Primary Years Programme Overview

Learner Profile Activities for Parents

• Role model the caring behavior you would like to see in your child all the time. Your child has big eyes and ears and notices everything you do. Using kind words, helping people without being asked, being an active listener all show your child that you care about people. Even a simple thing, like holding a door for someone, shows your child that you are aware of others around you and want to help them.
• Think about how your family can get involved with community organizations.
• Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. Sometimes this can be challenging in Singapore, but make the effort to establish these habits in your home. By developing children who care about the environment, you are helping the future of the globe.
• Smile.
• After reading a book, spend some time considering how the people in the book acted. Was someone in the book caring? All of the time or just some of the time? Were all of the characters in the book caring or just some of them? Some books to consider:
  • Lily's Purple Plastic Purse, Kevin Henkes
  • The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
  • Yertle the Turtle, Dr. Seuss
  • The Grouchy Ladybug, Eric Carle

• Encourage your child to read books at home that correspond with the topics being covered in school. In particular, books in their mother tongue will help your child make more meaningful, lasting connections to what is being taught in their classroom in English.
• Ask your child about what they are learning in school and engage them in conversations about it:

• Foster any area that your child expresses an interest in with books and activities, but also be sure to encourage them to explore other areas.
• Encourage your child to become familiar with current events and to read the newspaper and
• watch the news when appropriate.

The Learner Profile, Communicators
Students who are COMMUNICATORS are able to think and communicate in more than one language. They can express their ideas by speaking, drawing and writing. They can also communicate using mathematical language and symbols. How can parents help to develop students who are Communicators at home?

• Encourage your child to stay in touch with relatives and friends who live in other countries by writing letters, using the phone or sending email.
• When working on mathematics homework, encourage your child to explain his/her answer to you orally or by drawing a picture.
• Ask your child thought provoking questions and encourage them to discuss them with you. For example:

• Work with your child to improve his/her listening skills. Being a good listener is an important part of communicating with others.

• Spend some time reviewing your child’s report card with them. They should have the opportunity to look at this document and consider it as well. Discuss it with them and truly consider their thoughts on their strengths and areas for improvement.
• Consider the goals that your child could set for the next term. Make a list not only of the goals, but of specific actions that can be taken to achieve these goals. You might want to list action that your child will take independently as well as action parents will take to support them. For example, if one of the goals your child sets for herself is to improve her writing, her action might be to keep a journal and write in it for at least 10 minutes each night. As a parent, you might decide that the two of you will participate in shared writing, for 30 minutes each week and produce a book of narratives together.
• Consider your child’s Student Profile Self-Assessment that came home as part of the report card. This is a significant section of the formal report card that is often overlooked. Ask your child to clarify this part of the report card for you and explain why she rated her performance the way she did. Can she give an example of an area in which she which she is particularly strong? How does she know that this is a strong point? Can she set specific goals for improvement in other areas?

• Encourage areas of your child’s interest by visiting the library to borrow books that explore these topics.
• Develop an understanding of the Internet. Work with your son or daughter when the Internet is being used and try to instill the understanding that some Internet sites are not reputable.
• Model being an inquirer. Admit when you don’t know the answer to a problem or a question and seek out answers in front of your child.

The Learner Profile, Open-Minded
An OPEN-MINDED student knows that all people are different. They listen to the points of view of others and consider many possibilities before making a decision. They celebrate the differences that make all people unique. How can parents help to develop this Open-Minded trait at home?

• Encourage your child to try new things – new foods, new games and new activities.
• Expose your child to different festivals, celebrations and traditions and be sure to present them in a non-judgmental way.
• Encourage your child to really listen to others when they speak.
• Introduce literature about many different cultures into your home library. Be sure that it is appropriate and reflects the culture in an appropriate way.
• Reflect on their experiences from UN Week. How were they Open-Minded during the week? What did they learn about other countries or cultures that they didn’t know before?
• When you observe your child being Open-Minded, reinforce this positive behaviour and use the PYP student profile terminology.

The Learner Profile, Principled
Students who are PRINCIPLED have a sense of fairness and are honest with themselves and with others. They understand that sometimes there are rules and they follow them. They have an understanding of moral reasoning. How can parents help to develop students who are Principled at home?

• Involve your child in deciding on the rules for a game or activity and then ensure that they stick to the ones that have been decided upon.
• Encourage your child to play games that involve teams. Discuss with your child the qualities of a team player. What sort of person would they want on their team?
• When your child wins a game insist that he or she is a well-mannered winner. They might thank their opponent or shake hands with them if it’s appropriate.
• When playing a game, don’t change the rules or let your child win. Being a gracious loser is just as important as being a good winner.

• If your child is feeling uneasy about trying something, encourage them to attempt it and then reflect on both whether they liked the activity and how it felt to try something new.
• You child might want to set some short-term goals. Consider activities that make him/her nervous. What are realistic goals for the week? Your child might set a goal to:

• Be careful to explain to your child the difference between being a risk-taker by trying new things and doing dangerous things.

• Encourage your child to try to think of solutions to problems independently.
• Pose different real-life problems and questions to your child:

• Ask your children questions when they are working on a problem:

• Encourage your child to participate in a wide variety of structured activities.
• During less structured time, also be aware of the activities that your child is participating in.
• Too much time in front of the computer or television is obviously not desirable, but all kids need to do a variety of things. Generally active kids should take time for quiet reading or reflection; students who spend a lot of time drawing or reading, should be encouraged to also exercise and play.
• Discuss the food groups with your child. Spend a few minutes during a mealtime deciding if what your family is eating is balanced.
• Role model this attribute. Spend time as a parent or family doing many different things.