Values and Life Skills Education for Preschool Children through a Social-Emotional Approach: Orientations from Vietnam's Pilot Early Childhood Education Curriculum

Phan Tu Anh

doi:10.70716/jess.v3i2.852

Authors

Phan Tu Anh Faculty of Education, Thu dau Mot University, Viet Nam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70716/jess.v3i2.852

Keywords:

values education, life skills, social-emotional education, preschool children, early childhood education curriculum

Abstract

Values and life skills education plays an important role in children's personality formation, adaptability, and social participation from the early years. In the context of Vietnam's pilot Early Childhood Education Curriculum being implemented from the 2026–2027 school year, with an emphasis on holistic development, child-centred education, play, and experiential learning, identifying an appropriate approach to values and life skills education for preschool children is necessary. This paper employs document analysis of Vietnamese early childhood curriculum documents and selected national and international literature on values education, life skills, and social-emotional learning. The paper clarifies the relationships among values, life skills, and social-emotional competencies and proposes five educational orientations together with appropriate ways of implementation in preschool settings. Values and life skills education should be integrated into play, experiential activities, and daily routines; embedded in meaningful situations; supported through teacher modelling and consistent educational environments; and strengthened through preschool–family–community collaboration. This approach can help avoid fragmented and didactic teaching of values and life skills and better align educational practice with the orientations of Vietnam's renewed early childhood education curriculum.

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