HÀ NỘI — Making bánh chưng (square glucinous rice cake) or creating peach blossoms from paper are among the festivities that kids from many public and private kindergartens across the nation have experienced in preparation for the upcoming Tết (Lunar New Year) festival.

In recent years, kindergartens, particularly those in big cities, have incorporated such activities into their curriculum to help students learn more about the Vietnamese culture through the traditional holiday.

Many schools have also organised cultural programmes such as Tết fairs, in which the children have the chance to learn about the cultural heritage, nature and traditional celebrations of Vietnamese people.

Excursions have also been organised for the kids to visit flower markets where they can survey various kinds of flowers and plants to decorate houses on the occasion of Tết, such as peach blossoms, apricot blossoms and kumquat.

Nguyễn Hoài Thu from Cầu Giấy District said she enjoyed visiting her five-year-old daughter’s kindergarten class to make bánh chưng.  

“It’s like a big festival. Everyone, particularly the kids, are very happy and eager to make the cake. Seeing the small hands of the kids carefully clean and then wrap the bánh chưng is very touching,” she said.

“Although many cakes do not look nice, the kids really enjoyed it. The practical activity helps them to learn more about Tết,” she said.

Teachers at schools often use Tết as the theme for two weeks of classroom lessons and activities. At Hoa Trà My kindergarten, all people, including teachers and students, are eager to prepare for “Spring Festival” when Tết approaches each year. At each class, teachers and children work together to decorate their classes, make bánh chưng and prepare art programmes to perform at the festival, helping the kids to live in the real atmosphere of Tết.

Many schools also create opportunities for the kids to join charity activities to share love with their peers from disadvantaged families.

Vũ Thị Bích Ngọc, headmaster of Tuổi Thần Tiên kindergarten, said a charity activity was one of the programmes helping to educate children about moral values and humanism. From the programme, they would learn how to care about others and share difficulties with disadvantaged kids.

The activity was also aimed at helping the students to feel love and happiness from families, teachers and friends.

The Louis Gifted Kindergarten has organised an exhibition of paintings to raise funds for poor kids on the occasion of Tết. Money raised from the sale of 100 paintings would be used to build schools and present gifts to disadvantaged children.

These activities are believed to be a good way for Vietnamese children to learn to value and preserve the traditional culture. — VNS