Beyond school syllabi: Curiosity and care in early years |
The early years are not a rehearsal for “real school”; they are school. Drawing on classical and contemporary thought from Tagore, Froebel, Gijubhai Badheka, and Piaget to recent neuroscience, this essay argues for a child-centred, movement-rich, curiosity-driven approach to early childhood education in India. It proposes the Panchakosha framework as a culturally rooted way to connect brain science with holistic pedagogy and offers practical principles for classrooms and homes. The goal is not to produce compliant children but to nurture capable, compassionate learners who inquire, can regulate emotion, and act to different situations with sensitivity in a plural society.
If we want children to grow into strong and thoughtful adults, we must first respect their world and experiences. They are not empty cups to be filled with information but active learners who make sense of life through their bodies, emotions, and language. When we nurture their curiosity, allow them to move freely, and give them small choices, it shapes not just their memory but also their brain development and sense of self. On the other hand, keeping children passive through too much screen time, rigid rules, and limited play dulls their wonder and weakens their motivation. A meaningful early childhood curriculum, therefore, should bring together what science tells us about brain growth, what educational traditions teach us about play and freedom, and what the Indian idea of Panchakosha shows us about growth across body, energy, emotions, thought, and joy.
The early years of a child’s life are very important for their growth. The way we talk to them, the activities we encourage, and the respect we show for their questions are all part of how they learn and develop.
Neuroscience does not give teachers a rulebook, but it does give us important insights. In early childhood, the brain is incredibly flexible. Neural connections grow quickly with meaningful stimulation and fade when unused. Simple back-and-forth interactions help children develop language, self-control, and social skills. Sharing stories, songs, and moments of attention is real brain food. On the other hand, monotony, neglect, and too much unsupervised screen time reduce curiosity and weaken attention. The lesson here is not that technology is always harmful, but that children need people more than they need programs.
Movement is also part of learning. A classroom that forces children to sit still misunderstands how their minds grow. When children hop while counting, clap rhythms to learn words, or act out a story with their bodies, they connect movement, language, and memory. The body is not just a carrier for the brain—it is the brain’s first school. Physical play helps transform abstract ideas into real, felt........