Russia rebrands Important Conversations propaganda lessons for kindergartners as Good Games

The Russian authorities have rebranded Important Conversations, a key tenet of Kremlin propaganda taught in schools throughout the country, as Good Games for kindergarteners, independent media outlet Agentstvo reported on Thursday.

Despite the name change, the topics covered in both courses are virtually identical, according to Agentstvo, though Good Games will require teachers to discuss six bespoke topics with preschoolers including Grandmothers and Grandfathers, The Peoples of Russia, and Parts of Russia — My Local Area.

Materials to be used for the course include a colouring book featuring a map of Russia that includes occupied Ukrainian territory, which children are expected to use to locate their region of the country in a game.

According to official guidelines, when discussing Russia’s various nationalities with children aged between 3 and 5, the teacher should say: “There are many of us and we are all different, but we are united by our love of the motherland, Russia. We are ready to come together to protect our Motherland.”

Introduced to schools in 2022, Important Conversations focus mainly on patriotism and “service to the fatherland and responsibility for its fate”, though they also address less political topics such as the compassionate treatment of animals and conflict resolution.

The module was extended to kindergartens in 22 Russian regions in September, with teachers working from a specially devised textbook designed to foster “civic, patriotic and ethical” values.