Be careful to avoid adverse effects.

As the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year begins, many parents are rushing to enroll their children in pre-primary classes, fearing they will fall behind their peers when they enter first grade.

However, according to many teachers, instead of forcing children to learn knowledge in advance, it is important to help them develop necessary skills and prepare mentally for entering first grade.

Urgent search for a preschool class

Since the Lunar New Year of 2025, many parents with preschool children have been busy searching for literacy and pre-primary classes, hoping their children will have a solid foundation before entering first grade. On parent groups in Ho Chi Minh City, many parents are worried that their 5-year-old children haven't yet memorized the alphabet and can only count from 1 to 10. Many are asking online for advice on the appropriate time to enroll their children in pre-primary classes.

Questions such as "How long before starting preschool should a child?", "Are there any preschool teachers?", and "Is it too late for a child born in 2019 to start preschool in the summer?" were hotly debated.

Some parents, whose children were born in 2020 and will be starting kindergarten next year, have even researched the appropriate time to start teaching their children to read and write. Under the posts, many parents share their experiences, while centers take the opportunity to introduce their programs and tuition fees.

Ms. Vu Thanh Huyen (residing in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City) said that with only 5 months left until her daughter starts first grade, she has been considering whether or not to send her to preschool since the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.

Initially, she consulted online groups and found that many people said the first-grade curriculum wasn't too demanding, so there was no need for pre-schooling. However, when she realized that most parents in the class had enrolled their children, she decided to find a center and have her child start learning in February.

Sharing the same concern, Mr. Vuong Hoang Binh (residing in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) feared his daughter would fall behind her peers when she entered first grade, so he enrolled her in a pre-primary school starting in November 2024. He shared that the class helps his daughter become familiar with the alphabet, phonics, supplementary charts, numbers from 1 to 10, and addition and subtraction within the range of 10.

“After researching, I realized that preschool education is very necessary, so I decided to enroll my child. A class has 40-50 students, and the teacher can't guide each child individually. Pre-schooling helps children get used to letters, numbers, how to hold a pen, proper posture while studying… When they enter first grade, they will also be more confident. If the whole class knows letters and numbers while my child doesn't, they might feel inferior and gradually become shy,” Mr. Binh shared.

Skills need to be acquired.

According to many teachers, teaching children pre-primary knowledge is not really necessary and may even have the opposite effect. The pre-primary stage is a crucial transition, so parents should focus on equipping their children with skills and a strong mindset instead of forcing them to learn early, which can easily lead to stress and a dislike of learning.

Students at Tran Hung Dao Primary School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) are enthusiastic about the school's program on coping skills for dealing with school violence.

Ms. Pham Bao Hanh, Principal of Tan Phong Kindergarten (District 7), said that at the kindergarten level, children learn through play and activities according to their own needs under the guidance of teachers.

Meanwhile, in primary school, children must complete their learning tasks according to the class schedule, comply with school rules, and learn to take care of themselves. This is a major change that can be challenging for children when they enter first grade.

Therefore, families need to prepare their children mentally so they don't experience a shock when transitioning to a new environment, helping parents reduce stress during this period. "If children learn the curriculum in advance, they may become overconfident and lose focus when entering first grade."

Instead, parents should talk to their children about their teachers and friends, sparking excitement about the new school. They should also instill good habits like going to bed early, waking up early, and maintaining a tidy study area to foster self-discipline. Teaching the first-grade curriculum too early is inappropriate for children under six and can negatively impact their overall development,” Ms. Hanh shared.

Sharing the same view, Ms. Van Ngoc Tuong Vy, a teacher at Le Van Viet Primary School (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City), believes that each stage of a child's development requires a suitable educational method. Before entering first grade, parents only need to familiarize their children with letters, while pronunciation will be formally taught at school.

“It’s crucial to equip children with essential skills and a strong mindset. In particular, it’s necessary to cultivate skills such as communication, cooperation, self-care, and toilet training… so that children can confidently integrate into new environments. Furthermore, parents should encourage children to boldly express their opinions and seek help when needed,” Ms. Vy emphasized.

Dr. Bui Hong Quan, Head of the Department of Early Childhood Education (Ho Chi Minh City University of Education), shared: "If children are sent to preschool with the aim of teaching them knowledge in advance, it is completely inconsistent with the laws of child development."

The pre-primary period is the "golden age" for children's physical development, cognitive development, fostering good learning habits, and instilling a love for self-learning. When these characteristics and personality traits are developed, the child's future learning path will be easier and simpler.

Cam Giang (According to Giaoducthoidai.vn)

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/126018/Can-trong-de-tranh-