The French Education Ministry has announced a new goal for kindergarten students: to know 2,500 words by the end of their senior kindergarten class. This initiative is part of the updated curriculum for the 2026/2027 school year. The goal is to strengthen language skills early on, which the ministry believes will support academic success and help reduce educational inequalities. The focus is on ensuring that all children have a strong vocabulary to express themselves and understand written material, which is seen as vital for both academic and cultural growth. According to the curriculum, having a rich vocabulary is essential for understanding texts, improving writing skills, and accessing knowledge in all subjects. This idea has been discussed with teachers for several years and is already included in the 2025 program. The new curriculum outlines that teachers should introduce two groups of words, called "corpora," in the small and middle sections of kindergarten, and three in the senior section. These word groups are not set by the program itself, but are chosen by teachers based on the children’s age and interests. Topics may include things like clothing, the home, farm animals, and the seasons. Teachers will assess students’ mastery of these words each month and at the end of each period, with the expectation that vocabulary skills will grow as children progress from the small to the senior sections of kindergarten. However, some educators argue that while vocabulary is important, it is just one part of language learning. Manon Pilloy, a teacher in small and middle sections in the Rhône region, points out that before children can build a large vocabulary, they need to feel confident enough to communicate. She also expresses concern that the new emphasis on vocabulary evaluation might take up too much time, potentially reducing time for other important language skills. Elodie Pascual, a speech therapist and editor of the Allo-ortho website, encourages parents to support language development at home. She suggests talking to children, reading books, singing songs, and explaining the meanings of words and expressions. She emphasizes that consistent interaction and exposure to language have a lasting impact on children's overall development.