Canvas World, Petaling Jaya

Canvas World is back with a refreshed approach to celebrate early education by elevating the quality of life for young learners aged 3 to 6 years! Opening this month in Icon City, Petaling Jaya, the learning centre strives to present its students with a world of beauty to nurture their body, mind and soul. “We endeavour to integrate these three aspects in a balanced manner to prepare children to become their true and best version of themselves, while understanding that they can always reinvent themselves to fulfill their goals on this lifelong journey of self-discovery,” says Ms Ila and Ms Melissa, co-founders of Canvas World.

The name, Canvas World, was specially chosen to reflect the co-founders’ beliefs and philosophies. “Canvas” represents the clean slate of a child when they first walk through the doors of the centre, thus symbolising an artist’s blank canvas. “World” represents inclusivity. They promote diversity and celebrate all cultures. They accept and provide their very best for each and every child who is enrolled here. When pieced together, “Canvas World” is a wondrous oasis where children will not only discover who they are, but also who they can be!

“We aren’t restricted to one preschool teaching method. We incorporate the best of them all in our unique curriculum and go the distance for children to give them an experience they will love,” adds the passionate duo.

Rightly, the programmes at Canvas World are like no other. They take into account that while children still have a lot to learn about the world around them, it is equally essential to nourish their physical, mental and spiritual needs and abilities. Hence, the exclusive curriculum at Canvas World incorporates the following purposefully designed programmes to encompass all important areas of learning that also strengthen’s children’s body, mind and soul – not to mention, effectively prepare them for big school later. And based off the positive testimonials received over the years, parents love and appreciate how effective these programmes are at giving children a strong foundation of education and for life in general.

Canvas World is not a preschool where you will see teachers doing the traditional chalk and talk. Instead, lessons pique children’s curiosity to drive them to discover and learn new things. “Stimulating children’s curiosity is a wonderful gift as it enables these little young minds to continually question the world they live in, helping them develop a healthy sense of creativity and imagination, as well as acts a brilliant stepping stone towards a successful future,” says the co-founders. They further explain that, “Answering children’s never-ending questions every day may seem like a chore, but the last thing we want to do is to give them the answers and say ‘That’s how it works’ because this will stifle their learning. As much as possible, we want to encourage them to put on their thinking caps and discuss the topic further.”

The drive to stimulate creativity doesn’t end there. The teachers at Canvas World are highly attentive to children’s process of creative expression in everything they do – not just limiting creativity to artistic endeavours like art, music and craft. Creative expression provides opportunities for children to develop presentation skills at a young age, from mind mapping to building up their confidence to talk in front of their peers. Another creative experience that enables children to experiment with their thought process is creative writing. They are encouraged to write a short story based on the given topic of the week. There is no restriction on the length of the story because the real intention is to ignite their imagination and inspire them to express themselves through their stories. On a side note, the teachers carry out a very meaningful practice whereby they will not correct the work of the children and will not allow the use of erasers, as they want children to learn to reflect on their mistakes and make improvements from there rather than erasing it away – a deep dive into how it’s like in real life.

To further give parents a glimpse into the magical world of a Canvas World education, even physical education lessons are not just simply getting children to move their bodies and exercise their limbs. Committed teachers will incorporate obstacle course workouts to put children’s strength and balance, as well as problem-solving skills and teamwork abilities, to the test in different challenging but fun ways.

Likewise, children don’t just do outdoor activities like gardening; they are nurtured by nature. This tried-and-true element – among others that Canvas World has garnered to help children flourish – is proven to calm children’s minds, improve their attention, and even promote better social interaction. Parents can definitely expect to see some upticks in your child’s mental health.

The everyday goal at Canvas World is to give children personalised attention that is often hard to come by with larger franchise preschools. “We respect the development of the child and don’t believe in forcing the child’s readiness,” Ms Ila points out. “We also teach by understanding the child’s individual personality traits, his/her unique love language, and tap into his/her strengths as well as potentials.”

Another aspect that’s central to the success of Canvas World is the construct of a sense of community amongst all the members that are involved in the school. Everyone shares the responsibility to work together, understand each other and support one another to make the learning experience here a wonderfully positive one with many happy memories to cherish. Plus, parents keep your eyes peeled for more workshops, fun family events and informative insights that will be posted online in the near future.

We have only just begun to scratch the surface of all that encompasses a Canvas World education. Definitely pay a visit to experience it in person. It’s a very special place.