Round Table China Parents embrace hands-on kindergarten in China
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Jun 26, 2025 In a refreshing educational shift, kindergartens in China are moving towards hands-on learning, focusing on skills like cooking and teamwork. Parents support this approach, applauding its role in fostering independence among children. However, there's a debate on whether these methods allow sufficient time for play. The integration of practical skills and nature in education sparks discussions on safety versus freedoms, while addressing parental anxieties about children's growth opportunities.
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Early academics in kindergartens
- In Niu Honglin's kindergarten, kids learned math and Pinyin early. He even helped classmates struggling with math at age four.
- This contrasts with newer policies banning elementary knowledge in kindergartens.
Hands-on life skills teaching
- Some kindergartens teach kids to chop firewood, cook, grow crops, and raise ducks.
- Kids experience making things from scratch, even cutting garlic and chopping meat themselves.
Extreme outdoor kids' activities
- Some extracurricular schools take kids outdoors to cross rivers and jump in deep mud pits as a survival experience.
- Parents cheer these rugged activities, though such extreme programs are still rare in China.