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Tot school is all about playtime
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Reach for the stars: Children are encouraged to play together at Aerokids Play School in Sunter, North Jakarta (-/Aruna Harjani)
F
or many parents in Indonesia, the idea of babies starting school at the age of 6 months is unthinkable. But they may change their mind once they step into the classroom of Aerokids Play School in Sunter, North Jakarta.
Accompanied by their mothers, babies aged between 6 and 11 months cheerfully play and sing along to songs.
“We introduce different sounds to them. The alphabet is taught through singing. We teach fine-and gross motor activities and sensory arts,” says Aerokids owner Malty Nandwani.
“For this age, [the class] is more of a mom and baby bonding time,” she explains, adding that nannies are allowed to take the place of mothers who are working.
What's the rush to put babies into school? Nandwani notes that babies’ brains are like a pathway with more than 1,000 nerve cells and billions of neurons.
“Many would term this as the ‘golden window of opportunity’ because this is the best time to expose one’s baby to the world and be rewarded with an intelligent child,” she said.
