‘I felt welcome and part of the teaching staff from the very moment I walked through the door,’ says Danish early years educator Stina Raae, who has just returned from a three-week stay at kindergartens in southern China.

 

Stina is the first Danish early years educator to be sent on a cultural and professional exchange to China through Learn For Life’s new project ‘Danish pedagogues on culture and pedagogy exchanges to China’ , in collaboration with Yijie Early Childhood Education. Stina lived with a host family and was warmly welcomed by both them and their wider network, who also invited her on outings and to social events at weekends.

 

Play, learning and new perspectives

The programme in China was intensive, with play-based activities and conversations with both educators and parents. The Chinese educators – referred to as teachers – were keen to receive inspiration and professional input.

One of the biggest surprises for Stina was the strong focus on play and the relatively limited emphasis on traditional school preparation:

‘I had imagined that the children would be drilled in letters and numbers, but in reality both leaders and teachers showed great interest in play. They wanted to play and learn, but didn’t always know how. That’s where I could step in and share my experience – and I encountered great openness and curiosity.’

Stina chose to approach the stay with an open mind:

‘It was difficult to prepare for the three weeks. But I learned a great deal – also about my own pedagogical practice. And through my observations, I found moments when I truly felt proud of my profession.’

 

Tasks and inspiration among educators

Stina’s main task was to play with the children and to communicate and demonstrate to the Chinese educators how central play is to children in everything they do – both for development and wellbeing.

‘I gave the educators reflective questions such as: Which games do we want to play? Who takes part? What is the purpose? How do I participate as a teacher? Where can I contribute – and when should I step back from the play?’

She also demonstrated how play can take place without using the voice and talked with the Chinese educators about the use of sound, music and voice in ways that meet children at their level. In some institutions, she carried out activities with groups of up to 40 children and encountered very different responses to play. For example:

‘When we played “All My Chicks”, some children became upset when I caught them. So I explained that it was just a game and not a competition – and that all roles in the game are important. I made it fun to be the fox and used battle cries and high-fives.’

During the game “Stuck in the Mud”, she noticed that some children did not want to be freed, while in other groups both she and the teachers were able to step back and let the children continue playing independently.

 

Reading time and creative activities

For the week’s reading session, Stina chose the book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. The children sat outdoors with books from the kindergarten’s small library, and Stina first went through the story using pictures and then with related toys. She read the book aloud in English, while a Chinese teacher read the same story in Chinese. Together, they talked with the children about the book, drew caterpillars, sprayed paint onto leaves and made leaf prints.

‘It was wonderful to be able to bring together so many activities around one book, each of us drawing on our own cultural background. The head teacher took photos of the process so they can later create their own “language bag” for the story.’

 

Parent café with questions and dialogue

At the weekly parent café, Stina was ready to answer the many questions from parents:

How do we handle conflicts? Do we treat our children differently? How much should we play with them?

‘I said from the outset that I’m not a professor, but that I would be happy to answer as best I could – as an educator with heart and experience. My work with children and young people, including within special education, allowed me to suggest activities and methods that could make a real difference.’

 

On her own in Beijing

Before travelling on to Beijing, Stina had time to take part in the beginning of the traditional Dragon Boat Festival. She then spent four days on her own in Beijing, visiting, among other places, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall – all planned with help from her host family.

 

Culinary courage and emotional farewells

‘I had never imagined there would be so much food – and such a variety! It was spicy and very different from what I am used to, but I tasted everything, and in the end they called me “food-brave”.’

Experiencing Chinese food culture was a major highlight – and almost a culture shock to return home to morning yoghurt and rye bread.

The biggest challenges? Technology. ‘Everything happens via apps and mobile phones – and that was challenging. But with WeChat, body language and helpful colleagues, it all worked out.’

 

The hardest part?

‘Saying goodbye. It was really difficult to say farewell to the host family, the teachers and the children. I had many thoughts before going – but now it’s on my CV, and I’m incredibly proud. I am more than ready if the opportunity for a second round comes.’