Kindergartens - Kitas should allow more self-determination in children
Brandenburgan Education Minister Steffen Freiberg will incorporate Kindertagesstätten more into children's education. However, Kitas are not schools, and that will remain the case, the SPD-politician stated during the presentation of the Kindergarten Education Plan. Nevertheless, the foundation for a successful educational biography is laid in early childhood.
The Education Plan sets the guidelines within which children will be taught knowledge in everyday situations in the future. The approximately 130-page document should be understood as a recommendation, according to Freiberg. All future training and materials for kindergarten teachers should be based on this, he added.
Children should also have a say in what they eat and how much they consume. "Children must be able to test whether they want to try broccoli or not," said Bianka Pergande, one of the project leaders.
The plan covers areas such as Mathematics, Sports, Nature, Language and Communication, Philosophy, and digital media. The topic of food also appears in the plan. In the future, children should be able to make their own choices about what goes on their plate and how much they eat. "Children are experts in their own lives," emphasized the Minister. "There needs to be respect for their right to self-determination."
Greater importance will be attached to dealing with digital media. Digital media should be shown to children as tools for exploring the world, according to the Education Ministry. Children must be prepared to use self-selected tools responsibly to receive and transmit information. They should be supported in communicating via the media and in creating their own content.
The plan states, among other things, "Make media a topic in conversations, games, projects, and parent evenings!" Additionally, one should talk with children and caregivers about preferences and fears, smartphone use, advertising, and online games.
The topic of healthy media usage behavior should not be overlooked. Children should develop a sense of how to navigate the internet. "Can anyone do whatever they want on the internet? Or is there a controller, laws, or an internet prison? When is a password safe?" These are questions that should be discussed with children.
- Steffen Freiberg, the Education Minister from Brandenburg, believes that kindergartens, or Kindertagesstätten, should play a more significant role in children's education.
- During the presentation of the Kindergarten Education Plan, Freiberg emphasized that kindergartens are not schools and will continue to remain separate entities.
- Despite this, Freiberg stresses that early childhood, often shaped by kindergartens, lays the foundation for a successful educational biography.
- In the newly proposed Education Plan, areas such as Mathematics, Sport, Nature, Language and Communication, Philosophy, and digital media are covered, with Nutrition also receiving attention.
- Steffen Freiberg, the SPD-politician, underscores the importance of children's self-determination, believing that they should be allowed to decide what they eat and how much they consume.
- Following this philosophy, the plan suggests teaching children about healthy media usage, encouraging them to make informed decisions about their time spent on digital platforms.
- The Education Plan encourages parents and caregivers to engage with children regarding their media behaviors, discussing topics like smartphone use, advertising, and online games, to promote responsible digital engagement.
