Curricular Goals of the Foundational Stage

The Foundational Stage is for children between the ages of 3 to 8 years.

Physical

Physical Development

Habits, sensorial awareness, body fitness

Socio

Socio-Emotional & Ethical Development

Emotional intelligence, empathy, seva

Curricular Goals

CG-4. Children develop emotional intelligence, i.e., the ability to understand and manage their own emotions, and respond positively to social norms.
CG-5. Children develop a positive attitude towards productive work and service or ‘Seva’.
CG-6. Children develop a positive regard for the natural environment around them.

Cognitive

Cognitive Development

Observation, numeracy, reasoning

Language

Language & Literacy Development

Communication, reading & writing

Aesthetic

Aesthetic & Cultural Development

Arts, music, dance, imagination

Habits

Positive Learning Habits

Attention, memory, curiosity, classroom norms

Competencies (Goal-wise)

Each Curricular Goal (CG) for a domain is followed by its competencies.

Physical

Physical Development — Competencies (goal-wise)

CG-1 to CG-3

CG-1. Children develop habits that keep them healthy and safe.

C-1. Shows a liking for and understanding of nutritious food and does not waste food.
C-2. Practices basic self-care and hygiene.
C-3. Keeps school/classroom hygienic and organised.
C-4. Practices safe use of material and simple tools.
C-5. Shows awareness of safety in movements (walking, running, cycling) and acts appropriately.
C-6. Understands unsafe situations and asks for help.

CG-2. Children develop sharpness in sensorial perceptions.

C-7. Differentiates between shapes, colours, and their shades.
C-8. Develops visual memory for symbols and representations.
C-9. Differentiates sounds and sound patterns by their pitch, volume, and tempo.
C-10. Differentiates multiple smells and tastes.
C-11. Develops discrimination in the sense of touch.
C-12. Begins integrating sensorial perceptions to get a holistic awareness of their experiences.

CG-3. Children develop a fit and flexible body.

C-13. Shows coordination between sensorial perceptions and body movements in various activities.
C-14. Shows balance, coordination, and flexibility in various physical activities.
C-15. Shows precision and control in working with their hands and fingers.
C-16. Shows strength and endurance in carrying, walking, and running.

Socio

Socio-Emotional & Ethical — Competencies (goal-wise)

CG-4 to CG-6

CG-4. Children develop emotional intelligence, i.e., the ability to understand and manage their own emotions, and respond positively to social norms.

C-17. Starts recognising ‘self’ as an individual belonging to a family and community.
C-18. Recognises different emotions and makes deliberate efforts to regulate them appropriately.
C-19. Interacts comfortably with other children and adults.
C-20. Shows cooperative behaviour with other children.
C-21. Understands and responds positively to social norms in the classroom and school.
C-22. Shows kindness and helpfulness to others (including animals, plants) when they are in need.
C-23. Understands and responds positively to different thoughts, preferences, and emotional needs of other children.

CG-5. Children develop a positive attitude towards productive work and service or ‘Seva’.

C-24. Demonstrates willingness and participation in age-appropriate physical work towards helping others.

CG-6. Children develop a positive regard for the natural environment around them.

C-25. Shows care for and joy in engaging with all life forms.

Cognitive

Cognitive — Competencies (goal-wise)

CG-7 & CG-8

CG-7. Children make sense of the world around through observation and logical thinking.

C-26. Observes and understands different categories of objects and relationships between them.
C-27. Observes and understands cause and effect relationships in nature by forming simple hypothesis and uses observations to explain their hypothesis.
C-28. Uses appropriate tools and technology in daily life situations and for learning.

CG-8. Children develop mathematical understanding and abilities to recognise the world through quantities, shapes, and measures.

