When Mr John Lim joined the activities organised by Pioneer Primary School’s Parent Support Group a year ago, he chose to volunteer out of a desire to spend more time with his son as his hectic work schedule makes it very difficult to interact much with his son on a daily basis.
“The activities organised by the school is great for parent-child bonding and I am grateful to the school for providing such avenues for parents, especially fathers, to interact with our child,” opined Mr Lim, whose son is in Primary Two.
It is not a common sight to see fathers actively involved in the PSG activities, but dads such as Mr Lim are trying to make a difference. He is also part of the Family Matters programme at Pioneer Primary School, which aims to provide various parenting workshops and activities to better connect with their children.
Other activities include Family Zumba, terrarium workshops and working on art pieces together with their children.
Mr Lim Hian Kiong, father of two children in Primary Four and Six, shares how his family has benefited from the programme.
“Apart from being able to spend time with my children, I now have common topics to chat about with them. At the same time, I understand more about what my children are doing in school and get to know their teachers, classmates and programmes better,” said the father who volunteers about four times a year or when his schedule permits.
The school actively plans family bonding activities to encourage better interaction in a fun and enjoyable way for both children and their parents. This way, it also helps parents to continuously play the important role in the development of their children.
“I will encourage all parents to be involved in their child’s learning journey, not just the academic-related ones, but also the bonding activities as it can help us understand our children (as much as the parents’ schedule allows),” shared Mr Jason Lim who hopes to see more dads rise to the challenge of being involved in their children’s schools.
To know more about how you can volunteer at your child’s school and some considerations to take note of before signing up, speak to your child’s school to find out.
