Parents Forum

B1, Multi-Purpose Room Pre-school

Look, Listen and Repeat: How to Un-read Books with Your Child

Angela Cerrito (SCBWI Assistant International Advisor and Author)

Move beyond memorisation to using books as windows into the imagination. Imaginative play is an important step in cognitive development. Learn how to un-read books in order to develop your child’s imagination.

L5, Possibility Room Pre-school Primary

Visual, Verbal and Cultural Literacy in the Art Museum

Wang Tingting (Museum Educator, Singaport Art Museum), Stephanie Wong (Graphic Designer, Singaport Art Museum), John Tung (Assistant Curator, Singapore Art Museum)

When art meets the written word, the storytelling experience becomes more interactive, even whimsical. Glimpse into how visual, verbal and cultural literacy is encouraged through tactile interactive artworks at the Children Season’s exhibition, Imaginarium, at the Singapore Art Museum.

L1, Visitors Briefing Room Pre-school

The Great Gift of Reading Aloud

Suzanne Jung (Passionate Educator & Student of Life)

One of the single most important activity a parent can do to help their child cultivate a lifelong desire to be readers and learners. Listen to Suzanne Jung’s experience making the most of read aloud time at home, and how that has helped her children.

Tea Break

L5, Possibility Room Pre-school Primary

If You Can’t Imagine It, You Can’t Be It

Kari Love (Creative Technologist & Soft Roboticist), Kim-Chua Loo Huang (Assistant Professor, Embre-Riddle Aeronautical University )

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Two speakers discuss this question with new lenses. Kari Love talks about how real job paths can be stranger than fiction, and that it is necessary to broaden futures children can imagine for themselves, while Professor Kim-Chua debunks female stereotypes in literature to inspire more girls to join Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

L1, Visitors Briefing Room Pre-school Primary

A Mammoth Task: Encouraging Reading in the Digital Age

Elaine Fong (Teacher Librarian, Chatsworth International School Orchard Campus)

Elaine will go over the key points she uses as a teacher librarian to encourage reading among students. She will also highlight the pitfalls and challenges that parents should be aware of. This session will provide anecdotal and research based strategies on how to encourage reading.

Lunch

L5, Imagination Room Primary

Saving the World: Character-Building with Comics

Rizqi Rinaldy Mosmarth (Author, Illustrator, Editor, Publisher, Teacher)

Rizqi dispel myths that comics are only for entertainment. Examine the potential of comics with Rizqi, who works with non-profit organisations to create comics for character building.

L1, Visitors Briefing Room Pre-school Primary

The Kumon Recommended Reading List (RRL) – To Develop a Lifelong Reader (For 4-6 years, 7-9 years)

Allan Menagh (General Manager, Kumon Asia & Oceania)

The Kumon RRL is a comprehensive list of 380 global titles spanning varied genres and styles for Kumon families to find books they will enjoy – for both young and mature readers alike.  Allan will be sharing ideas on how to inspire in children a lifelong love of reading, with the use of the RRL. 

L5, Possibility Room Pre-school Primary

[PANEL] Creative Parents Parenting Creatively

Rilla Melati (Director, Creative Content Development, Mini Monsters Limited), Don Bosco (Founder, Super Cool Books), Vijayanand Thamotharan (Director, Crimson Earth)

Get ideas and tips from speakers, Don, Vijayanand and Rilla, as they discuss how they encourage their children’s creativity to blossom. 

L5, Imagination Room Pre-school Primary

Themed Stories from Asia and Beyond: Discovering Hidden Treasures

Evelyn Sue Wong (Author), Myra Garces-Bacsal (Educator, Reviewer, Blogger)

A new interactive website is offering an exciting resource for teachers and parents, with a themed collection of over 300 children’s picture books about water, rice, trees and birds from Asia, and around the world.  Explore how the collection has been used in student projects and performances, and its potential to engage young readers in discovering the unique and the universal in Asian literature, culture, heritage, and our natural environment. Dr Myra and Evelyn have been involved in this ongoing project and journey of discovery since it was launched at AFCC 2012.

B1, Multi-Purpose Room Primary

Just-A-Minute Skits and Nonsense Verse: A Whacky Combo

Mary George (Editor and Child Development Consultant, News For Kids)

Do your children dread creative writing? The rhythm and rhyme of nonsense verse might work wonders and make writing irresistible. Using the whimsical poems of Dr Seuss, Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll as a starting point, Dr Mary George expands on how nonsense verse packaged into Just-a-Minute (JAM) skits can help students have fun with language.

L5, Imagination Room Pre-school

An Author, a Teacher, and an Amazing Sarong

Quek Hong Shin (Freelance Graphic Designer/Illustrator), Beth Fredericks (Executive Director, Wheelock College-Singapore)

Children’s literature is a window to the multi-cultural and diverse world. In today’s turbulent world, it is especially important to select stories for the young that promote empathy and an appreciation for diverse cultures. The speakers will use the book The Amazing Sarong for a show-and-tell session to introduce a unique way of telling the story and make learning fun.

Note: This is a 90-min session.

L5, Possibility Room Pre-school Primary

Throne-Time Storytelling

Nora Crothers (Director, inwardBOUND)

This workshop is all about creating stories with your little one. From throne time to story-time, Nora will explore different methods to effortlessly incorporate creativity into your routine, lifestyle and relationship with your child. Through play-making and visual prompts, you can help your child to create an imaginative tale.

Note: This is a 90-min session.

L1, Visitors Briefing Room Primary

Have Fun Learning with Dictionaries: A Hands-On Workshop by Dr Fukaya

Keisuke Fukaya (Professor, College of Contemporary Education, Chubu University)

Parents, explore a new and popular method in Japan to help your children learn new words. Using post-its, Dr Fukaya will lead you through this visual method, which will help your child enjoy learning new words and become more active in reading!