond their boundaries in this globalized world.
Friendships are important, but your guidance and monitoring of activities are needed for your child to be safe and successful. As children grow, friendships take on new meaning. Parents who have open communication and active involvement in the early years set the tone for ongoing deeper conversations about friends during the school-aged and adolescent years.
We must also remember that the way we communicate with them and with one another sets the tone for the child’s communication capabilities. This goes a long way in helping them learn the right skills in nurturing beautiful friendships that last forever.
About Mulberry Learning
At Mulberry Learning, no effort was spared in crafting a truly unique preschool programme that incorporates the Reggio Emilia methodology, Habits of Mind™ framework and Multiple Intelligences.
Voted Singapore’s “Best Holistic Learning Programme” and recently featured by the Straits Times, Business Times, CNA and The Smart Local, Mulberry Learning is the only preschool in Singapore and the world to be certified by the USA for the “Habits of Mind”, the same intelligent thinking framework used by M.O.E. to groom the brightest Primary School students in the Gifted Education Programme!
Schedule a personalized tour with us to discover how Mulberry Learning helps your child become a confident communicator, independent thinker and a passionate lifelong learner.
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