Do children go to preschool... to play all the time?

Many parents think that their children go to preschool to play, or that in the summer, preschools are just places to keep children, feed them, and sleep them without any other educational activities. Is that true?

Learning through play

Currently organizing summer activities for children in 2025 at Tan Phong Kindergarten, Tan Hung Ward (old District 7), Ho Chi Minh City. Ms. Pham Bao Hanh, Principal of the school, said that the summer activities for children are flexible, attractive, and suitable for children's psychology. Following the preschool education program of the Ministry of Education and Training, the school designs educational activities to help children achieve the goal of reviewing learned knowledge, practicing life skills, self-service skills, developing personal capacity, educating love of work...

Preschool children learn through play. Therefore, educational activities help children play happily - but with an educational purpose, not just meaningless play. This helps parents work with peace of mind when their children are in a safe and nurturing environment.

Activities to teach children about love of work

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Preschool children are trained in life skills and self-service skills.

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Ms. Hanh cited that during the 2 months of summer activities (from June 16 to August 15, 2025), with the time frame from morning to afternoon at school as in the school year, children can participate in a variety of educational activities. Such as aesthetic education activities, children learn to draw, color, perform arts, learn to play instruments, sing, do aerobics... Educational activities develop children's cognition, such as through English familiarization activities, learning games, children can practice colors, letters, numbers, classify, compare... thereby better remembering the knowledge they have learned.

During the summer, children participate in many physical development educational activities, such as organizing morning exercises, physical games, developing agility and health. STEM activities and creative experiences, children get acquainted with simple STEM activities such as making mini trash can models, making merry-go-rounds, making bamboo pinwheels, making fishing models, going to the cinema with children... from which children develop their exploration and scientific thinking.

Preschool children learn through play

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Teacher and students decorate colorful umbrellas together

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Diverse educational activities for children at Tan Phong Kindergarten, Tan Hung ward in the summer

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

At the same time, during the summer, preschool children are trained in life skills - self-service skills. Children also have hands-on experiences watching cartoons, participating in mini festivals, playing with sand, water, taking care of gardens, etc.

"Summer is also an important period for older preschoolers (5-6 years old) to prepare for first grade. Through summer activities, children are strengthened in their confidence, concentration, and teamwork skills, creating a good foundation for them to be ready for the new school year," said Ms. Pham Bao Hanh.

Preschool education facilities must ensure the care, nurturing and education of children.

During the 2 months of summer activities, at Son Ca 14 Kindergarten, Phu Nhuan Ward (old Phu Nhuan District), Ho Chi Minh City, children participate in many educational activities to have fun, experience, learn, organize physical training skill clubs; ensure food hygiene and safety; meet children's nutritional needs according to regulations. All activities are supervised by teachers, ensuring a safe and friendly environment.

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Summer activities at Son Ca 14 Kindergarten, Phu Nhuan Ward

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Children in the role-playing corner invite friends to drink tea and eat cake.

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Ms. Le Cam Linh, the school's principal, said that the school coordinates with parents and the ward People's Committee in caring for, nurturing and educating children, ensuring safety and preventing summer diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease, dengue fever, etc.

Summer is also the ideal time for preschools to create conditions for parents and caregivers to bring their new children to school to get acquainted with the school, teachers and living conditions... so that when the new school year 2025-2026 begins, children will not be overwhelmed.

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Every Friday during the summer, children participate in playground activities.

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Many activities involve parents, so that the school can publicize its educational program to parents.

PHOTO: PHUONG HA

Recently, in a professional meeting with specialized officers of the Department of Social Culture of the People's Committee of 168 wards, communes, and new special zones of Ho Chi Minh City and heads of professional clusters, key principals on August 6, Ms. Luong Thi Hong Diep, Head of the Department of Preschool Education, Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City emphasized that all preschools in the city, especially more than 3,000 private independent preschools, must ensure absolute safety for children, while properly performing the tasks of caring for, nurturing and educating children. In fact, in many inspections, the inspection team of the Department of Education and Training found that there were many groups of children with a maximum of 7 children, or groups of private independent preschools that simply kept children, fed and slept them without organizing educational activities, which did not ensure the right to equal access to education for all children.

Require educational institutions to properly implement the Preschool Education Program of the Ministry of Education and Training.

After the merger, the new Ho Chi Minh City (including the old Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong Province, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province) became the largest urban area and educational scale in the country. The Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City requested all wards, communes, and special zones in the new Ho Chi Minh City to deploy to preschools, instructing units to organize summer activities until August 15, 2025 if parents have the need and the unit meets the conditions.

The leaders of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City requested that all preschools in Ho Chi Minh City must ensure that all summer activities for children are included in the preschool education program of the Ministry of Education and Training; increase recreational activities, experiences, organize physical training skill clubs; ensure food hygiene and nutrition; ensure absolute safety for all children. Must proactively prevent epidemics; prevent abuse and school violence; regularly review conditions on fire prevention and fighting, security and order, electrical systems, trees...

Even though it is summer, all preschools in Ho Chi Minh City must seriously ensure the number of teachers per child according to regulations; teachers must participate in training on professional competence. School leaders and owners of independent preschools must regularly inspect and supervise the organization of activities according to the unit's schedule...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-phai-tre-den-truong-mam-non-toan-choi-185250809180810806.htm