Parents rush to let their children study ‘first grade’ for short-term benefits and long-term harm

My child has just finished preschool, many parents are rushing and worried for their children to attend “pre-first grade” classes so that their children can read, write, and even do math for their children to walk. entering grade 1 is not “lost to friends”!

However, this is not necessary but can also be harmful in the long run, according to psychologist – master Phuong Hoai Nga.

Short-term gain, long-term loss

Reporter: As a psychologist who is very interested in parenting issues, what do you think about many parents looking for classes for their children to study “before first grade”?

MSc Phuong Hoai Nga: In terms of the entire process of high school, the first grade is a very important year, a pivotal year for children to enter the next 12 years.

(Illustration image: Photo source: Labor Newspaper)

However, the task you need to complete in 1st grade is actually not too big, you just need to be fluent in reading and writing and calculate within 100. It can be said in other words that the biggest goal of the 1st grade year is not in the profession.

According to the division of general general education, approved by the Ministry of Education and Training in 2018, there are two groups of competencies: general and specific competencies.

With a specific ability, there is Math and Vietnamese in grade 1, but the requirements are quite modest and therefore, what the 1st graders need to focus on is common competence, need to know common learning strategies and must learn to be independent.because in grade 1 space will be different from preschool space.

Reporter: Does that mean that parents shouldn’t worry when their child has not received letters or rhymes before entering 1st grade?

MSc Phuong Hoai Nga: There’s nothing to worry about, of course. We should remember that the goal of reading and writing fluently should not be achieved until the end of 1st grade.

I see now that many parents are sending their children to all kinds of classes, from Math classes to Vietnamese classes, but it is not good for them to stay up late at night to play. Your child’s development should be holistic, not only intellectual, but also emotional, social, moral and other related development.

As I said above, the more important thing that parents need to pay attention to is the foster children’s general abilitiesTeach your children to have study habits and independent habits in life. This is very important factors that will affect the entire process of high school as well as their children’s later lives.

Parents only care so that their children can write letters and calculate numbers without caring about their child’s general ability before entering 1st grade. Choose short-term goals and ignore long-term goals.

“I was also stressed when my son was in 1st grade”

Reporter: As a psychologist with many years of working and learning about education abroad, can you share some stories about first grade in the world?

MSc Phuong Hoai Nga: In fact, it is true that in Vietnam, entering 1st grade is quite a difficult time for our parents.

In foreign countries, the story is a bit different, for example in Korea and Finland, where I used to have the opportunity to work, children go to first grade at the age of 7 years, which is 1 year later than in Japan. Vietnam. The reason is that according to the results of their statistics and research, children 7 years old when entering a structured learning environment have better adaptation, learning logic and math at that time will be more favorable.

Hoai Nga with her teachers in Sweden.

In Sweden, about the last 4-5 months before graduating from kindergarten, students are allowed to participate in a course to prepare for grade 1, which can also be considered as a pre-primary class, in which The teacher introduces you to Braille, different alphabets, from pictographs (Chinese, Korean) or Arabic letters…

The handwriting of pre-primary school students in Sweden.

When I asked why they don’t let children learn the Swedish alphabet, but look through many different languages, a teacher said that the nature of language is to convey messages and is a tool of communication. , and there are many different languages ​​in the world. The first thing they want you to do is to love the language, understand the nature of the language, and then go into writing them.

And in France and the US, where I also had the opportunity to practice in primary schools as a psychologist, I observed something quite interesting, that is, children in elementary schools. In this class, students don’t need to know how to write until the 3rd grade.

Reporter: It is known that you are married and have 2 children. So before, when the two children were about to enter 1st grade, did you get stressed? Do you send your child to extra lessons before entering 1st grade? And do you ever feel helpless or tired while teaching your children?

MSc Phuong Hoai Nga: My wife and I have 2 children, a son has just finished 6th grade and a niece has just finished 2nd grade, so I also went through this question about “first grade money” twice.

We do not send children to school before entering 1st grade, but only familiarize them with the necessary skills to enter 1st grade with confidence.

Actually, for the first time with a boy, things were quite stressful for my family.

Master of Psychology Phuong Hoai Nga.

However, this stress is not due to knowledge problems, because he does not have difficulty in learning, but rather he constantly violates the rules and is… “annoy” of the teacher.

Every time I come to my child’s class, I either see him lying on his back, or in some very strange position, or being punished to stand outside the classroom. Because I also work in an educational environment, I also know that it will be relatively difficult for the little ones to prepare to enter grade 1, especially the hyperactive boys, who won’t sit still.

However, it should be added that when children reach grade 1, it is not only us who are under pressure, because the stress of parents is also a great pressure for children.

Therefore, I always stay calm before these problems of my children, to help them overcome difficulties.

Reporter: So do you have any advice for parents who are worried about the problem of “first grade money”?

MSc Phuong Hoai Nga: As I said above, there are two types of capacity: general capacity and specific ability, instead of parents just looking at whether their children can write A, B, add, subtract, multiply or divide. If not, that is, the child’s specific ability, there are other things that are more necessary for the child, so that the child can learn how to schedule activities, find a reasonable time for them to do the important things of the child. me.

In short, parents should help their children form the habit of doing all the work in a orderly, structured manner, in other words, do whatever you want, at this hour what you have to do, what to do next time, or take care of your child’s health, in short, these are the things that will help your child enter grade 1 in a very good mood.

Entering grade 1, there are many students who have very poor independence, while in grade 1, this ability should be much higher than when they were in kindergarten. Therefore, parents need to teach their children all things related to eating, sleeping, resting, personal hygiene or dressing themselves, so that when they go to grade 1, they will no longer feel surprised. will get used to the new routines.

Master of Psychology Phuong Hoai Nga.

Phuong Hoai Nga holds a Master of Psychology (University of Toulouse II-Le Mirail, France) with more than 15 years of experience in the field of child and adolescent psychology (of which 11 years are school psychology).

She is also a translator and editor for many books on child and family psychology. She is the mother of Sam (12 years old) and Vy (8 years old), and is currently an independent consultant – psychotherapist for children and families.