Develop life skills through daily activities.

(Baonghean) - Summer vacation is the time when parents look for suitable places to help their children participate in extracurricular activities. Recognizing this need, educational centers are focusing on developing a wide range of courses for children.

When researching life skills classes to enroll his son, who was about to enter 5th grade, Mr. Thanh Trung (from Tan Loc Hamlet, Hung Dung Ward, Vinh City) was very hesitant because every place advertised itself as highly effective. Finally, he chose a life skills course at Tam Viet Center, priced at 2 million VND for 40 sessions. Mr. Trung shared: The reason he sought out these courses was because, through newspapers and television, he learned about heartbreaking incidents where children didn't know how to cope with dangerous situations and acted impulsively when experiencing psychological shock… He enrolled his son in life skills classes hoping to help him become independent, as parents can't always be there for their children.

With their playful learning approach, life skills classes are attracting considerable attention from parents. Most parents, when enrolling their children, share the common hope that after the course, their children will change their behavior and learn how to handle specific situations in daily life. Ms. Nguyen Phuong Thao (Block 2 - Truong Thi Ward) said: "I have two children, a boy and a girl. When my eldest child started first grade, she was overwhelmed by the completely new environment. Previously, because I loved her so much, I did everything for her. As a result, she became clumsy, had difficulty integrating, and couldn't keep up with her classmates. For my younger child, I enrolled her in a life skills class to avoid the same situation as her older sister. What I hope is that she can get used to school, learn to concentrate, and listen more."

A summer life skills class for children aged 7-13 at Tam Viet Center (Vinh City)

Recognizing the growing demand from parents for talent development programs for their children, centers have seized this opportunity and established various skills training courses. Currently, these centers offer courses tailored to different age groups, with diverse training content: Tam Viet Center (on Le Hoan Street, Hung Phuc Ward) currently offers courses such as "Preparation for Grade 1," "Confident Little Squirrel" (for children aged 5-7), "Summer Life Skills" (for children aged 7-13), "Summer Camp for Life Skills and Survival Skills" (for children aged 12 and above)...; with tuition fees ranging from 1.8 million VND to 2.1 million VND per course.

According to the teachers at this center, after completing the course, the students will be confident, bold in expressing themselves, proactive in communicating in relationships, adapt to their living environment, and develop the habit of planning their studies and daily lives...

The Vietnam-Germany Children's Cultural Center is currently offering training in 16 talent-based subjects including dance, vocal music, table tennis, painting, sports dance, soroban abacus, robot assembly, and MC training. This year, the Cultural Center is particularly focusing on improving life skills and incorporating Nghe Tinh folk songs into its curriculum. During the summer of 2015, the Cultural Center attracted approximately 2,000 children to participate in its activities and studies.

The Military Summer Camp program for high school students aged 11-16, organized by the Provincial Youth Union in coordination with the Department of Education and Training and the Military School of Military Region IV (Nam Anh commune - Nam Dan district), has attracted the attention of many parents. In the summer of 2015, 350 students registered to participate, with a tuition fee of 2.6 million VND per course. This is an experiential course that helps young people have a beneficial and interesting summer vacation, developing moral skills, conduct, discipline, and practical experience to become useful citizens for their families and society. During the 10 days of study and training with the theme "Becoming a Soldier," students learn regulations, military orders, parade formations, marching in the field, swimming, skills training, and practice camping in the forest, how to set up hammocks, and agricultural production, etc.

It must be acknowledged that life skills courses, military training camps, summer camps, etc., with their content of exploring the outside environment, cultivating life skills, and building a disciplined environment, have brought many benefits to the education of young children. However, parents need to consider and base their choices on their child's abilities and interests to find a suitable and effective extracurricular activity for their child. For example, Nguyen Duc Minh (11 years old, from Hoa Tien hamlet, Hung Loc commune) participated in a military training camp this summer. Because he is at an age where he needs to eat and sleep, Minh was drowsy from the very first day, having to wake up at 5 am, and failed to complete the tasks. On the second day, Minh called his mother to ask to go home, but the course regulations did not allow picking up children midway, so Ms. Phuong (Minh's mother) had to encourage her son to continue. Ms. Phuong said: "The sudden change in environment made it difficult for my son to adapt. Perhaps he is too young to be trained in this way." And we also witnessed a mother eagerly lingering at the Tam Viet Center to listen to the teacher instruct her child on life skills, but then expressing her disappointment: "I thought it would be something special..." The teacher taught, "When you meet adults, you must greet them, say thank you when you receive gifts, and apologize when you make mistakes... I've taught my child this kind of knowledge many times at home."

According to Ms. Pham Thi Lan Huong, a teacher at Hung Binh Primary School (Vinh City): Learning extracurricular subjects and foreign languages ​​helps children become more confident, quick-witted, and sociable. However, parents must pay attention to their children's physical and psychological development to choose subjects and arrange study time appropriately. Especially for primary school students, they need to develop naturally, learning should be fun and engaging, not overloaded with too many subjects. Many parents expect that after learning life skills, their children will change their behavior and how they behave in specific situations. However, at home, parents are not diligent enough in teaching their children simple skills such as self-care, communication, and polite greetings. Soft skills courses are useful, but no change or habit formation can be achieved in just a few days or a week of training. Family support and guidance are crucial; parents need to closely monitor and create an environment for their children to develop and progress year after year, rather than simply enrolling them in courses just to follow trends, only for everything to revert to its original state after the course ends.

Given the limited number of playgrounds for children in Vinh City compared to the demand for recreational activities during the summer, the increasing number of summer courses is an inevitable trend. The participation of private centers in this field also shows that society is paying more attention to beneficial and healthy learning and play for children. While some skills can only be learned in school, the most basic daily living skills—self-care and helping parents with age-appropriate tasks—can be learned in the comfort of one's own home. The family is the cradle for training, nurturing, and providing the best conditions for children to master life skills, and grandparents and parents are their best teachers.

Ngoc Anh