<![CDATA[Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses???]]>Hi all,


Happy New Year! My son will be in K2 this year and for the past 2 weeks, he has been complaining that he doesn't want to go school. He kept saying that his friends bullied him. So, I have been trying to coax him into going school every morning, very tiring on my part 😢

It's not easy also to find new school for him this last min cos' it's his last year (K2). So, my hubby & myself is thinking of skipping K2 & just send him for enrichment courses. I've called MOE this morning & was told that K2 is not compulsory in order to register for a primary school.

Thus, I would like your help in telling what are the courses I can send my son to. He's currently attending CMA, swimming & wushu lessons. Courses that came to my mind are: English (Phonics, creative writing), Chinese (writing, hanyupinyin), Maths & Arts. Hopefully I can get some recommendations on which are the schools I can send him to.

Thanks in advance!

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/17765/skipping-k2-for-enrichment-coursesRSS for NodeMon, 14 Sep 2026 20:06:27 GMTMon, 03 Jan 2011 01:04:20 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:34:50 GMT]]>Really thank you for all the advice given regarding talking to the teachers.


However, we have kind of decided to withdraw him from the school.

Hi Tamarind, my son falls sick very often too. As he has sensitive nose, he gets runny nose every now & then. Ever since he started his pre-school education, he has contracted HFMD 3 times. 😞

Hi Janet_lee88, may I know how old is your son? My daughter is in P2 this year and she has Cleft Lip too. Had her operation done when she was just 3 months old. Just like what you have described, she has crooked teeth & missing teeth. Plastic surgeon said most probably she will have her bone graft end of this year or next year.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324773https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324773Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:34:50 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:24:59 GMT]]>

jenao:

Reading this thread, I had the same thinking of Tamarind as he is also reading quite well and love to read at home and might as well saved the money to buy him more books and his LEGO toys which are so expensive.
jenao,
I pulled my son out of K2 because he was always falling ill. He was hospitalized for HFMD early last year, a month before that he had very serious vomiting. He also had HFMD when he was in N2 and had to be hospitalized. He was sick almost once every 2 months. I decided that I could save on tons of medical fees by keeping him at home.

I am able to teach my son both English and Chinese at home using excellent resources. So I don't worry about preparing him for P1. My boy told me that he preferred to be taught by me at home, and he complained that enrichment classes are boring because he is already very advanced. But I still make him attend, purely for social interaction.

My advise is that if there are no serious problems in the kindergarten, then no harm sending your son there. You should keep your son at home only if you are very confident that you are able to teach him much better than the teachers in kindergarten/enrichment classes, in both languages.

My elder brother also did not send his only daughter to kindergarten, after she came back one day with a bruised eye. His daughter only went to enrichment classes. When she was in P1, they migrated to England, and she is now doing brilliantly in school.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324501https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324501Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:24:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:12:05 GMT]]>

janet_lee88:
Hi Tamarind,

My son was born with cleft lip and palate...resulting in him having 'ugly' teeth. Back in kindy then, I prepared him to handle 'name calling' incidents in case it happened. His classmates did give him strange looks but didn't ask him.

When he was in P1, his classmates were more vocal...laughted and called him 'Dracula' in class. It got to the point that he didn't want to go to school but I taught him to ignore the kids.
I had a talk with his FT and subsequently this stopped...but started again in P2 and P3. But I've taught him to ignore this and also took the opportunity to explain to him that 'name-calling' is not a nice thing to do and those who do that are not nice people/friends.
Sorry to hear about your son's bad experience. Parents do need to get involved. Personally I feel that if a child is older and more mature, he will be able to handle discrimination better.

I have a very big and ugly birthmark on my leg, and I have encountered many young kids who stared openly at the birthmark and looking horrified. While older kids and adults kept quiet, or asked me in a very sensitive tone whether I was hurt. Young children are very immature and they do not know that they are hurting the feelings of other people. I am already an adult so I don't feel hurt at all.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324494https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324494Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:12:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:10:16 GMT]]>HI beeb,

Son’s cleft lip and surgery was repaired when he was few months old…but his teeth didn’t grow nicely because there is a missing jaw due to cleft…cannot be repaired until child is bigger. Anyway, my son went for that op in Nov last year.

I always teach my son to ignore those nasty people…they have mouths to talk and we cannot shut their mouths. So we can only ignore.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324492https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324492Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:10:16 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:03:29 GMT]]>

keenDaddy:
tamarind:

We should always listen to our kids.


hi tamarind, i guess u do not mean \"always\"? Always sounds dangerous. While it is true that we should always try to listen and understand our kids but definitely not always yielding to them.

Listening to our kids mean that we acknowledge the problem and try to find a solution for them. In cases where we cannot find a solution, then we should do whatever that makes our kids' life happier. I do mean that we should always do this.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324487https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324487Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:03:29 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 07:22:56 GMT]]>

janet_lee88:
Hi Tamarind,

My son was born with cleft lip and palate...resulting in him having 'ugly' teeth. Back in kindy then, I prepared him to handle 'name calling' incidents in case it happened. His classmates did give him strange looks but didn't ask him.

