As part of this year’s Start Small Dream Big (SSDB) initiative, our project “Sparkle: Clean & Green Hawker Centres” invited children to take an active role in caring for their community by learning about hygiene, food sustainability, and respect for public spaces.
Through meaningful, hands-on experiences, from storytelling and dramatic play to discussion circles and poster-making, the children were not only immersed in Singapore’s beloved hawker culture but also inspired to take ownership of keeping these shared spaces clean, respectful, and welcoming for all.
By nurturing awareness and pride in everyday actions like returning trays and reducing food waste, we empowered our little ones to dream big by starting small, right in their neighbourhoods.
Through a series of interactive experiences, the children explored the everyday workings of a hawker centre, understood the importance of cleanliness, and advocated for responsible behaviour in public dining spaces. Children took on active roles as learners, storytellers, and even little ambassadors for their community!
This project highlighted the power of real-world connections in early childhood education. The children were highly engaged and took great pride in advocating for cleanliness and kindness in public spaces. Their ownership and awareness have noticeably increased, and many have since shown greater responsibility in their own mealtime routines.
