CCEED Brochure_14-07-17

PRE-SCHOOL KIT (PSK)

Recommended list of play and learning materials

CONTENT

Introduction 3
Guidelines Regarding Pre-School Kit 4
Recommended List of Play and Learning Materials for Pre-School Kit (PSK) 5
Four Activity Corners 8

PHOTO CREDITS: UNICEF West Bengal, Department of Women & Child Development and Social Welfare, Vikramshila
Education Resource Society (VERS), Kolkata Pragat Shikshan Sanstha, Phaltan, Maharashtra, Quality Education Support Trust
(QUEST), Maharashtra.

DISCLAIMER:This document has been prepared by Centre for Early Childhood Education and Development (CECED),Ambedkar
University Delhi for Pre-school/Anganwadi programme managers. It is not a Government document.

2

INTRODUCTION

In developmentally appropriate Early Childhood
Education (ECE) programme, the presence
of play and learning materials have a very
important role. Children in early childhood learn
through play and through interacting with their
immediate environment. We can make their
environment stimulating by providing a range of
developmentally appropriate play and learning
materials to encourage inquisitiveness,imagination
and promote a sound foundation for learning.
Availability and accessibility to variety of materials
can support the child’s holistic development
which involves physical and motor skills, cognitive
skills, language and communication skills, socio-
emotional development and creativity.

Given the importance of play and play materials,
ICDS has made a provision in the Anganwadi
for a Pre-school kit. In this context, CECED has
collated and prepared a comprehensive list of
recommended play and learning materials for a
preschool kit for 3-6 year olds. The list has been
prepared by reviewing the ‘Early Stimulation
Package’ developed by CECED and also by
reviewing the fIndings of longitudinal research
study on ‘Indian Early Childhood Education
Impact Study’.

3

Guidelines regarding
Preschool Kit

ƒƒ Multi-purpose and multi-domain to foster ƒƒ Posters and conversation charts should be placed at the
holistic development — all domains such as eye level of children
sensory, fine and gross motor, cognitive, social,
emotional, personal, and creativity need to be ƒƒ Adequate quantity and variety of developmentally and
fostered. contextually appropriate play and learning material should
be available so that children get opportunity to play in an
ƒƒ Safe for children (Non-toxic material and individual/group situation. However, the material should not
colours, smooth edges and large enough to be too less in numbers to prevent all children from playing
prevent swallowing) or too much that prevents children from learning to share,
cooperate and wait for their turn.
ƒƒ Durable and sturdy
ƒƒ Play and learning material should be easily accessible to
ƒƒ Culturally and environmentally appropriate children so that they can use and choose the material
during free play and individual activities. They should be
ƒƒ Balanced to equip different activity corners encouraged and expected to put back the material as part
of their routine.
ƒƒ Teachers/Anganwadi workers need to train in
appropriate use of materials cost as well as
development of low cost materials

Note: since there may be
constraints due to finance,
it would be necessary to
prioritise.The materials
have therefore been also
categorised in terms of
different kinds of activities
to ensure that the materials
procured have a balance in
terms of supporting different

4 activities.

Recommended list of play
and learning materials
for Pre–school Kit (PSK)

This document is intended to provide guidance in selecting appropriate play and learning materials that support
holistic child development and early learning. Play and learning materials for ECCE can be categorised as follows:
1. Material to be procured from Market
2. Material which can be prepared by Teacher/Anganwadi worker during training or on their own
3. Locally available low cost or no cost material in the environment

5

1. Material to be procured from Market

ƒƒ Building block set (basic shapes that vary in colour, size
and thickness)

ƒƒ Colourful beads and wires
ƒƒ Modeling materials (e.g., dough, clay etc.)
ƒƒ Lacing board
ƒƒ Balls of varying sizes
ƒƒ Simple Puzzles (e.g., Jigsaw puzzle, colour puzzle, body

parts puzzle and shape puzzle etc.)
ƒƒ Magnifying glass
ƒƒ Magnets of varying strength
ƒƒ Dot and Number dominoes
ƒƒ Alphabet and number cards
ƒƒ Picture cards or Flash cards
ƒƒ Picture books with one or two text lines
ƒƒ Story books
ƒƒ Dhapli or small drum
ƒƒ Picture conversation chart
ƒƒ Soft toys (e.g., Dolls etc.)
ƒƒ Kitchen set
ƒƒ Doctor set
ƒƒ Plastic fruits and vegetables
ƒƒ Plastic balance scale
ƒƒ Measuring cups of various sizes
ƒƒ Variety of containers (e.g., bowls, buckets, jugs etc.)
ƒƒ Variety of tools (e.g., spoons, funnels, measuring spoons/

cups, paint brushes etc.)
ƒƒ Variety of paper (newsprint, glazed, recycled paper etc.)
ƒƒ Crayons, markers, coloured pencils, coloured chalk

Paste, glue, tape
ƒƒ Ropes
ƒƒ Blunt scissors
ƒƒ Mats

6

2. Material which can be prepared by Teacher/
Anganwadi worker during training or on their own

ƒƒ Soft cloth balls (vary in colour and size) ƒƒ Self-corrective puzzles

ƒƒ Counters (vary in colour and size) ƒƒ Puppets

ƒƒ Pattern completion cards ƒƒ Maze

3. L ocally available low cost or
no cost material in the environment

ƒƒ Old and clean clothes ƒƒ Wooden toys
ƒƒ Bottle caps ƒƒ Coconut shells
ƒƒ Old tyres ƒƒ Used Paper
ƒƒ Plastic bottles

Puppets Plastic Bottles

7

FOUR ACTIVITY CORNERS

1. Pretend Play/Imaginative Play Corner

This corner helps in promoting imaginative play, language development, dramatization and socialization among
children.You can plan this corner with variety of materials such as soft toys, old clothes, kitchen set, toy vegetables
and fruits etc.

Materials for pretend/ Kitchen set
imaginative play

Weighing scale

8 Note: The IECEI study, (CECED, 2014) has identified free play in supervised settings as key important contributor to children’s learning.The activity corners
enable children to engage in free and creative play of their choice.

2.A rt And Craft
Corner

This corner provides variety of
opportunities to children for
exploration and developing fine
motor skills. You can plan this
corner with materials such as safe
slates, chalk, paper, crayons, paint,
clay, sandpit blunt scissors etc.

Materials for pretend/
imaginative play

Clay

Coloured paper pieces 9

3. Picture Book Corner

A reading corner with attractively displayed picture books and story books with graded quantity of texts.This helps to
develop bond with books and generate interest in reading.

10

4. Construction/Manipulative Play Corner

This corner promotes cognitive skills such as concept of shape, size, color, sequential thinking and pattern making.You can
arrange this corner with materials such as beads puzzles, building blocks, maze, dominoes, picture cards etc.

materials for construction and manipulative play

Beads Building Blocks Puzzles 11