Alexander Reut: new preschool education standard to set minimum requirements for games and toys in kindergartens

Alexander Reut, Director of the Department of State General Education Policy and Preschool Education Development at the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, explained at the National Centre RUSSIA how the preschool education standard will work, including its requirements for equipping kindergartens with toys. He said that the Federal State Educational Standard for Preschool Education (FSES PE) will establish a basic list of games and toys to ensure equal opportunities for children's development, while preserving educational institutions' freedom to choose the items, manufacturers and materials they use.

"Work on developing and updating the Federal State Educational Standard for Preschool Education is well underway, and we expect to complete it next year. The current list, approved by the Ministry in 2024, is sufficiently flexible: it specifies only product names, without naming manufacturers. At the same time, it is more than just a list. It is a clear, structured system organised by age group and areas of children's development — from educational games and materials for role-play to physical activity sets and equipment for traditional Russian outdoor games. It is important to understand that the list establishes the necessary minimum. Kindergartens retain the right to adapt and enrich their educational environments to suit their own programmes and children's interests. This is a solid foundation for children's development and upbringing," he said.

Alexander Reut took part in the panel discussion "More Than Just a Toy: The Educational Potential of Toys and Teaching Practices in Preschool Education", held at the National Centre RUSSIA on 19 October as part of the business programme for the final of the second season of the All-Russian Contest "Native Toy". Joining him to discuss the value of toys in children's development and upbringing, and their role in passing on traditional values, were theatre and film actor, Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation and father of four Andrei Merzlikin; psychologist and Gestalt therapist Lyubov Rozenberg; and Tatyana Panikhidkina, head of the Kindergarten No. 162 "Rosinka" in Bryansk.

The All-Russian Contest "Native Toy" was launched on the instructions of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to promote the development and production of Russian-made games and toys rooted in traditional Russian spiritual and moral values. In 2026, the project's final event brought more than 1,500 participants to the National Centre RUSSIA, including government officials, business representatives, leaders of the games and toys industry, members of the expert and children's juries, parents with children, school pupils and university students. The contest was organised by the Russian society Znanie, with the Movement of the First as co-organiser.