It's probably not common in Vietnam to see 350 preschoolers in red shirts with yellow stars singing the national anthem every morning at the start of the week.
Quan Toan Kindergarten in Hai Phong City has 350 students aged 3-5 years old. Like many other schools, children here study and participate in extracurricular activities. However, the school has a "specialty," which is the flag-raising ceremony on the first Monday of each week.
When the melody of the song "Nhu co Bac Ho trong ngay vui dai thang" rings out, the children go down to the schoolyard for the ceremony. At 8:00 a.m., the flag-raising ceremony begins, with all students standing in front of the flag and singing the national anthem. The flag-raising ceremony performed by teachers and students of Quan Toan Kindergarten shows pride in the Vietnamese people's sacred values.
When the song's melodies resound, the teachers and children stand solemnly, their eyes facing the national flag, their hands on their chests, and the children's innocent faces radiating pride and joy. The children sing the national anthem loudly, coherently, and enthusiastically.
The children warm up and exercise with small flags in their hands after the raising-flag ceremony. The practice session ends after 3 minutes, and it is time for the children to line up to return to class and begin the lesson.
Ms. Diep explained the difficulties in teaching the children, saying, "At first, the teachers also encountered difficulties because the children were still young and could not yet memorize the national anthem. However, when guided by the teachers, the children were able to sing and felt excited when saluting the flag every Monday morning." She went on to say, "I felt very moved when I witnessed the scene of the children saluting under the national flag, and for her, it was the beginning of a full and exciting working week."
When asked about the idea of organizing a flag-raising activity for preschool children at the start of the week, Ms. Tuyen, principal of Quan Toan Kindergarten, stated, "This activity began in November 2021 and was also motivated by a desire to educate children about tradition and national pride. The image of the Vietnamese flag has entered the minds of preschool children and serves as the foundation for developing feelings for preschool children."
Allowing children to salute the flag and sing the national anthem received a positive response from the children's parents, who stated, "This is a meaningful and useful activity in educating the country's future generation. Under the guidance of the teachers, the children were very happy and excited about the flag-raising activity."
Integrating the national anthem into the preschool curriculum is a way to build a love for the homeland and country in children. Patriotism in children should be a feeling that is instilled from childhood, not taught mechanically.
In recent years, some preschools nationwide, such as Hoa Mai Preschool in Ninh Binh City, have organized weekly flag-raising ceremonies. However, opinions differ on the practicality of involving preschoolers in flag ceremonies. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, Head of the Preschool Education Department in Ho Chi Minh City, believes that focusing 5-year-olds' attention is limited in a large space like the schoolyard, making it challenging for them to understand and stand still. |
What should be done to make flag-raising activities suitable for preschool children?
The flag-raising time should not be too long
The location needs to be safe and airy
Form of organizing flag saluting need to be diverse and rich
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