When he was in P1, his classmates were more vocal...laughted and called him 'Dracula' in class. It got to the point that he didn't want to go to school but I taught him to ignore the kids.
I had a talk with his FT and subsequently this stopped...but started again in P2 and P3. But I've taught him to ignore this and also took the opportunity to explain to him that 'name-calling' is not a nice thing to do and those who do that are not nice people/friends.
Truly feel for your DS and u as a parent, having to see him go thro' the cruelty of the world at such a young age....

I totally agree with the response u teach ur DS to have, ie to ignore the scoffers. I've always taught my kids that tho we can't shut the others' mouth, we can choose to shut our ears 😉

As abt cleft lip, isn't surgery able to correct it? It wd save the young and tender heart from lots of pain and struggle...

Be strong and courageous! :hi5:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324414https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324414Mon, 03 Jan 2011 07:22:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:59:22 GMT]]>Hi all,


I am glad to have chance upon this thread. I also have the same problem as spitzcookie. Has been more than half a year since middle of K1 and till this morning, he still does not want to go to school.

He used to have lots of reason for not going to school but mainly i think he has no real friends that he can play with or click with since he joined late since we came back from US. Also, his writing and drawing are weak and slow and his friends laughed at him. Spoken to teachers and principal and they did quite a fair bit to make the situation better but still, very very reluctant, though no tantrum.

Reading this thread, I had the same thinking of Tamarind as he is also reading quite well and love to read at home and might as well saved the money to buy him more books and his LEGO toys which are so expensive.

OTOH, i also agree with janet_lee88 about the aspect on trying to deal with the problems that he faced now, try to learn how to make friends and also with K2 being the final year and graduation concert.

But one more headache I have is, he also does not want to go for enrichment class. He goes to Berries and every week he has been telling me he does not want to go. He really just want to stay at home to play with his LEgo, draw his stuff and read his books and go playground.

ANd when I ask the teacher how he was during class/lesson, they feedback that he is enjoying himself, talking to friends, playing with them etc.

So, I really do not know what to do. Taking him out from school now is ok but I do not want to send him the message that if you don;t like school, you can don;t go. So, still thinking what to do. Also been contemplating changing school but worry that if we change kindergarten, the same problem about no friends etc will arise.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324392https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324392Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:59:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:21:52 GMT]]>Hi Tamarind,

My son was born with cleft lip and palate…resulting in him having ‘ugly’ teeth. Back in kindy then, I prepared him to handle ‘name calling’ incidents in case it happened. His classmates did give him strange looks but didn’t ask him.

When he was in P1, his classmates were more vocal…laughted and called him ‘Dracula’ in class. It got to the point that he didn’t want to go to school but I taught him to ignore the kids.
I had a talk with his FT and subsequently this stopped…but started again in P2 and P3. But I’ve taught him to ignore this and also took the opportunity to explain to him that ‘name-calling’ is not a nice thing to do and those who do that are not nice people/friends.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324371https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324371Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:21:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:18:09 GMT]]>

tamarind:
We should always listen to our kids.

hi tamarind, i guess u do not mean \"always\"? Always sounds dangerous. While it is true that we should always try to listen and understand our kids but definitely not always yielding to them.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324369https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324369Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:18:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:10:22 GMT]]>I am also in the view that parents shld supplement the kindergarten lessons with enrichment courses, if they find it useful for the children… but not substituting the kindergarten with enrichment courses completely.

Enrichment courses are normally not run with the objective of preparing your kids for primary school.
Agreed also that you should try to solve the root cause of the problem by talking to the school/teachers. Alternatively, you may want to consider switching him to another kindergarten which suit ur kid better and perhaps not pay so much.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324362https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324362Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:10:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 03:49:28 GMT]]>

janet_lee88:
It's also the social aspect which a child learns. If he is not able to cope with the 'bullying' and gets away from such situations now, he may not be able to handle when he goes to primary school. Honestly, I worry for my daughter when she goes to P1 2moro (being so petite).


For adults, it seems expensive to pay for 2 hours of school fees and transport. However, for your child, he will be happy that he is able to 'escape' from unpleasant situation in school.
The problem is that in many cases, kids cannot learn how to deal with bullies in kindergarten. There are so many kids and teachers may not be able to monitor each one closely. Chances are a child who is being bullied in kindergarten, will just have to suffer in silence because the teachers are too busy to interfere. Then they continue to suffer in silence in primary school. I don't see how attending kindergarten can help.

I feel that parents should take up the responsibility of teaching kids how to deal with bullies, and not just rely on teachers.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324268https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324268Mon, 03 Jan 2011 03:49:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 03:35:58 GMT]]>smurf is correct 😉 My boy did not attend K2. He was so happy enjoying life at home, until tomorrow when he has to attend P1.


spitzcookie,
I think you make the right decision to skip K2, especially since your son said that his friend bullied him. We should always listen to our kids, if you cannot find a school with a good environment for him, it is better to just keep him at home.

