Curriculum Planning

Average school-going children in India spend about 7 hours a day, 160 days in a year inside classrooms - through 13 years of their lives.
They also spend additional time at home, studying or doing homework.
This means that more than a third of the children's growing years are spent in formal education or in the company of school books.
Creating a good curriculum is therefore the first step towards helping children develop a comprehensive education. This includes knowledge of Science or Math concepts, World Affairs, History, Geography and Language.
This learning begins at preschool years.
So what comprises a good preschool curriculum?

• It should keep in mind the fact that preschool children are curious and anxious to know new things. At the same time, they are easily distracted.

The curriculum should therefore introduce topics in a variety of ways that become interesting for children. It should use examples that children identify with or can find in their real lives. This will help generate interest for a topic in children.

• It should include activities or hands-on exercises related to topics – which children can observe or participate in themselves (in a safe setup).

Children this age group find great interest in taking part in activities that make them feel 'grown-up' or 'independent'.

• Children look for means of creative expression – so the curriculum should include occasions for these.
  
  
• The curriculum should ensure that children are provided opportunities for development in multiple domains – which is a requirement at this stage in their lives, but often ignored by traditional methods of learning.
  
  
• Finally- the curriculum should be flexible enough for facilitators who are transacting it to adapt it in their own ways; perhaps add innovations, to suit the learning styles of the children they're guiding.