A student at a rural kindergarten in Jurong, Jiangsu province, paints seashells. [Photo/jyt.jiangsu.gov.cn]
Planting flowers and vegetables, observing insects, conducting experiments, reading books and raising animals. For Liu Xiaomiao, a third-year student at Wenchang Road Kindergarten in Jurong, Jiangsu province, the fingers on her hands are not enough to count the "games" she and her classmates play every day.
Near her, some children gathered in a circle to play whac-a-mole, while others fed their animals and others prepared a barbecue meal, oiling meat and adding cumin powder.
These peculiar scenes are commonplace at Wenchang Road Kidergarten, where principal Sun Jianxia has implemented course reform initiated by the provincial department of education in 2014. The reforms focus on enhancing the children's language skills, and their social and explorative abilities using "edutainment" to boost their all-round development.
"We have arranged at least two hours every day for kids to play," Sun said. "Children, for example, may attend indoor classes in the morning while taking part in outdoor activities in the afternoon, depending on their interests."
Children at the Wenchang Road Kindergarten in Jurong add flavor to their barbecue meal. [Photo/jyt.jiangsu.gov.cn]
The city's northern corner, an area famous painter Chen Yifei has dubbed "China's most beautiful countryside", is where students take advantage of abundant natural resources, performing hands-on work like planting gingko trees, growing crops and nursing sheep.
Principal of the kindergarten, Yang Huajun, believes the school's natural environment, which he cites as a major advantage over urban kindergartens, has stimulated the students' in-depth learning capabilities.
Yang shared a story of how the schoolchildren have been taking care of a newborn lamb, understanding its living habits, providing it with a small house and recording its growth and development.
The fun-focused preschool education reforms taking place in Jiangsu has emboldened the students' interest in learning, making kindergarten a more enjoyable and exciting place to be even without the comfort of having parents nearby.
Children at a rural kindergarten in Gaoyou, Jiangsu, play with toy water guns. [Photo/jyt.jiangsu.gov.cn]
Most importantly, the reform has helped foster healthy and harmonious bonds between students and teachers for a happier overall environment.
The government has also provided financial support to offer all teachers, including unauthorized or non-permanent teachers, equal treatment and pay since the reforms were initiated.
"Our children and teachers are now fully respected, their relationships enhanced, and happiness increased," a provincial education department official said. "We aim to make preschool education in Jiangsu better and better."
