CHENNAI: A novel initiative seeking to reduce the load of books carried by kindergarten students titled `Tiny Tots Do It Yourself Kit for Kindergarten Teachers' was launched here recently.

Pages for Ages Publishers, part of the Chennai-based textbook publishing house Manoj Prakashan, has brought out the kit that emphasises activity-based learning with flash cards and creative learning material. Teachers could put together material following the instructions in their handbooks or add colour to their teaching with charts.

The challenge of early childhood education lay in the lack of a defined curriculum or guidelines, said N. Lalitha, former Early Childhood Education State Co-ordinator for Tamil Nadu.

She said children needed to learn about their environment through activity and pointed to the need for teacher training.

Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy, Dean and Director, PSBB Group of Schools, Chennai, urged teachers to be creative, as children liked role-play and fantasy.

She asked the publishing group to include more flash cards about local customs and festivals.

Mohammed, Education Officer, Chennai Corporation, was given a copy of the kit. The authorities would scrutinise the material and decide if it was suitable for Corporation schools, he said.

More information is available at www.pages4ages.com

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