01 — Play
Play is the method, not the reward
Children explore, build, argue and try again. The learning arrives on its own, and it sticks — because they did it themselves rather than memorising it.
Singapore’s first play-based preschool
Where childhood is an adventure and learning just happens.
For 37 years Shaws has taught children through play, sport and everyday curiosity — in English and Mandarin, indoors and out, from 18 months to six years old.
15,500+
children taught since 1989
5
campuses across Singapore
37
years of learning through play
The Shaws difference
Three things we have never compromised on
The ShawsPlay curriculum has been refined for nearly four decades. What hasn’t changed is what sits underneath it.
02 — Life skills
Independence, taught deliberately
Pouring their own drink at two. Packing their own bag at five. We map practical life skills age by age, so children leave us able to look after themselves.
03 — Executive function
The skills behind the skills
Focus, self-control, holding a plan in mind and switching when it fails. These predict school success better than early reading does — so we build them through games.
Two languages, all day. Mandarin is woven through the timetable, not bolted on as a lesson.
A day at Shaws
Doors open at 7am. Nobody sits still for long.
Outdoor play before morning circle. Letterland and literacy, then sport. Mandarin after music. Lunch, a nap or Play Club, and back outside before home time.
- Five learning areas — literacy, maths, science, arts and sport
- Mandarin woven through the day, not bolted on as a lesson
- Shaws Little League coaches on site twice a week, at no extra cost
- Meals cooked in our own kitchen — no processed food, no sugary drinks
7:00am
Straight outside
Doors open and the garden fills up before the first bell.
9:30am
Letterland and literacy
Sounds, words and stories — played as a game, not drilled.
10:30am
Shaws Little League
Coaches on site twice a week, at no extra cost.
12:00pm
Lunch, cooked in-house
Real food from our own kitchen — often eaten outdoors.
Beyond the school gates
Some things can’t be learned in a classroom
Waterfalls, beaches, farms and museums. Trips out are part of the year at Shaws, because a child who has stood under a waterfall understands water differently to one who has only read about it.
Every campus, every year. Sports Day is the one nobody forgets — medals included.
The Shaws year
A calendar your child will actually look forward to
The timetable is the frame. What children remember is everything hung on it — the days the whole school is out on the field, and the days their parents are there too.
- Sports Day — every campus, every age group, medals for all
- The Shaws Carnival — games, food stalls and our charity fundraiser
- Family days — parents and grandparents on the field, tug-of-war included
- Excursions — waterfalls, beaches, farms and museums each term
Five campuses
Compare all campuses
Find the one near you
Each campus has its own character — a heritage post office, a cottage with a field, a school with a swimming pool. All of them run the same curriculum.
East Coast
Mountbatten
East Coast
Katong Post
Serangoon
Braddell Heights
Real stories
What parents notice first
Almost always the same thing: how happy the children look.
My firstborn was very shy and needed a lot of coaxing before she’d try anything. After joining Shaws, I noticed a real change in her confidence and willingness to open up and socialise with other kids.
The delight on Joseph’s face when we drop him off at school is a major highlight for us. There’s not been one day when he hasn’t been eager to get to school.
We were looking for a play-based school with a friendly atmosphere, and when we visited Shaws at Braddell we noticed straight away how happy the children seemed.
For parents
All articles
Things worth reading before you choose
Play at home
Turning your home into a play-based learning space
Rainy afternoons don’t have to end in screen time. A practical setup guide using what you already own.
Choosing a school
What preschool actually gives your child
Beyond the alphabet: the social, emotional and executive skills that shape the first years of primary school.
Checklist
How to choose a preschool in Singapore
The questions to ask on a tour — and the answers that tell you what a school is really like.
Come and see for yourself
Book a tour of a real, ordinary school day
No staged classrooms. Come on a weekday, meet the principal, watch what actually happens — and ask us anything about fees, vacancies and settling in.