The framework
This page follows National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (NCF-FS, 2022) under NEP 2020, with the NIPUN Bharat goals for literacy and numeracy. It is a plain-language guide for parents, not an official document; schools and regions differ in the detail.
| Class | Age |
|---|---|
| Nursery / Balvatika 1 | 3–4 |
| LKG / Balvatika 2 | 4–5 |
| UKG / Balvatika 3 | 5–6 |
| Class 1 and 2 | 6–8 |
The areas of learning, with games that fit
Physical development
Big movements, balance, hand control for drawing and writing, health and hygiene habits.
Socio-emotional and ethical development
Naming feelings, sharing, helping, caring for others and for nature.
Cognitive development
Sorting, patterns, number sense, shapes, measuring, and early science through observation.
Language and literacy
Listening and talking first, then letters and sounds, in the home language and a second language.
Aesthetic and cultural development
Songs, rhymes, art, craft, festivals and local culture.
A typical day, and what helps at home
A typical preschool morning runs about three to four hours: prayer or circle time, a rhyme session, a worksheet or activity period, snack, outdoor play, and a story before home time. At home, the most valuable addition is conversation in your own language — about the vegetable seller, the auto ride, the festival next week. Ten minutes of that does more for UKG readiness than an extra page of writing. If your child's school is heavy on copying, balance it with big movements and free drawing so the hand gets strong without getting tired of pencils.
By the end of the preschool years
Broadly, the framework hopes a child leaving the last preschool class:
- Talks in full sentences about their own experiences, and listens to and retells a short story
- Recognises letters and their sounds, and reads simple two- to three-letter words by the end of UKG
- Writes their own name and a few familiar words
- Counts objects and reads and writes numerals up to 10, moving towards 20 and beyond by Class 1
- Sorts, compares and continues simple patterns; names common shapes
- Follows classroom routines, takes turns, and manages toilet, hand-washing and lunch independently
These are expectations for a whole year group, not a test for one child. Children reach them over a wide range of ages, and a child who is younger in the class, or learning in a second language, should be given more time, not more pressure.
Good questions to ask a preschool
How much of the day do children choose what they do? How long are they outdoors? How do you handle a child who is upset or who hits? How will you tell me how my child is doing — and is it a conversation or a report card? May I see the room in use? In every country on this list, a setting that answers these well is a better sign than one that promises early reading.
What is different here
Indian preschools often begin formal writing earlier than the framework itself recommends. NCF-FS is clear that the preschool years should be play-based, with no heavy written work or tests, and that children should learn first in the language they speak at home. If your school sends home pages of copying at four, the curriculum is on your side when you keep home learning playful.
Using this site alongside school
Fifteen minutes of Golu's Day covers every area above in rotation: a story, two games, something to move or sing, something to make and a thinking game, chosen for your child's age. For reading and number, the reading ladder and maths ladder put the games in teaching order, so you can find the first stage that is not yet easy and start there. Everything speaks thirty-four languages, which matters if your child's school language and home language are not the same.
If you are moving between countries
The class names change more than the children do. Compare ages, not labels, and expect a settling-in term before judging anything. See all seven systems side by side on the curriculum by country page, and what is typical at each age on the milestones pages.
Now do it for real
When the screen goes off, do something with your hands. Try 🪔 Dot rangoli — an easy craft for ages 3-6, with every step read aloud in your language. You will need chalk or colours, a flat floor or a big paper; nothing that needs a trip to a shop.
There are 56 more on the things to do at home page, and free printable worksheets if you would rather have something on paper. Ten minutes on a screen and twenty minutes off it is a good shape for a day at this age.
Parents also look for
- Nursery rhymes for kids
- Preschool progress report
- How to teach about family to preschoolers
- Separation anxiety toddler at night
- How to stop.toddler hitting
- Bedtime routine for 3 year old