Kindergarten

Age group: 3 year to 4 years
School Timings: 10:00 am to 1:30 pm

Every child is warmly welcomed into the class by their teacher, who has a small conversation with them. They then all gather together for singing songs. Through singing, they welcome the day, each other, and Mother Nature. The seasons, festivals, animals, the plant kingdom, and other inspirations from their surroundings are naturally woven into the morning songs for the children.

All children then gather together to engage in domestic art and meaningful, purposeful work such as drawing, painting, stringing, cooking, cleaning, gardening, and more. After having fruits, the children go outdoors for play. In the open space, they move around freely, while some children often join their teacher, who is tending to plants, digging the soil, or watering them.

Singing their way back to the class, the children wash their hands and then prepare to settle down for songs and rhymes, followed by free indoor play. This is a wonderful time where they explore their indoor space—playmates, toys, and, most importantly, what they can do. During play, the teacher is busy either with her handwork, singing, or attending to a child who needs personal attention.

After play, they all work together to make their room beautiful and set the table for meals. The day comes to an end with storytime and lullabies.

More about School Life

Work done in the Kindergarten is purposeful and meaningful in our daily lives. Children learn through imitation and, ultimately, by doing. The enthusiasm, interest, reverence, and calm manner with which the teacher approaches her work creates a joyful and inspiring environment. This motivates children to engage in hands-on activities.

This approach is particularly important in today’s world, where many tasks are mechanized and outsourced. The work done in Kindergarten not only lays the foundation for future academic success but also prepares the child comprehensively for life.

Kindergarten children are in the “here and now”; they learn from doing rather than from abstract concepts. The overall environment in Kindergarten fosters the confidence of “I can do it.” There is no rush to complete tasks, and tasks are not done merely for the sake of completion. Everything is done well and holds real meaning. No task is too difficult, and this assurance is continuously reinforced through the teacher’s actions and words.

The sense of wonder and joy is maintained in the Kindergarten through the teacher’s reverent approach to all tasks. Throughout the week, Kindergarten children are engaged in activities such as cooking, cleaning, scrubbing, and gardening—from sowing to harvesting and feasting. Their hands are actively involved in mending, sewing, braiding, and weaving threads and ropes that they need.

Year long, the children are engaged in meaningful, purposeful work. At times, they prepare their own colors for painting and dye their play cloth. During festivals, they are busy preparing eatables and festive delicacies, or they focus on festival preparations like crafting flower torons, painting diyas, and making colorful rangolis. The aroma of cakes, cookies, and kalkals fills the kindergarten during Christmas.

On hot summer days, they prepare juice and salads, while on regular days, they make rotis, peel corn, grate vegetables, or warm themselves with hot soups on cold winter and rainy days. The list of activities goes on. They also prepare small gifts for their friends by making something meaningful from the treasures they collect during nature walks. They feed the birds, collect feathers, stones, and leaves, chase butterflies, or silently wait to hear the birds.

Each child works to the best of their ability. There is so much to learn each day, from doing things better and differently than they could do yesterday to trying something absolutely new that a peer could do.

We at Ikshaana strive to create an environment that supports the child’s cognitive, intellectual, emotional, and social development. We aim to nourish and nurture the young child, who is an enthusiastic explorer. Our goal is to keep the sense of wonder and feeling of joy continuously alive through the genuine interest that the teacher takes in the mundane everyday tasks that she undertakes with much love every single day.