Schools are a memorable part of a child’s life. In schools, children do not understand how these formative years will shape them for the future. The valuable lessons a child attains ensure the holistic development of children by incorporating the academic, social and physical development of young learners. Students discover who they are – their interests, strengths, likes, dislikes, personalities, aptitudes, weaknesses, and more.
Irrespective of whether a local school or an international school, whether the Singapore school fees are high or low, the environment plays a tremendous role in children’s growth. Schools are way more than just the academic capabilities they have to offer to students.
They are places where children build relationships, hone values, learn how to respect, become tolerant, develop social skills, and build relationships with people outside of the family. It is a haven for children to be themselves, feel accepted, and accept others for who they are.
Schools play a meaningful role in a child’s mental, social, academic, and physical development. In this article, we discuss in detail why schools are essential for the development of children.
- Mental Growth
School is the primary cascade of knowledge that a child is exposed to, giving them a chance to gain knowledge across varied subjects like science, history, literature, politics, mathematics and psychology. This contributes to a child’s mental growth and helps them develop their thoughts.
When young learners are exposed to varying influences, their experiences become enriched and extensive.
- Social Development
Primary school is one of the first significant avenues of socializing for most children. Till then, the child had only ever interacted with parents, immediate family members, and the occasional play date. Familiarity in interactions is a breeding ground of stagnation.
In schools, children are exposed to ideas and people of the same age group, which is key to instilling social practices like friendship, empathy, respect, participation, and collaboration, which are critical values needed in an adult.
Young learners must have positive social experiences from the moment they set foot in a top primary school with friends, teachers, school staff, and classmates, making them open to new learning experiences. This ignites interest and excitement in the child, which is the first prerequisite to effective learning. Schools in Singapore are ensuring that.
- Emotional Development
A school provides a sense of belonging and acts as a safety net which is essential for a child’s emotional development. Good schools in Singapore provide children with a space to practice empathy, kindness, and compassion, which are indispensable virtues. They become more tolerant and accepting of opposing viewpoints and become inclusive individuals. The children of today are the future of tomorrow.
Activities at school that foster mental and emotional growth in young learners allow them to express themselves, build their confidence and effectively put forth their ideas and thoughts. These emotional abilities will come in handy in every facet of life, especially their professional life. This learning process will be instrumental in shaping a child’s personality and how they deal with people and situations in life.
- Physical Development
After a certain age, a child goes through physical changes and development. A home offers a restricted outlet, but a school helps children channel their energy into more productive avenues. As per studies, a child is equipped to deal with sudden bursts of energy in a familiar environment; they only learn to be at their best when exposed to same-aged individuals. The opportunity to be part of sports and outdoor activities helps children direct their endless energy into something productive.
- Holistic Development
Gone are the days when schools were mere places to memorize events of history chapters, mug up and recite sonnets and poems or solve challenging trigonometry problems. Schools have gone beyond traditional rote learning methods in today’s current educational scenario.
Schools promote critical thinking, problem-solving, independent decision-making, inquiry-based, and experiential learning so children become curious, and develop a mind of their own. Studying has become more about practical and real-life application of concepts than just subjects to mug up and ace exams. Schools have started stressing the importance of imagination to allow learners to be creative.
An all-encompassing curriculum results in a well-developed holistic cognitive system.
- Support
A child requires a lot of support from people they can trust, and the school provides that. Children come to school from diverse households, cultural backgrounds, and financial statures. Schools have professionally trained teachers and counselors to prevent home-life stress from seeping into their school life that can cause disruptive problems, preventing a toxic environment for the child and their classmates.
Well-trained teachers can spot the early signs of problems and have the required tools to respond to the student appropriately and empathetically, with kindness. The right way to address such deep-seated issues is through support and communication rather than punishing them.
Schools also enter into partnerships with community organizations, provide volunteering chances for their students and help aspiring professionals with university collaborations, significantly supporting students.
Keeping this reality in mind, Singapore’s global high, secondary and primary schools are better preparing themselves to foster a safe space for schoolchildren to imbibe all the life skills they need to become powerful leaders of the future.
The growth and skills they grasp in school will define the future of the country and will stand testament to the quality of the current education system. Thus, it is every school’s duty to arouse curiosity in young learners’ impressionable and young minds and equip them with the tools required to be better human beings.
Learning involves more than just mugging up text material. Due to the same, schools in Singapore are now playing a crucial role in facilitating the holistic development of the world’s future citizens.