C-29. Sorts objects into groups and sub-groups based on more than one property.
C-30. Identifies and extends simple patterns in their surroundings, shapes, and numbers.
C-31. Counts up to 99, both forward and backward, and in groups of 10s and 20s.
C-32. Arranges numbers up to 99 in ascending and descending order.
C-33. Recognises and uses numerals to represent quantities up to 99 with the understanding of decimal place value system.
C-34. Performs addition and subtraction of 2-digit numbers fluently using flexible strategies of composition and decomposition.
C-35. Recognises multiplication as repeated addition and division as equal sharing.
C-36. Recognises basic geometric shapes and their observable properties.
C-37. Selects appropriate tools and units to perform simple measurements of length, weight, and volume of objects in their immediate environment.
C-38. Performs simple transactions using money up to INR 100.
C-39. Develops adequate and appropriate vocabulary for comprehending and expressing concepts and procedures related to quantities, shapes, space, and measurements.
C-40. Formulates and solves simple mathematical problems related to quantities, shapes, space, and measurements.

Language

Language & Literacy — Competencies (goal-wise)

CG-9 to CG-11

CG-9. Children develop effective communication skills for day-to-day interactions in two languages.

C-41. Listens to and appreciates simple songs, rhymes, and poems.
C-42. Creates simple songs and poems on their own.
C-43. Converses fluently and can hold a meaningful conversation.
C-44. Understands oral instructions for a complex task and gives clear oral instructions for the same to others.
C-45. Comprehends narrated/read-out stories and identifies characters, storyline, and what the author wants to say.
C-46. Narrates short stories with clear plot and characters.
C-47. Knows and uses enough words to carry out day-to-day interactions effectively and can guess meaning of new words by using existing vocabulary.

CG-10. Children develop fluency in reading and writing in Language 1.

C-48. Develops phonological awareness and blends phonemes/syllables into words and segments words into phonemes/syllables.
C-49. Understands basic structure/format of a book, idea of words in print and direction in which they are printed, and recognises basic punctuation marks.
C-50. Recognises all the letters of the alphabet (forms of akshara) of the script and uses this knowledge to read and write words.
C-51. Reads stories and passages with accuracy and fluency with appropriate pauses and voice modulation.
C-52. Reads short stories and comprehends its meaning – by identifying characters, storyline, and what the author wanted to say – on their own (L1).
C-53. Reads short poems and begins to appreciate the poem for its choice of words and imagination.
C-54. Reads and comprehends meaning of short news items, instructions and recipes, and publicity material.
C-55. Writes a paragraph to express their understanding and experiences.
C-56. Shows interest in picking up and reading a variety of children’s books.

CG-11. Children begin to read and write in Language 2.

C-57. Develops phonological awareness and are able to blend phonemes/syllables into words and segment words into phonemes/syllables (for Language 2).
C-58. Recognises most frequently occurring letters of the alphabet (forms of akshara) of the script and uses this knowledge to read and write simple words and sentences (in Language 2).

Note: Where Language 2 is unfamiliar, many competencies may be emergent by the end of the Foundational Stage and consolidated in the Preparatory Stage.

Aesthetic

Aesthetic & Cultural — Competencies (goal-wise)

CG-12

CG-12. Children develop abilities and sensibilities in visual and performing arts, and express their emotions through art in meaningful and joyful ways.

C-59. Explores and plays with a variety of materials and tools to create two- and three-dimensional artworks in varying sizes.
C-60. Explores and plays with own voice, body, spaces, and a variety of objects to create music, role play, dance and movement.
C-61. Innovates and works imaginatively to express a range of ideas and emotions through the arts.
C-62. Works collaboratively in the arts.
C-63. Communicates and appreciates a variety of responses while creating and experiencing different forms of art, local culture, and heritage.

Habits

Positive Learning Habits — Competencies (goal-wise)

CG-13

CG-13. Children develop habits of learning that allow them to engage actively in formal learning environments like a school classroom.

C-64. Attention and intentional action: Acquires skills to plan, focus attention, and direct activities to achieve specific goals.
C-65. Memory and mental flexibility: Develops adequate working memory, mental flexibility (to sustain or shift attention appropriately), and self-control (to resist impulsive actions or responses) that would assist them in learning in structured environments.
C-66. Observation, wonder, curiosity, and exploration: Observes minute details of objects, wonders and explores using various senses, tinkers with objects and asks questions.
C-67. Classroom norms: Adopts and follows norms with agency and understanding.

Source: Adapted from uploaded PDF ncf-curricular-goals-1.pdf

Curricular Goals of the Foundational Stage

National Curriculum Framework — Foundational Stage