Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. Good morning. I am very happy to be here with you as well for the official launch of the Art & Family Preschool Learning Journey at the National Gallery Singapore. I am glad to hear that about 3,000 children from 60 preschools have had the opportunity to be a part of this programme. And I am very grateful that we are in the company of preschoolers, early childhood educators and partners gathered here today.
2. Art is a powerful tool for expression and learning, and its significance in early childhood education cannot be overstated. Through art, children are able to explore their creativity, understand and appreciate the world around us, including the concept of family and the four family values of Love, Care and Concern, Commitment and Respect.
3. Our early childhood educators have been working very hard with our children, who naturally like art, to create interesting learning experiences to engage the children for their growth and development. The art and family preschool learning journey which we are officially launching today, is a milestone in this journey where preschoolers get to enjoy an exciting journey jointly offered by Families for Life and National Gallery Singapore.
4. The Art & Family Preschool Learning Journey uses art to introduce the four family values to preschoolers through inquiry-based learning, narrative thinking and imaginative thinking. Besides nurturing a love for the arts in our preschoolers, this programme helps them verbalise the parallels they see in the artworks to what they experience at home in their own families.
5. Families for Life (or FFL in short) is a huge movement chaired by our wonderful Families for Life Council Chairman, Mr Ishak Ismail, and they have been working closely with ECDA, MOE, and other stakeholders to promote the importance of family and family values in schools and in the community. This includes the Family and Me preschool resource packages available to all preschools, to support our educators in delivering engaging lessons on the family values.
6. I look forward to joining the children later on their learning journey where I heard that they would get to engage in role-playing activities that will encourage imaginative thinking and foster their enthusiasm and love for art.
7. We often say that families are the bedrock of our society. However, this requires constant reinforcement. All too easily, we can take our families for granted, so it takes a whole-of-society effort to strengthen families, and all of us can play a part to support families, as corporates, community and as individuals. I am extremely heartened to know about this wonderful partnership between Families for Life and the National Gallery Singapore. I hope more corporates will also step forward to achieve our collective vision of a Singapore Made for Families.
8. As individuals, we too, must take active steps to strengthen our family relationships, and we can do so by prioritising time for and with our loved ones. The National Family Festival is ongoing and will last through till 23 June. All of us can take part in the various events and offerings during this period. Parents can also attend Families for Life’s complimentary evidence-based parenting programmes, such as Triple P (Positive Parenting Programme) and Purposeful Play programmes to help parents navigate the challenges of parenthood. The Families for Life Parenting portal also offers a wide range of resources backed by research and experts to support parents in raising healthy and happy children. I hope more families will tap on these resources to strengthen our family relationships.
9. Let’s have fun together and join our little friends here on the Art & Family Preschool Learning Journey!