Nurture Kids Day Out: First Joint Event by Sport Singapore and PCF Sparkletots

Into its seventh year, this is the first time that Sport Singapore is working directly with a preschool operator on the annual Nurture Kids event, empowering early childhood educators to think creatively and implement innovative strategies for preschoolers

Singapore, 30 July 2024 – More than 3,200 preschoolers, educators and parents from selected PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots preschools islandwide came together to the OCBC Arena today, for a movement and play experience that encourages movement throughout the day. All these activities were designed by early childhood educators from PCF Sparkletots, who have gone through a six-month capability development campaign with Sport Singapore (SportSG) on how to integrate movement as a way of life for preschoolers.  This is the first time SportSG is collaborating with a preschool anchor operator to co-organise the GetActive! Singapore Nurture Kids event. The partnership with PCF Sparkletots seeks to empower and motivate early childhood educators to think of innovative ways to get young children to keep active.

Held annually since 2018, the Nurture Kids Festival has been renamed ‘Nurture Kids Day Out’ for the 2024 edition. Nurture Kids Day Out provides an opportunity to showcase the outcomes of the partnership between SportSG and PCF Sparkletots beyond the educator’s own classroom and centre. With parents joining their children at the event, Nurture Kids Day Out also highlights PCF Sparkletots' commitment to fostering a strong home-school partnership. This collaboration encourages active and integrated learning, empowering parents to apply the insights gained during the event in their home environment.

The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health, who is also an EXCO Member of PCF.

SportSG’s Chief of Sport Development Group Marcus Tan said, “SportSG regularly engages the preschool sector to understand how we could work with them to incorporate fundamental movement skills as part of the holistic development for our children. These engagements have led to strong partnerships with many preschool operators such as PCF Sparkletots. Our partnerships allow us to train early childhood educators with the necessary knowledge and competencies to introduce fundamental movement skills into their classes. We also share our resources and expertise, as well as curate programmes or events together to sustain these efforts beyond the classroom. SportSG will continue to upskill our early childhood educators through our capability development workshops so that they would inculcate in preschoolers a love for moving, fostering lifelong habits of physical well-being and sport participation.”

Angela Yang, Director, Professional & Education Development, PCF, said, “At PCF Sparkletots, we are dedicated to providing a holistic education that fosters the development of healthy and wholesome children. Our collaboration with SportSG exemplifies this commitment by enhancing active learning and emphasising the importance of physical activity for preschoolers in every aspect of their growth and development. Our educators continually strive to design innovative and enjoyable activities that enrich the learning experiences for children. This partnership also offers a valuable opportunity to engage both children and their parents. Together, we create a nurturing and active environment where children can thrive and develop healthy habits that will last a lifetime.”

Fostering Innovation through SportSG-PCF Sparkletots Partnership

Following the launch of the ‘Fun Start Move Smart – Learning to Move, Moving to Learn’ Resource Guide, SportSG has been focusing on capability development efforts with the early childhood educator sector. The guide, which emphasises the importance of getting children to move throughout the day, was developed with the intention of helping preschoolers become confident and competent as they develop a love for moving and a strong foundation for a happy, active and healthy life. Since the launch of the guide, SportSG has been working closely with PCF Sparkletots to raise awareness of the resource guide among the centres’ early childhood educators, and drive adoption of the resource guide in all PCF Sparkletots centres.

To further develop capabilities among early childhood educators and to drive the adoption of the resource guide, SportSG and PCF Sparkletots jointly launched the Active Innovator Campaign, a six-month long campaign which began in March 2024 and involved 60 early childhood educators selected from PCF Sparkletots’ schools islandwide. Through these workshops, educators would brainstorm and explore innovative strategies for integrating fundamental movement skills into their classes. These would then be introduced directly into their respective preschools to integrate movement as a way of life for the preschoolers.

As part of PCF Sparkletots’ project implementation for the Active Innovator Campaign, this year’s Nurture Kids Day Out serves as a showcase for the innovative movement strategies and activity ideas that have been developed by the workshop attendees. These ideas are developed from the “Integrated Movement Approach” segment of the ‘Fun Start Move Smart – Learning to Move, Moving to Learn’ Resource Guide. 

Exciting Activities Featured at Nurture Kids Day Out and Beyond

Nurture Kids Day Out is one of the key events under GASG 2024, the annual National Day celebration through sport. This year, GASG runs from 27 July to 11 August, with offerings for everyone – no matter their background or ability – to connect and bond, while embracing an active lifestyle.

Nurture Kids Day Out features four activity zones – the “Active Play Corner” zone, the “Integrated Learning” zone, the “Brain Breaks” zone, and the “Creative” zone - as well as Active Navigation Routes, with more than 20 different activities available. Collectively, these innovative solutions look to get more preschoolers to hit the recommended 180 minutes of physical activity a day.

In line with the spirit of National Day, a number of these activities presented include a Singapore-related theme, with landmarks in Singapore and the favourite local pastime of food represented in many of the submissions. As such, beyond Nurture Kids Day Out, some of these activities – Exploring Singapore: A Hopscotch and Tunnel Adventure Celebrating National Day, Hover Over The Orchid, and I’m a SCDF Firefighter – will also be sent to all PCF Sparkletots preschools, as part of the centres’ National Day celebrations. This extends the reach of these outstanding and innovative activity ideas, further integrating active play into the National Day activities, while also maximising impact across all of PCF Sparkletots preschool centres. More details on these three projects can be found in Annex A.

The Active Innovator Campaign, an official partnership between SportSG and PCF Sparkletots, will come to a close in late September at the PCF Sparkletots Future Ready Fair, where the educators who developed innovative projects during the Active Innovator Campaign will walk away with the ‘Active Innovator Award’. Winners will be selected by a panel of representatives from both PCF Sparkletots and SportSG.

Beyond Nurture Kids Day Out and the Active Innovator Campaign, SportSG also seeks to encourage more early childhood educators like PCF Sparkletots to continuously adopt the resources, teaching approach and initiatives gained throughout such partnerships to integrate movement as a way of life in their curriculum.

Annexes

Annex A: Three Featured Nurture Kids Day Out Activities