What do they teach at K1?

My little girl will be 3 this September and will start K1.


I'm just wondering what they'll teach her at school because she's still so young? She can't even hold a pencil properly.


I heard that there will be textbooks and assessments in K1.


I'm worried that she won't be able to write her alphabets or do whatever they are supposed to do at her age in K1.

A local or international kindergarten?

Sorry I forgot to mention. Local.

It may depend on the kindergarten as to how much a K1 child is expected to know beforehand and also to learn in K1.


My kids went to a non-elite half-day kindergarten for K1. In English they learned to print the lowercase letters of the alphabet, numbers from 1 - 20 and a few simple words; they also learned lots of songs and some English-language action games.


In Chinese they learned to write simple characters and numbers 1 - 20. They had homework every day which consisted of tracing over a particular character/letter, colouring pictures related to letters/characters, clipping pictures from magazines or connect-the-dots pictures which had to be coloured.


They learned practical things like hand washing, brushing teeth and applying lip balm; cooking and making simple foods; cleaning up after themselves and others. Sharing.



They learned dances for various performances, and they did painting and a variety of activities which made them very happy to go to kindergarten everyday.

My daughter is going to a local kindergarten. Just finishing up K1 now.


She knew how to hold a pencil before school started b/c we went to art lessons the summer before sept.


But teachers at K1 don't expect your child to know how to write or hold a pencil.


Our school gave them "triangular" pencils. They are the best for learning how to hold pencils.

The first term, they had homework from 2nd week ... everyday. Drawing lines. Lot of lines.


They learn lots of songs, English and Chinese. It includes actions.

A-Z ( there is a syllabus) and a pictionary provided weekly. A and B one week, C and D the next.... by now, they have learned to Z, already twice.


1-30 in English. Read and write and memorized.

1-25 in Chinese. Read, and Memorized. Writing is only up to 5.


Manners, good morning and goodbye to ALL teachers they see. Going to washroom, wash hands, snack time, tidy up their own school bag, hand in handbook, hand in homework.


My daughter also has learned over 50 chinese characters by reading. She identifies all of them by saying it, and then can draw a simple picture for about half of the characters.


There are about 15 chinese characters that she knows how to write.


She knows how to write her own English name.


And LOTS of knowledge in general. There is a topic each week, and she has 4 exams period in a year. We as parents, do not know WHEN the exams are, they just give it to the students, and we get the exams back about 2 weeks later, and a report card every term.


There is 1 homework each day. (English, Chinese ,or numbers). On weekends, there are extra homework, including colouring.

There are also activities that are for parent and child. No need to hand in, but the school gives it. There is also lots of art work done during class time. She brings home her artwork every 2 weeks. She sings and dances in Chinese and English. There is recitation in English and Chinese.


(Wow, I didn't realize she's done this much!)


We are 100% english speaking family at home.... my daughter started with NO chinese background, and doesn't speak a single work of chinese. In September last year, it was very painful... but we endured it, and now, we are very proud of her achievements this year.


She's going to K2 next year in the same school, but unfortunately, it's in th afternoon. No choice for this school. K3, back to mornings.


Hope this helps you.

If its an ESF kindy, then there is no homwork ever, and no formal teaching, they learn through playing and role playing. They learn lots of songs in English and Mandarin. The teachers constantly talk with them..ie. if they're playing in the water they do science (what floats and why, why does sopmething sink), they do projects on growing, plants (plant seeds and see what happens)and people, use picture sequencing cards, learn about special festiavls, its amazing how much they learn without sitting down to formal lessons. The social interaction is the biggest bonus of that age.