PCF kindergartens to adopt tech, invention lessons to help children develop critical thinking
All 320 PCF Sparkletots centres that offer kindergarten services will progressively adopt a new addition to their curriculum over the next three years to help children develop critical thinking skills and come up with solutions for everyday problems.
The Stemie (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Invention and Entrepreneurship) lessons were piloted in 12 PCF Sparkletots preschools in 2018, and have been rolled out to a total of 61 preschools since then.
Minister for Communications and Information Mrs Josephine Teo announced the roll-out to all 320 PCF Kindergartens at a virtual fair on Tuesday (Jan 11) that showcased the inventions made by children from some of the centres that have already adopted Stemie into their curriculum.
The children gave Ted-talk style presentations at the Future-Ready Fair, presenting their own inventions. One of them, six-year-old Ellyssa Ling from PCF Sparkletots @ Cashew, came up with a device to remind her classmates to push in their chairs when they leave their seats.
Ellyssa's working prototype uses shadow sensors and beeps to remind the children to push in their chairs.
Mrs Teo said that Ellyssa researched and learnt about shadow sensors and worked hard to incorporate them into her invention.
"From Ellyssa, we observe resourcefulness, resilience and a determination to excel - all important traits that our centres strive to inculcate in our children. Very impressive for a six-year-old indeed," she said.
Six-year-old Devindra Singh from PCF Sparkletots @ Sengkang North Blk 292B came up with a lock box to safekeep delivery parcels when packages are delivered while no one is at home.
"From our little ones we see that when they have the right opportunities to express themselves - and with a little guidance from their teachers - they can amaze us with their creativity," Mrs Teo said.
Deputy director for professional and education development at PCF Angela Yang said that the Future-Ready Fair provides a good opportunity to showcase their hard work and creativity.
"It is also a good avenue for children from different centres to come together to share their ideas and to learn from one another. We also hope this will help to boost our children's confidence as they present their ideas to members of the public," she added.
The public can visit the official microsite via PCF's website at or its Facebook page until March to view more of the students' inventions.
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