For enrichment classes, Berries will prepare a child very well for P2. For English, I like Morris Allen because they have native speakers. I teach my boy at home, so his English is already very advanced. But I had to go to China to work for a couple of months, so I put him in Morris Allen. His teacher, a lady from UK, is very experienced, and there were only 2 kids in the class including him so it was great. I would not send my kids to any English enrichment classes taught by local teachers, because I feel that locals can never be as good as native speakers, in terms of their English standards. But then not all native speakers are good teachers, so we need to choose carefully. Morris Allen shows the names, country of origin, and teaching experience of the teacher for every class for parents to choose.

Also, I used the money saved from sending him to expensive pre-schools, to buy him wonderful toys like Lego, ZOOB, Knex, etc to play at home. These toys are excellent for developing his creativity and fine motor skills. As for the free time, my boy likes to read children's encyclopedia and he has learnt a amazing amount of knowledge on his own. I do not believe that any kindergarten, no matter how expensive, will be able to promise the same results.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324251https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324251Mon, 03 Jan 2011 03:35:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 03:06:13 GMT]]>Hey spitzcookie,


My boy was complaining the same thing when he was in k2! But Since he was already in k2, I just let him continue. Though he would grumble when he had to go to school. He is probably bored with the stuff and try ways and means to 'escape' going to school.

Try talking to the teachers to see what is the problem. On the other hand, if he is been bullied in school, it's good to withdraw him and teach him at home. Tamarind has done that, you might want to consult her.



:celebrate:

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324225https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324225Mon, 03 Jan 2011 03:06:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 02:52:18 GMT]]>

spitzcookie:
Thanks MMM & Janet_lee88 for your prompt replies.


I understand what you meant but this problem did not just surfaced. In fact, we have considered for quite a while & thus made this decision.

As I'm not working, my son has always been in the school for half a day from 8.30am to 12.30pm. After taking away half an hour for breakfast, half an hour for lunch, he's left with 3 hours. And another hour is for their outdoor play, so practically he's left with only 2 hours of actual study time. Thus I don't see why must I pay almost $700 (include $95 of one-way bus transport) for only 2 hours of academic time.

Hope you will understand how I'm feeling right now 😞
I do understand what you mean about the 'financial aspect' but K2 is a memorable year with the year end concert and that feeling of graduating from kindergarten and moving on to formal school. It's also the social aspect which a child learns. If he is not able to cope with the 'bullying' and gets away from such situations now, he may not be able to handle when he goes to primary school. Honestly, I worry for my daughter when she goes to P1 2moro (being so petite).

For adults, it seems expensive to pay for 2 hours of school fees and transport. However, for your child, he will be happy that he is able to 'escape' from unpleasant situation in school.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324218https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324218Mon, 03 Jan 2011 02:52:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 02:45:28 GMT]]>Thanks MMM & Janet_lee88 for your prompt replies.


I understand what you meant but this problem did not just surfaced. In fact, we have considered for quite a while & thus made this decision.

As I'm not working, my son has always been in the school for half a day from 8.30am to 12.30pm. After taking away half an hour for breakfast, half an hour for lunch, he's left with 3 hours. And another hour is for their outdoor play, so practically he's left with only 2 hours of actual study time. Thus I don't see why must I pay almost $700 (include $95 of one-way bus transport) for only 2 hours of academic time.

Hope you will understand how I'm feeling right now 😞

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324214https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324214Mon, 03 Jan 2011 02:45:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:54:02 GMT]]>Yes, I sort of agree with Janet_lee88.


If he is "prone" to bullying, maybe it’s good to guide him on how to handle it eg. through role play, etc… He will need these skills in primary school.

In addition, I feel that K2 provides the social environment/ discipline to prepare them for P1. So it’s not just the academic aspect but also the social aspect. This part I doubt enrichment class is able to do as much.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324171https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324171Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:54:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Skipping K2 for Enrichment courses??? on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:41:37 GMT]]>

spitzcookie:
Hi all,


Happy New Year! My son will be in K2 this year and for the past 2 weeks, he has been complaining that he doesn't want to go school. He kept saying that his friends bullied him. So, I have been trying to coax him into going school every morning, very tiring on my part 😢

Thus, I would like your help in telling what are the courses I can send my son to. He's currently attending CMA, swimming & wushu lessons. Courses that came to my mind are: English (Phonics, creative writing), Chinese (writing, hanyupinyin), Maths & Arts. Hopefully I can get some recommendations on which are the schools I can send him to.

Thanks in advance!
I understand a child's unhappiness of going to school...but what if this is primary school and he complains of the same problem. Pre-school is not compulsory but primary school is.
Have you talked to his K2 teachers to find out what happened ? At K2, this problem can be resolved since class size is small.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324164https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/324164Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:41:37 GMT