2016 Beanstalk Calendar and Parenting Tips

To support parents in their parenting journey, ECDA has produced a 2016 Beanstalk calendar.

The calendar is filled with practical parenting tips and activities for parents to do with their child!

We hope you have fun bonding with your child while trying our activities!

Print these tips out and display them as a reminder to try to them or use the images as your phone's lock screen.

phone lock screen

Click on the images below to enlarge!


	Science activities can appeal to your child's sense of wonder. Fill capsules or small plastic bottles with colourful knick knacks such as marbles, bread tags, bottle caps, paper clips or even tiny pasta. Your child can shake the bottle and observe how they twirl and turn. ~ Ms Elsie Tan, ECDA Fellow, Living Sanctuary Kindergarten


	Let your child help you with simple household tasks like putting the toys awat or setting the table. He can help to prepare meals, wash the vegetables or mix the ingredients. Helping him to contribute in small ways makes him feel valued and gives him a sense of belonging and achievement. ~ Dr Jacqueline Chung, ECDA Fellow, St James' Church Kindergarten


	Recall the day's outing or events with your child. Talk about the photographs or artefacts collected. Have scissors, glue and other fun materials like stickers ready to decorate the scrapbook together. Ask your child what she liked about the outing and encourage her to add a caption or pen down a thought or two. ~ Ms Ava Wong, ECDA Fellow, Preschool Learning Academy at Temasek Polytechnic (PLAY@TP)


	In your next trip to the beach, let your little one shovel, scoop or dump sand into different sized pails. Provide kitchen utensils, figurines like toy animals and cars to add to the fun. Add some water to make the sand damp. Demonstrate to your child how to mould the sand between your hands. ~ Ms Christine Soo, ECDA Fellow, PCF Sparkletots


	Your child loves to draw, paint, cut, paste and much more. Provide endless hours of creative fun by providing household items from toilet rolls, an old pair of jeans to shoe boxes or cartons. With glue and a pair of child-safe scissors, let your child get creative on what the item can become. Displaying the creations at home will instil a sense of pride for your child. ~ Ms Dianne Seet, ECDA Fellow, Ascension Kindergarten


	Create a menu for a weekend meal for the family. Together with your child, source for simple recipes on the internet. Let your child get innovative on what to serve and alternative ingredients. Make a list. Shop. Have fun cooking. Your child can start to create her own book of recipes. ~ Ms Nagalinggam Thamarai, ECDA Fellow, My First Skool


	The next time you diaper your baby -- smile, make eye contact and describe what you are going to do and your actions. Speak to him in a nurturing way. For instance, "I am going to put you on the diapering table and we are going to change your diaper now." This gives your baby a good sense of language and increases his vocabulary bank. ~ Dr Geraldine Teo-Zuzarte, ECDA Fellow, The Caterpillar's Cove Child Development and Study Centre


	All children should be respected and nurtured to meet their individual strengths, interests and needs. The mental well-being of your child is important. You can help your child to feel good about herself through motivation and encouragement. This will help boost your child's confidence and self-esteem. ~ Ms Alicia Lim, ECDA Fellow, PCF Sparkletots


	Finger painting allows your toddler to be imaginative and creative. Provide different coloured non-toxic paints of even corn flour mixture with food colouring. Use cardboards, shoe-boxes, scrap-clothes or even pebbles, leaves and twigs as the canvas to paint. ~ Ms May See, ECDA Fellow, MY World Preschool Ltd


	Playing games together will help your child learn how to get along, resolve conflict and better self-regulate. For instance, the next time you play Tic-Tac-Toe, you could say, "Thank you for carrying on even though you knew I was going to win," or "You are showing patience while I am thinking my next move." ~ Ms Oh Chui Hwa, ECDA Fellow, Far Eastern Kindergarten


	Throw in different sized containers, measuring cups, funnels, scoops, sponges, sieves and balls in a tub of water. Let your child explore by scooping, pouring, measuring and much more. Ask questions like "What do you think will happen" or "Why do you think that happened". ~ Ms Narayanasamy Pushpavalli, ECDA Fellow, Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Kindergarten


	Every moment can be special. Sing, read a story and play games like peek-a-boo with your baby. Let his interest guide you. Engage your baby in a conversation during diapering, feeding and even bath time, and respond to his coos, gurgles and gestures. ~ Ms Rebecca Han, ECDA Fellow, Odyssey the Global Preschool


	Bring animal cards with pictures or words and go on a hunt with your child in the zoo. Observe the animal and talk about its size, colour, shape and the enclosure of the animal. Do a blog after the visit and post pictures of your child's favourite animals. ~ Ms Shirley Tan, ECDA Fellow, Church of the Holy Trinity Kindergarten


	Education is about nurturing the whole child. We can guide children to acquire knowledge, skills and, more importantly, help them form a positive attitude towards people, work and the environment. This forms the basis of human living and determines our relationships with those around us. ~ Ms Tan Beng Luan, ECDA Fellow, Creative O Preschoolers' Bay

Click on the thumbnail below to download the soft copy of the 2016 Beanstalk Calendar

File size 3.27MB

We also produced a Beanstalk growth chart! Click on the thumbnail below to view the full image!

The ECDA Fellows featured in this calendar are pinnacle leaders in the early childhood sector. They work closely with ECDA to drive quality improvements to the sector. These include mentoring other early childhood professionals and developing sector-wide resources for professional development, curriculum leadership and sector partnership. While these efforts enhance the quality of early years experiences for children, families too have an integral role to play in the holistic development of their children. The child development tips contributed by the ECDA Fellows in this calendar underscore the importance of parents as vital partners in education. When the parent-school partnership is strong, parents, teachers and children benefit.

For more information on the ECDA Fellows, click here.

2016 Beanstalk Calendar and Parenting Tips

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