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UKG · Balvatika 3 · ages 5–6

UKG syllabus: what children learn, term by term

By March, a typical UKG child reads 3-letter words and blends like sh and ch, reads short sentences, and adds and takes away within 10 with numbers to 100. Here is how most CBSE and English-medium schools get there, term by term, with a checklist and free ways to practise at home.

Check your child's UKG skills (free, 5 min)UKG worksheets

The UKG year, term by term

The Indian school year runs April to March. Each term builds on the one before, with revision along the way.

  1. Term 1: Apr–Jun

    Reading
    3-letter words: a and e families
    Grammar
    a and an
    Writing
    Small letters on four lines, spelling 3-letter words
    Numbers
    Revise 1–50; before, after, between; tens and ones; number names one to ten
    Shapes
    2D shapes revision

  2. Term 2: Jul–Sep

    Reading
    i, o and u families
    Grammar
    this and that, one and many, opposites
    Writing
    Copy and spell 3-letter words
    Numbers
    51–100; >, < and =; count back from 50; number names to twenty
    Thinking
    Patterns

  3. Term 3: Oct–Dec

    Reading
    Blends and digraphs: sh, ch, cl, cr, br, dr, tr, ee, oo
    Grammar
    these and those; in, on, under
    Writing
    Missing letters, mixed-up letters
    Numbers
    1–100; smallest to biggest and back; number names to thirty
    Adding
    Add within 10 with pictures, then sums across
    Shapes
    3D shapes: ball, box, can, cone

  4. Term 4: Jan–Mar

    Reading
    Read and match short sentences
    Grammar
    he and she, action words, naming words
    Writing
    Mixed-up sentences, writing about a picture
    Numbers
    Missing numbers to 100; number names to fifty
    Taking away
    Add in columns; take away within 10 with pictures and a number line
    Time
    Days and months; the clock to the hour

End of UKG checklist

What most children can do by the end of UKG. It's fine to be still practising some: children grow at different speeds.

Me and the world around me

  • Knows how to stay safe: say No, go away and tell a grown-up
  • Knows the weather and India's three seasons
  • Knows India's festivals and how people celebrate them
  • Knows how to save water, and what lives in water and air
  • Knows India's flag and national symbols

Thinking and memory

  • Listens carefully and follows instructions
  • Knows the days of the week and months of the year
  • Remembers big sets of pairs

Reading

  • Reads sight words, and chooses a or an and he or she
  • Reads short sentences and puts words in order to make one
  • Builds and reads 3-letter words with a and e (cat, hen)
  • Reads 3-letter words with i, o and u (pig, box, sun)
  • Reads short words and matches them to pictures
  • Knows the letter teams sh and ch

Numbers

  • Counts in tens to 100
  • Reads tens and ones
  • Tells which number is bigger and puts numbers in order
  • Knows numbers up to 100
  • Adds within 10
  • Takes away within 10
  • Reads and sets the clock at o'clock
  • Reads and sets half past
  • Pays an exact price and counts coins up to ₹20

Also taught in UKG, best practised on paper: story sums: adding and taking away in words, writing the days of the week and the months. The weekly UKG worksheets cover these.

Practise at home

Free UKG level check

About 5 minutes of spoken rounds. You see what your child can do and what to practise. No sign-up.

Weekly UKG worksheets

A new set every Monday that follows this term, with your child's name on every page. One sheet free each week.

Games with UKG levels

Questions parents ask

What is UKG called now?

NCERT's curriculum for ages 3 to 8 (NCF-FS 2022) calls the three pre-school years Balvatika 1, 2 and 3. UKG is Balvatika 3. Schools also call it KG 2 or Senior KG or Prep.

What age is UKG?

Most children are 5–6 years old in UKG. The school year runs from April to March.

Does every school teach the same UKG syllabus?

No. This is what most of the 28 school syllabi we read have in common, and schools put the topics in a different order. Some schools go further in UKG: numbers 101–200, story sums, counting in 2s, 5s and 10s, coins.

How can I tell if my child is on track for UKG?

Try the free 5-minute level check: your child plays a few spoken rounds, and you see which UKG skills they can already do and what to practise. No sign-up.

How we made this list

We read the published Nursery, LKG and UKG syllabi of 28 schools across India (DPS, Army Public Schools, Atomic Energy schools, DAV, Sunbeam and others, 2024 to 2027) and kept what most of them teach each term, on top of NCERT's foundational-stage guidance (NCF-FS 2022). The same list decides what our UKG worksheets, games and report card cover.