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Highlights
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- Mission to support children’s unique learning needs
- Uses child-centered, project-based, and kinaesthetic methods for holistic development
- Special programs like Brain Gym help children with focus and learning challenges
- Develops school readiness through reflex and sensory development
- Offers Mandarin classes and promotes lifelong learning in a nurturing space
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About Kidana
Kidana stands for Kinaesthetic Integrated Development And Neurological Approaches is founded and operated by an educator fondly known as Mama Yati or Tokmama, with her 2 elder daughters, Deeana and Ilyana. Blessed with child loving nature and very passionate about children, they collectively came up with this idea of having a children’s centre to address to the unique learning needs of every child and thus hoping to curb the social ills prevailing in our society. The idea achieved fruition after Deeana graduated with a finance and accounting degree and Ilyana joining them after working for 3 years as a certified nurse in the pediatric department of a local private hospital.
Their mission is to create a safe, caring, gentle, calm and non-judgemental learning environment, to nurture young children to grow up into well-rounded individuals. With their backgrounds, experiences and passion combined, they make a great team in enabling children to excel through engaging learning concepts which are:
- Children-Centered Learning
- Project/Play and Kinesthetic Approaches
- Enhancing Self-Confidence and Critical Thinking
- Promoting Social Interaction and Collaborative Learning
- Whilst Creating Awareness of the Creator and Giving Exposure of the Universal Values
Kidana Kindy
Kidana Kindy provides niche programmes that are specially developed for children from 4 to 6 years old, combining KSPK Subjects with fun Kidana Method.
Kidana programs provide routines and activities to stimulate high-level thinking and foster self-confidence while promoting fundamental developments in the areas of literacy and numeracy, cohesive and refined motives, social interactions, relationships and behaviours. Kidana's integrated learning approach is to nurture children's potential towards creating holistic individuals as assets for future generations.
Nurturing happens in an integrated thematic approach, whereby diverse learning areas are connected within a unifying theme. Thematic projects integrate Science, Life Skills, Mathematics, Art and Craft, Literacy and Physical Movement for a well-balanced and engaging learning experience. This method of instruction is an effective teaching tool for children to make sense of what they are learning, retain information and remain motivated throughout the process. Teachers guide and facilitate children to excel by encouraging them to express themselves, be creative and collaborate throughout their experiential learning.
Kidana Method is a child-centered learning, consisting of project as well as kinaesthetic approaches. Project Based Learning inculcate invaluable foundation values of a young individual whereas Kinesiology builds a child’s foundation skills or learning milestone. This learning concept promotes team building, self-confidence, curiosity and critical thinking plus motivating movement and physical activities which of course would produce a healthy mind and self, God Willing.
Realizing that there is a significant number of children who learn differently due to learning challenges such as attention and focus issues, Kidana researched for ways to help these children learn better. This has led them to Brain Gym. The movement-based learning program has been proven effective in not only enhancing a child’s learning competencies but also able to address the focus and concentration part of a child’s learning with an emphasis on managing the child’s emotions.
Ms. Deanna and Ms. Ilyana are professionally trained for the RMT School Readiness program and MBL Programme that includes Brain Gym. It is a unique program which incorporates movements and physical activities that synchronizes body and mind to enhance learning and achievement for children of all abilities. Under the program, Ms. Ilyana would provide a special set of brain stimulation exercises to the children. She calls this the “magic massage”. This is because after providing a special massage action to stimulate certain points on the body, it helps connect the brain and remarkably it works to improve a child’s learning and behavioural issues. Get Ready for School reflex movements which involves rhythmic movement steps, would normally begin the children’s learning session for the day. One-to-one session is also offered to children who may require more attention.
Screening assessment is carried out to every new child and an observation of a child’s social and emotional skills follows soon after. Kidana gauge the needs of a child before providing the brain development activities that are deem suitable for optimal learning to take place. After all, in order to initiate learning, it is essential to tap into the child’s readiness to absorb and process the knowledge being taught. To further enhance the learning experience, we must also instil the enjoyment of learning and having the curiosity to learn and explore. Kidana’s goal is to let children explore with guidance and in a non-judgmental environment. Besides social and emotional skills, spiritual quotient is also introduced as a way of life where it teaches children to appreciate all creations, to be empathetic, be kind, be responsible and the list is endless.
Kidana Tots Playgroup
Kidana Tots Playgroup provides educare services for children aged 2 to 3 years old. Believing that learning must start from as early as in the womb, Kidana Tots specializes in stimulating and working on the development of the foundation to learning, namely the Reflexes, Senses and Movement Patterns Stages.
It is crucially vital to ensure most reflexes are fully integrated so as not to become the barrier to learning, sensory processing and emotional maturity later in life. It is important that the primitive reflexes have been supressed and the postural ones well established so that a child can establish foundation for learning. When a child’s learning readiness and ability are well established, these physical abilities are connected to the mastery of motor skills and postural control. If a child does not have this maturity when he starts school, he is likely to struggle to achieve.
On this awareness, a special program is created specially for toddlers to develop accordingly. Based on the same concept of learning, Kidana Tots educare specially focus on stimulating activities around a given theme. The philosophy of developing a well rounded child through play, exploration, observation and hands on experiences are the basis of the syllabus. The activities should be able to enhance a toddler’s ability to develop motor, cognitive, social, emotional and communication skills, God Willing. Memorization skills are also developed through the recitation of simple surahs, simple dua’s and Asma ul Husna.
Mandarin Classes
The course enables non-native speakers aged 4 to 12 years to master the concepts of learning Chinese as a second language. These age-appropriate classes are interactive and focuses on reading, writing and communication.
Preparing Children’s Foundational Skills for Lifelong Learning Success
Kidana is a one-stop center where the development and well-being of children is very well taken care off. The founders are consistently and constantly upgrading themselves to keep up with the latest and best practices in early childhood education. They also passionately play an effective role in creating awareness amongst parents and the surrounding community on the uniqueness of children’s learning. This is an ideal and stress-free place for children to develop and grow to be more confident individuals, independent thinkers and lifelong learners.
