The framework
This page follows the Guidelines for Kindergarten Education and the Early Learning and Development Guidelines for Children Aged 3 to 6 (Ministry of Education, 2012). It is a plain-language guide for parents, not an official document; schools and regions differ in the detail.
| Class | Age |
|---|---|
| Xiǎo bān (junior class) | 3–4 |
| Zhōng bān (middle class) | 4–5 |
| Dà bān (senior class) | 5–6 |
| Primary school begins | 6–7 |
The areas of learning, with games that fit
Health
Body and mind: movement, co-ordination, self-care habits and a sense of safety.
Language
Listening and expressing clearly; enjoying books; early interest in print and writing.
Society
Getting on with others, self-respect and confidence, following rules, belonging to family and community.
Science
Inquiry into nature and everyday things, and mathematical thinking: quantity, shape, space and pattern.
Art
Feeling and appreciating beauty; expressing and creating through music, movement and visual art.
A typical day, and what helps at home
A kindergarten day is long and carefully paced: morning exercises outdoors, a short group activity, area or corner play where children choose, outdoor games, lunch and a proper nap, then more play, a snack and a story before pick-up. Good kindergartens teach through games and everyday routines rather than desks. At home, the guidelines encourage parents to value self-care, outdoor play, picture books and conversation, and to resist drilling characters and sums before primary school.
By the end of the preschool years
Broadly, the framework hopes a child leaving the last preschool class:
- Dresses, eats and keeps tidy independently, and moves with good balance and co-ordination
- Listens carefully, speaks clearly and politely, and retells a story
- Enjoys books and shows interest in characters and symbols, without being drilled in them
- Counts, compares and understands quantities within ten through real objects; recognises shapes and positions
- Asks questions about nature and tries things out to find answers
- Co-operates, follows rules and shows care for family, friends and community
These are expectations for a whole year group, not a test for one child. Children reach them over a wide range of ages, and a child who is younger in the class, or learning in a second language, should be given more time, not more pressure.
Good questions to ask a preschool
How much of the day do children choose what they do? How long are they outdoors? How do you handle a child who is upset or who hits? How will you tell me how my child is doing — and is it a conversation or a report card? May I see the room in use? In every country on this list, a setting that answers these well is a better sign than one that promises early reading.
What is different here
The gap between the guidelines and the playground gate is wide: the ministry asks kindergartens not to teach primary content, while extra classes remain popular. If you are raising a child between Chinese and another language, the guidelines support you in keeping early learning playful and spoken.
Using this site alongside school
Fifteen minutes of Golu's Day covers every area above in rotation: a story, two games, something to move or sing, something to make and a thinking game, chosen for your child's age. For reading and number, the reading ladder and maths ladder put the games in teaching order, so you can find the first stage that is not yet easy and start there. Everything speaks thirty-four languages, which matters if your child's school language and home language are not the same.
If you are moving between countries
The class names change more than the children do. Compare ages, not labels, and expect a settling-in term before judging anything. See all seven systems side by side on the curriculum by country page, and what is typical at each age on the milestones pages.
Now do it for real
When the screen goes off, do something with your hands. Try 🌞 Draw your shadow — an easy science experiment for ages 3-6, with every step read aloud in your language. You will need sunshine and a paper or a chalk, a toy; nothing that needs a trip to a shop.
There are 56 more on the things to do at home page, and free printable worksheets if you would rather have something on paper. Ten minutes on a screen and twenty minutes off it is a good shape for a day at this age.
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