Activity room is for the children to play and learn
Kindergarten children at the activity room of G. Ramaswamy Naidu Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Coimbatore.A flurry of colours assails the senses as one enters the activity room in the kindergarten section of G. Ramaswamy Naidu Matriculation Higher Secondary School. It is an activity room in every sense of the term.Little houses built within where children can learn their math or paint a picture or two. A play area, a few fitness equipment stashed away in the corner and a tiny conference table with tinier chairs placed around."This activity room is for the children to play and learn while they do so," says Seetha Poovaiah, Principal of the School.The concept of burdening kindergarten children with books is fast dying out with most schools taking to activity-based learning methods. "This way, children learn faster and their retention is much better," she adds.Here the child is exposed to a variety of activities, all of which help in laying a strong foundation in conceptualisation skills. While solving the puzzle the spatial faculty grows and by using the abacus a sense of numbers is developed. They also train them in tying shoelaces and buttoning their clothes.The conventional teaching method involves the use of books and it included very little activity. But this system completely does away with books, says Bharathi Modi, LKG teacher at the school.
"The children seem to be learning much more this way and it trains them to become independent at a very young age" she says. Also, it is possible to identify the areas each child is interested in.Some show a liking for the abacus, some others like the puzzle, some are interested in the drawing games and some other show a clear affinity for alphabets. This method also enables the teacher to identify slow learners."On the whole, activity-based learning helps children develop their personality. It gives them confidence. They grow up to be smarter individuals," Ms. Poovaiah says.The children are introduced to the basics of language, arithmetic, science, logic and even physical development. The gym in the classroom interests most of them and gradually it will become a habit, says Ms. Modi.
