Early Childhood Innovation Project Showcase 2023

The Early Childhood Innovation Award recognises Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDCs) which have nurtured a culture of innovation and implemented innovative practices that have improved existing programmes, processes, or services in the centre. These practices support and benefit the children and the families.

These winning projects of the 2023 Early Childhood Innovation Award show us how centres can impact change through innovative, teaching & learning practices. View the 2023 innovation projects below to glean insights and take away strategies and practical tips to provide young children with enriching experiences in the early years!

Distinction

Claymation' In Our Classroom
PCF Sparkletot Preschool @ Ayer Rajah-Gek Poh Blk 41 (CC)

“Claymation taps on children's creativity, teamwork and problem-solving skills to construct their desired learning content through clay animation using stop-motion photography. Children brainstorm and developing storyboards covering various learning areas and topics, moulding different clay characters, recording and editing stop-motion pictures and videos, and communicating their stories through show-and-tell sessions. It is a change in the way educators teach, and children lead in their learning and interact with technology as active content creators.”

Make*Believe
Pre-school By-The-Park (Dunearn) Pte Ltd

“Through our Play.Discover.Create. approach, Make*Believe builds children's confidence in effecting change. Children identify global issues and challenges, taking ownership of their learning and collaborating to devise solutions. This entails research, detailed talks and developing recycled material blueprints and prototypes. Educators document and display children’s thinking visibly in class, allowing for a revisit or to extend upon it. Culminating in presentations to their families, children showcase their ultimate prototypes and advocacy, fostering impactful learning.”

Merit

Junior Entrepreneurs Program
Little Lions Preschool

“We were inspired to create meaningful numeracy and financial literacy experiences for the children in a fun and contemporary way. Children's experience with money is made real in the preschool setting and they learn about entrepreneurship concepts through play-based activities, visual aids and real-life examples. Children apply their learnings by simulating daily transactions in a little lions shop, buying and selling toys, food and games. The project had changed the way children, parents and teachers think about what preschoolers could comprehend when taught with flexibility and creatively.”

Frontier Cares
MOE Kindergarten @ Frontier

“Frontier Cares aims to nurture values, social and emotional competencies, and learning dispositions in children through daily lived experiences. Children as active and competent learners are given opportunities to express and translate values into words and actions, practise social and emotional skills and demonstrate learning dispositions as they take care of their class bear, Frontier Care. We tapped on ICT to document children's learnings and review practices to modify and further customise future learning experiences.”

Active Kids, Healthy Minds
St. James' Church Kindergarten (Leedon)

“As the centre has a large outdoor area, we tapped on the space to provide opportunities for children to be engaged in controlled risk play. Open-ended materials and equipment were added to the space based on children's suggestions. This has allowed children to create obstacle course and promoted their creativity, gross motor, social emotional and problem-solving skills.”

Commendation

Messy Mud Play
PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Cashew Blk 183

“Mud play is avoided as it is perceived to be dirty. Our project titled Messy Mud Play aims to transform the mindset by introducing mud play as a tool for holistic learning. Through our project, we would like to showcase engaging and sensory-rich experiences using mud where children play with mud meaningfully. The open-ended nature of mud play enables children to build their ability to be innovative and inventive. It also helps children to achieve key developmental millstones such as social-emotional skills.”

Tuff Trays - Fantastic Sensory Play For Infant, Toddlers and Nursery Children
Agape Little Uni. @ Upper Serangoon Pte Ltd

“Children are known to use their senses to explore the world around them. Tuff Trays are a medium to provide sensorial activities for children to explore and discover. The large and shallow Tuff Trays enables our educators to prepare multiple and varied activities within them, encouraging children of various ages to reach in and play together while ensuring that play is kept within the boundaries of the tray. Play is extended beyond preschool, as parents had hands-on experiences in creating their own tuff trays with their children at home.”

D.O.T Go! (Documentation On The Go!)
Little Seeds Preschool (TSA-Bukit Batok East)

“D.o.t. GO! (Documentation on the go) takes reference from the Floorbook approach which uses inquiry to capture children's thoughts and ideas in real time. Inspired by Dr. Claire Warden's pioneering work, this project is a collaboration between educators and children. The project recorded children's play processes and learning. It aims to honour a child-led approach to observation, documentation, and planning.”