Early Childhood Education (ECE) in India is at a critical stage, with key policy developments, including the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (NCFFS) 2022.Globally, play-based pedagogy is supported as an effective method for promoting cognitive development, but there is limited evidence regarding Indian preschool settings.This study examines the play-based teaching strategies that contribute to cognitive development among children aged 3-6 years in rural and urban preschools in Haryana and the Delhi NCR.Through pre-and post-intervention cognitive tests of 120 children, a structured, play-based intervention lasting 8 weeks was conducted and evaluated.Children in play-based classrooms outperformed their traditional peers on all cognitive tests of memory, problem-solving, language, and attention-subsequent analysis of this success.The outcomes strengthen Vygotskian socio-cultural theory and Piagetian constructivism.They are crucial for teacher training and curricular development, as well as forimplementing the ECCE components of NEP 2020 in Indian early learning settings.
Ceema et al. (Thu,) studied this question.