Preschool Lessons to Teach Spiritual and Moral Values Through Kind Games

Preschoolers across Russia will begin state-backed patriotic lessons known as Kind Games starting September 1, 2026, according to a senior official from the Russian Education Ministry.

Russia’s Deputy Education Minister Olga Koludarova announced the rollout on April 8, 2026, stating that the program will be introduced in all preschool classrooms throughout the country. Koludarova described Kind Games as activities dedicated to spiritual and moral values.

Curriculum and Objectives

The state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that Kind Games serves as the preschool equivalent of Important Conversations, a curriculum that was introduced in high schools in 2022 following the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Critics have characterized the Important Conversations program as political indoctrination.

Independent media reported in February 2026 that the Kind Games curriculum will encompass six overarching themes. These include Peoples of Russia and A Corner of Russia Is My Native Land.

According to the exiled news outlet Agentstvo, children between the ages of 3 and 5 will be shown a map of Russia that includes occupied Ukrainian regions. As part of these lessons, students will be taught the importance of protecting our motherland.

Pilot Program and Implementation

The Education Ministry began piloting the preschool lessons in 2025 across 19 Russian regions and parts of occupied Ukraine, although the program was not initially referred to as Kind Games.

Reports from some preschools that participated in the trial program indicated that children were photographed wearing military uniforms and were given toy weapons. Some children also had bandages wrapped on them to simulate battlefield wounds.

The implementation of these lessons follows a previous call from President Vladimir Putin for patriotic education to be provided to younger children. The Education Ministry indicated on April 8, 2026, that This proves still in the process of drafting the final curriculum.