Amid the Covid-19 situation, this year’s National Day celebrations at SPD were a muted but meaningful affair at our centres. With safe distancing measures in place, the scaled-down celebrations may not be as boisterous as previous years, but it has not dampened the spirits of our clients and staff.

Connecting through greeting cards

The SPD Ability Centre kick-started the celebration with a pre-national day card exchange between the clients from the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) and the Day Activity Centre (DAC).

Though the clients were not able to gather for the annual mass celebration, this year was especially meaningful as they connected with each other through handmade cards filled with sincerity, and a dose of creativity.

Virtual celebration with Spectra Secondary School

Thanks to technology, our children from all four Building Bridges EIPIC Centres got to celebrate National Day virtually with students from Spectra Secondary School. Familiar National Day songs were heard as the students engaged our EIPIC children in a virtual sing-along session.

Our EIPIC clients also went home with a care pack filled with items like snacks, colour pencils, and tangram puzzles, all lovingly prepared by the students.

Learning continues amidst the festivities

SPD Ability Centre

As part of the in-class celebration, the EIPIC children from the SPD Ability Centre were all geared up for a movie screening session. The children were given coupons to be presented to staff at the snack booth in exchange for popcorn and drinks. This allowed the children to practise requesting for items.

Some of the children also had the opportunity to prepare their own popcorn and drinks.

At the art and craft session, the children made clay models of iconic Singapore landmarks. This activity opened their eyes to the different attractions in Singapore, while honing their fine motor skills in the process.

SPD@Jurong

Meanwhile, the EIPIC children from SPD@Jurong put their art and craft skills to good use as they helped their teachers make sponge-stamped flags to decorate the centre.

During class time, the professionals also entertained the younger children with a sensory story time, and engaged the older children with a picture talk on the origins behind Singapore’s name.

To encourage family bonding on this joyous occasion, our professionals also came up with a series of home activities for the children and their families. In one of the activities, children and their caregivers penned down their wishes for Singapore together on a wish slip. The Wall of Wishes at the centre was filled with dedications on National Day as the children enthusiastically put up their wishes.

Let us take a closer look at some of the dedications from our children and their families.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the professionals, caregivers, and our partner Spectra Secondary School for making this National Day a memorable one for our children.