Children are excited, the elderly are reassured
On Sunday, June 8, from 4 p.m., more than 30 children of different ages gathered in front of the Office of Ward 12, An Lac 1 Ward, Binh Tan District, even though the summer program had just started at 5 p.m. Seeing this, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhu Thao - Secretary of the Youth Union of Ward 12 - immediately let the children warm up with a game of overcoming obstacles to pick flowers, making flower pots to offer to Uncle Ho on the occasion of the 114th anniversary of Uncle Ho's departure to find a way to save the country (June 5, 1911).
Children in neighborhood 12, An Lac 1 ward, Binh Tan district dance before starting a physical game - Photo: Trang Thu |
Also on Sunday afternoon, June 8, from 3 p.m., two siblings Nguyen Danh Anh Dat (grade 5) and Nguyen Thi Bao Chau (grade 3, Kim Dong Primary School, Binh Tan District) happily took each other to the summer activity site in alley 177/16, Lien Khu 4-5 Street, Ward 23, Binh Hung Hoa Ward, Binh Tan District. "I hope to play with my friends and learn many interesting things" - Bao Chau excitedly said. In the small cement yard filled with laughter, dozens of children attentively listened to the union members instruct them to dance and play folk games. As children of workers with limited income, Dat and Chau did not have the conditions to go back to their hometown to visit their grandparents during the summer vacation, so the summer activities in the neighborhood were an opportunity for the two children to safely play with friends of the same age.
At the same time, the Thanh Loc Ward Youth Union, District 12, opened a summer activity program for children at the ward's Community Learning Center. More than 40 children led each other to the yard and lined up to play games organized by the union members. Holding 3 balls in her hand, Tu Anh - a fourth grade student - concentrated hard to knock down 5 empty bottles more than 1 meter away from her to receive a prize. While Tu Anh played, her younger brother and friends behind her kept clapping and cheering. Not far from the bottle throwing game booth, Tuan Tu - a sixth grade student - played a game of finding marbles in a pool of ice. At first, he could not distinguish between stones and marbles, but in the second round, he found 2 marbles to exchange for a prize.
Looking at his two grandchildren playing happily, Mr. Tran Van Hai (Thanh Loc ward) said: “At first, the children did not want to come here because they thought they would have to study more. However, after the first activity, the two children were excited, always discussing enthusiastically, looking forward to playing again next week. During summer vacation, staying at home all day, the children kept asking to watch TV or play games on their phones, so the summer activities are a good opportunity for them to have fun, exercise, and practice skills”. He said that in addition to letting his two grandchildren play physical games, he also registered them for swimming lessons and artificial intelligence (AI) skills training within the framework of the ward's summer activity program.
Diverse summer playgrounds
Mr. Nguyen Duc Vinh - Secretary of Thanh Loc Ward Youth Union - informed that in addition to recreational activities, the ward's summer steering committee also organized 3 swimming and drowning prevention classes, 1 drawing class, 1 fun English club, 1 fun with AI club, 1 life skills club and coordinated with primary schools to organize an experience week for 5-year-old children preparing to enter first grade.
Children in Phuoc Loc commune, Nha Be district participate in a summer activity program organized by the Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh City Women's Newspaper on June 11 within the framework of the Pink Vacation volunteer campaign in 2025 - Photo: Thanh Lam |
Mr. Nguyen The Kiet - Vice Chairman of Ward 13 People's Committee, Phu Nhuan District - said that the ward's summer steering committee has implemented many activities such as free swimming lessons, equipping social practice skills, applying information technology, using social networks effectively, instructing self-defense skills, accident prevention, sexual abuse prevention, fire prevention, escape... The summer steering committee also organizes running, swimming, jumping rope, cycling and other sports games.
Ms. Le Hong Gam - Vice Chairman of Ward 5 People's Committee, District 5 - said that after merging with Ward 6, the number of summer activity points this year has increased significantly, and summer activities are also richer and more diverse than in previous years. Summer activities are mainly to create a healthy and comfortable playground for children, not focusing on knowledge but on developing skills and stimulating creativity. The summer steering committee has organized drawing and decorating contests, beading classes, making handmade handbags and keychains, and organized tours to Cho Quan Temple, Thien Ton Pagoda, Nha Rong Wharf, and the War Remnants Museum. In addition to ward-level activities, the youth union branches also organize separate activities for children in each neighborhood.
To attract children to participate in summer activities, members of the Youth Union of Ward 23, Binh Hung Hoa Ward, Binh Tan District, went to each house to invite them. Each week, the Youth Union created different activity themes, such as gymnastics, playing the game "Box of Good Things" (telling good deeds that you have done), learning how to deal with strangers, etc. Ms. Tran Thi Thu Hoai - Secretary of the Youth Union - said: "Managing children is a big challenge, requiring members to have skills and patience. Therefore, organizing summer activities is also an opportunity for members to practice and improve their skills."
This year, Binh Tan district has more than 230 summer activity sites, each site has 3-5 members in charge, coordinating with the Red Flamboyant force of 11 high schools. Thus, there are a total of about 2,000 youth union members and high school students in charge of summer activity sites.
Mr. Nguyen Le Trung Hieu - Secretary of Binh Tan District Youth Union - said that in the first 2 weeks of June, the main activities of the District Youth Union are to take care of social security for children such as giving gifts and scholarships; the next 2 weeks are activities to popularize social skills and organize recreational activities. By the end of June 2025, when applying the 2-level government model (no longer at the district level), the District Youth Union will hand over the organization of summer activities to the new unit. "This year, in the context of rearranging administrative units, the district government and unions still carry out summer activities carefully to ensure that children always have a playground," he said.
Let children experiment with what they love. Summer playgrounds are not only for entertainment but also help children develop their social and emotional skills. When children participate in active, voluntary and exploratory activities, their brains release hormones such as dopamine and oxytocin - two "happy transmitters" - which help children feel happy, connected, regulate emotions, reduce anxiety, and improve their ability to self-control their behavior. An ideal summer playground must be an environment for children to develop comprehensively. First of all, it must be a psychologically safe space, where children are encouraged to dare to try, dare to fail and freely express their emotions without fear of being judged. This playground needs to have many diverse activities, combining movement, creativity, problem solving and teamwork to stimulate the brain and perfect children's executive skills. Children should be allowed to choose and experiment with what they like to stimulate their inner strength. In particular, children should be given "free space", to think up their own games, set their own rules and handle situations. Finally, summer playgrounds should bring children closer to nature, reduce the time spent using electronic devices, thereby helping them relax, increase their ability to concentrate and nurture their love for the living environment. For busy parents, dinner can be turned into “no-device time”, going to the market with their children, planning the menu, doing housework as a team to teach them about responsibility and cooperation. In addition, the “learning through the community” model is also very effective: coordinating with families to organize playdates, exchanging books, inviting parents with expertise to share skills or together transforming the living space into a mini vegetable garden. These activities not only help children develop comprehensively but also build a strong support network for parents, turning summer into a bonding and fun experience for the whole family. Dr. of Psychology Dao Le Hoa An - Chairman of the Scientific Council, Center for Applied Psychology and Career Guidance JobWay
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Source: https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/nhieu-san-choi-bo-ich-cho-tre-trong-ky-nghi-he-1018914.html
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