CBSE Foundational Stage Learning Outcomes: An In-Depth Educator’s Primer with Practical Tools
- Teachers
- September 4, 2025
CBSE has recently released an updated Learning Outcomes document for the Foundational Stage, marking a shift away from subject-based silos toward a more holistic approach to child development. It’s not just about literacy and numeracy anymore—it’s about nurturing physical, emotional, cognitive, creative, and behavioural growth in children aged 3–8.
The Five Developmental Domains mentioned in the NEP need to be broken down into daily classroom habits for both teachers and learners.
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Domain
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What It Looks Like in Classrooms
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Physical & Motor Development
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Yoga, free play, hand-eye coordination games, hygiene routines
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Socio-emotional & Ethical
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Circle time, role-play, kindness charts, peer collaboration
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Cognitive Development
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Sorting activities, puzzles, cause-and-effect experiments, and early coding blocks
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Aesthetic & Cultural
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Drawing, singing, storytelling from diverse cultures, and folk dances
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Learning Habits
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Daily routines, mindfulness moments, curiosity-led exploration, memory games
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CBSE’s foundational stage framework outlines 13 curricular goals, over 69 competencies, and numerous granular learning outcomes. When these curricular goals are meaningfully addressed in classroom practice, they strengthen the related competencies, which are then reflected in the achievement of specific learning outcomes. This tiered structure ensures that children’s developmental progression is visible and measurable from preschool through Grade 2.
Reflection of Learning Outcomes in the Early Steps Preprimary Series
Domain: Physical & Motor Development:
C-1: Shows a liking for and understanding of nutritious food and does not waste food
In Early Steps, the lesson on healthy food highlights several food items that are beneficial and should be included in a daily diet. Students learn about the importance of healthy eating and the value of food. They learn to limit consumption of junk food.
Suggestion: Schools should make it mandatory for students to carry healthy food. Snacks must contain a portion of fruit.
C-2: Practice basic self-care and hygiene
Health habits, safe movement, hygiene, balance, precision, and endurance.
- Role-plays, stories, open-ended questions, and songs play a crucial role in making these concepts a habit.
- Precision in movements is required both in the classroom (formation of numbers/letters/colouring) and outdoors (games, walking, running, target-oriented activities)
Suggestion: Zig-zag Walk, walking on beams, running in straight lines, and throwing balls in a basket are some activities that will develop precision. To build endurance, students should practice yoga and regular sports activities.
Domain: Socio-emotional and Ethical Development
C-4.1: Starts recognising self as an individual belonging to a family and community
The concept of family aligns with the theme of ‘Myself’. First, the child learns to identify themselves as a boy or a girl, and becomes aware of their own body. Gradually, the child looks beyond themselves and begins to understand that they are part of a family. It is within the family that children grow, develop, and learn values that shape their early experiences.
Suggestion: Before discussing the family in the book, encourage students to talk about their own families, including family members, their roles and responsibilities, the division of labour, and the time they spend together.
C-4.6: Shows kindness and helpfulness to others (including animals and plants) when they are in need.
Stories play a vital role in nurturing values such as empathy and kindness. The stories included in the Early Steps Preprimary Series offer teachers opportunities to highlight these core values and guide children in naturally developing them.
Suggestion: Asking children ‘What if…?’ questions encourages them to think deeply, imagine consequences, and understand values more meaningfully. For example, ‘What if no one shared their toys?’ or ‘What if we always helped each other?’ helps children reflect, connect emotionally, and internalise the value.
C-6.1: Shows care for and joy in engaging with all lifeforms
By nature, children are caring and compassionate. The stories and chapters in the Early Steps nurture these qualities and guide them to live by these values.
Suggestion: Taking students on nature walks, neighbourhood walks, and visits to farms or old-age homes helps nurture values of caring and compassion.
C-12.3: Innovates and works imaginatively to express ideas and emotions through the arts
Art plays a vital role in a child’s life. It not only helps develop motor, sensory, visual-perceptual, and creative skills but also provides an outlet for emotions while fostering focus, patience, and concentration.
Suggestions: Encourage students to explore different materials and media to express themselves through dance, songs, and drawing.
Domain: Cognitive Development
C-8.1: Sorts objects into groups and sub-groups based on more than one property
Students should have a basic perception of objects and their properties to sort them into groups.
Suggestion: Begin with simple materials, such as blocks and beads, and then gradually progress to natural objects like leaves, pebbles, and various textures. This type of experiential learning greatly supports children in their efforts to understand the book’s pages.
C-8.2: Identifies and extends simple patterns in their surroundings, shapes and numbers
Observing patterns strengthens logical thinking, sequencing, and problem-solving skills. Early exposure to patterns lays a foundation for understanding numbers, shapes, symmetry, and operations, and supports skills such as sorting, classifying, and comparing. Noticing patterns sharpens visual discrimination, attention to detail, and focus. Patterns inspire art, music, and movement.
