Society has changed a lot, but the reality is that before the pressure of learning and exams for children, many families and schools do not value sports training for school-age children.
Therefore, Hanoi's recent issuance of a document setting a target that by 2030 98% of primary school students will meet the standards of people who regularly exercise is not only an indicator of the Education sector, but also raises a bigger issue: To have a healthy, dynamic, disciplined and persistent society, it must start from children.
In Plan No. 253/KH-UBND on physical and sports development in kindergartens and primary schools for the period 2026-2030, Hanoi emphasizes the spirit: "A nation that wants to be healthy must start from children. A strong sports foundation must start from schools". This is a correct and necessary view, especially in the context that children today are growing up amidst many changes in modern life.
It is not difficult to see that young children today have better learning conditions, more technological devices, and more opportunities to access knowledge. But in parallel with that is the risk of less exercise. A child can sit for hours in front of a screen, get used to phones, tablets, video games, but lacks skills in endurance running, long jumping, balancing, coordinating exercise or playing a sport properly.
Lack of exercise not only affects height, weight, endurance or resistance. It also affects children's psychology, concentration, discipline and social skills. A child who exercises regularly will learn how to follow the rules of the game, know how to coordinate with friends, know how to accept defeat and victory, and know how to persistently overcome their own limits. These are lessons that books cannot completely replace.
Physical education in schools should not be considered a secondary subject. It must be an important part of the process of comprehensive human formation. If Math, Vietnamese, and Foreign Language help children develop intelligence and communication skills, then physical education and sports help children build a foundation of health, will, confidence and healthy living habits.
If children today are properly trained, play sports regularly, and grow up in an environment that values health, then tomorrow society will have more persistent workers, dynamic citizens and a healthier living community.
