About Nidhi
Nidhi Sharma is a trained Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) educator who specialises in pre-primary education. She joined the school as an ECCE educator in June 2025, under the newly launched programme by the Department of Basic Education, Uttar Pradesh. This programme aims to provide focused attention towards preparing young children for formal schooling She teaches a class of about 15 children, aged 5–6 years, with sessions held from 9AM to 1PM.
Q1. In your experience, what do you think is most important when engaging with young children?
For me, the most important thing is to understand how young children learn. Children notice every small action, so a teacher must always show what she wants them to do. If I greet them with a smile, they greet me the same way. When I show them how to fold a mat or wash their hands, they quickly follow.
The second thing is to stay calm and patient. If I speak softly, children listen and try again. If I get angry, they become quiet or scared. I have seen that love and steady words work faster than scolding. Even when a child makes a mistake, I explain again till they understand.
Third is to maintain a daily routine. Small children like knowing what comes next – singing, stories, play, or snack time. These fixed steps give them comfort and help them settle in. When the day runs smoothly, they feel safe and enjoy learning.
Q2. What are the two to three most essential skills that prepare children for school?
For school success, children need to be able to listen carefully, talk clearly, and share with a group of people. They need to start identifying letters and linking sounds to known pictures or stories. Similarly, paying attention to numbers, shapes, and colors around them while grasping basic concepts such as ‘big’ and ‘small’ lays the foundation for early mental development. No less important are social-emotional skills: playing together, sharing, taking turn,s and coping with their emotions in small but significant steps.
Q3. Which games or activities have you found most effective in helping children learn while having fun?
I use activities that keep every child moving and thinking. One of my children’s favourite activities is the ’fruit game’. In this, each child becomes a fruit, such as an Apple, Banana, or Mango. When I beat the tambourine (dafli), children move in a circle. As I stop, I ask them which fruit they are, and they convey their answers through the colour or taste of it. The room fills with laughter whenever someone forgets or muddles something.
We also play ‘Focus Focus Sabka Focus’. Whenever children get distracted and start chatting more in the classroom, I say this phrase aloud, and they all look at me and smile, pausing whatever they are doing. It helps them return to the classroom quickly. I learnt this in our training. Short signals like this make class lively and easy to manage.
Sometimes, we also play ‘passing the ball, number toss, or musical chairs.’ During these games, children count and wait patiently for their turn. As a part of these, I also use rhymes with actions — clapping, hopping, or touching colours around them. Even the shy ones slowly join in when they see others laughing.
Q4. Reflecting on the role of training, how has it shaped the way you teach and engage with children in your classroom today?
Our training helped us see how children grow in many ways across language and thinking, emotions, creativity, and movement. It taught us the importance of play and how it connects all these crucial aspects in a child’s learning journey.
Through training, I understood that when children play with interest, they learn faster and remember longer. It also taught me simple planning methods and the use of the one-page lesson plans, which makes everyday activities easy to prepare and follow. Most of all, it reminded me that every child learns at their own pace and we must guide them with patience.
Q5. In your experience, what do you think helps children learn and remember better in class?
There are a few principles I follow that help children learn better:
The first is doing things repeatedly. With small children, learning takes time. When we repeat a rhyme every day or count objects together, they start remembering themselves. I also prefer to show things by doing it myself. If I match colours or numbers, they copy and get it right the next time. Repetition makes learning easy and natural for children.
Another important thing is encouragement. When I clap or say very good, they smile and try again. Slowly, they begin to cheer for each other too. If one child forgets, another helps or reminds them. This way, they learn together and feel proud of helping a friend. A few soft words of praise make the whole class more active and confident.
Lastly, I also connect lessons with small things around us. We count bangles, pick and name colours from clothes and talk about vegetables in their lunch box. When learning comes from their own world, they remember better.
Q6. How have you seen children grow or change over time through regular play and learning?
Earlier, many children did not pay attention or wanted to go home early. Now, they come to class excited. As soon as I arrive, they greet me and start arranging mats on their own. They listen carefully and get ready for the day’s activity without being told, making the class more focused and lively. I have also noticed their memory and attention improving. When I begin a rhyme, they complete the next line on their own. They now remember colors, count better, and listen before speaking.
Lastly, I also see the children getting along better.. Earlier, some often fought and cried easily. Now, they share toys and take turns to play. When someone falls, another helps them up. This has definitely made the classroom environment happier and more settled.
Q7. What are some of the challenges that you face when engaging with children in this age group?
Keeping children attentive in the classroom is the hardest part, I feel. They often lose focus quickly, which is why I plan short and active sessions to keep them present. While some children understand new things right away, others need more time and repetition. Hence, I repeat games or change them slightly every now and then so that everyone can join in.
Working with limited materials can also be a challenge sometimes. However, I try to use what is available and create my own material for engagement. Even with these hurdles, seeing children enjoy and learn through play makes the effort worthwhile.
Q8. In your opinion, what are some of the little things that parents can do each day to make learning enjoyable for children?
I tell parents to keep a calm and loving atmosphere for children at home. Children copy what they see. If you speak softly, they learn softness. If you shout, they learn to shout. Whatever parents do becomes a child’s habit, which is why it is very important to guide them with patience.
I also ask parents to include learning in daily household work/activities. I encourage them to count spoons or bangles, name vegetables while cooking, or talk about colours and clothes, while engaging with children. Even while walking outside, they can point out things like cars, trees, or animals and ask questions. These small activities together make children think and learn actively.
Lastly, parents do not need extra time for their children’s learning. When they notice and involve children in small, day-to-day activities, learning becomes part of everyday life and not something separate from it.