Suggestion: Patterns are all around us, and teachers should encourage students to observe them. Point out examples such as the feathers of a peacock, the stripes on a squirrel’s back, the veins of leaves, the tiles in a room, or the designs on clothes. Slowly bring their attention to patterns in music, dance, and art as well.
C-8.3: Counts up to 99 both forwards and backwards and in groups of 10s and 20s
The first step is to help children count numbers in sequence, both forwards and backwards. Mastery of this skill lays the foundation for performing other mathematical functions more easily, such as identifying numbers before, after, or between, skip counting, addition, subtraction, and finding missing numbers.
Suggestion: Use a horizontal number chart and help students read numbers in sequence. Then introduce counting by 10s (10, 20, 30…) and patterns such as 1, 11, 22, 33 or 1, 12, 23, 34. Encourage students to visualise the numbers, as this helps them develop a strong number sense and prepares them for more complex mathematical operations.
C-8.6: Performs addition and subtraction of 2-digit numbers fluently using flexible strategies of composition and decomposition
Keeping the age of the children in mind, addition and subtraction with single digits are introduced, both with and without pictures. This foundational understanding not only strengthens their number sense but also helps them handle practical tasks such as money transactions and other everyday calculations.
Suggestion: Begin slowly with concrete objects such as beads, blocks, strings, leaves, or pencils, allowing children to manipulate and explore them. Once they are comfortable, gradually transition to working with numbers. Keep questioning: You brought two idlis, you ate one idli, how many idlis are there in your box?
C-8.8: Recognises basic geometric shapes and their observable properties
Recognising and comparing shapes strengthens visual discrimination, classification, and analytical thinking. Shapes are a precursor to geometry, measurement, patterns, symmetry, and spatial reasoning. Knowing shapes helps children navigate space, understand positions, and solve puzzles. Shapes form the foundation for drawing, design, and imaginative play.
Suggestion: Begin with 3D shapes, then transition to 2D shapes. Encourage students to identify and observe shapes in their surroundings.
C-8.10: Performs simple measurements of time in minutes, hours, days, weeks and months
Understanding the concept of time and the calendar helps children comprehend schedules, routines, and tasks with specific deadlines. Understanding weeks and months helps children relate to events (birthdays, festivals, school terms). Children learn to read clocks, calendars, timetables, and schedules.
Suggestion: Introduce the concept of time by bringing a big clock to the classroom. Let children see and understand the change in time. Connect this to the parts of the day: morning, afternoon, evening and night. Continue with days, weeks, months and then a year. Encourage students to read the calendar and identify the day corresponding to a given date, and vice versa.
Language 2 (English) Learning Outcomes
C-9.1: Listens to and appreciates simple songs, rhymes and poems
Stories and songs certainly help develop morals, but their primary function is to build vocabulary and language skills. Every rhyme and song has a story behind it. Sharing that background with students helps them comprehend and connect with what they are learning.
Suggestions: Let students listen carefully to the words instead of only repeating in chorus. Ensure they understand what they are saying, so the rhyme is meaningful, not just a chant. Use story cards to make the narration interactive. Allow children to identify characters and describe them in their own words. Encourage students to sequence story pictures to weave their own storyline. This way, students not only enjoy songs and stories but also strengthen comprehension, vocabulary, creativity, and expression.
C-11.1: Develops phonological awareness and can blend phonemes/ syllables into words and segment words into phonemes/ syllables
Early Steps Preprimary Series follows the phonics method. Children first learn the sounds of letters, then progress to blending two letters. Gradually, they progress to reading CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant) and then complete sentences. To support fluent reading, sight words are introduced, enabling children to read more sentences with ease. The book utilises pictures to teach letter sounds, making learning a fun and engaging experience.
Suggestions: Let children listen to the sounds of letters many times until they become familiar and confident. Use the book to say as many words as possible beginning with the given sound. Encourage students to name everyday objects starting with a particular letter. Once sounds are mastered, guide children in blending two letters and gradually move to CVC words. This step-by-step method helps children build a strong foundation in reading, vocabulary, and comprehension.
To Sum Up
The CBSE Foundational Stage framework encourages us to look beyond subjects and focus on the whole child—physically, emotionally, cognitively, socially, and creatively. With structured goals, competencies, and learning outcomes, teachers can bring these domains into daily classroom practices that are engaging, meaningful, and measurable.
By embedding simple yet powerful strategies—such as story cards, real-life problem questions, hands-on activities, environmental patterns, clocks, calendars, and phonics games—learning becomes concrete, relatable, and enjoyable.
In essence, this framework is not an additional burden; it is an invitation to bring classrooms to life. When teachers consistently embed these practices, children not only achieve the intended outcomes but also grow into curious, confident, and compassionate learners.
Explore More About Early Steps Preprimary Series
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