Prayagraj: Music and art are being integrated into the curriculum from the primary grades in Uttar Pradesh’s basic education schools, with Class 1 students in state council-run schools set to receive a dedicated art textbook for the first time.Anil Kumar, Basic Shiksha Adhikari, Prayagraj, said that from the new academic session beginning in June, the book will become a compulsory part of every Class 1 student’s schoolbag.The textbook, titled “Kislay”, has been dispatched by the State Council of Educational Research and Training, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow.The book contains 27 chapters and is designed to introduce children to artistic and musical learning through age-appropriate activities.Kumar said the content aims to match the simplicity and curiosity of young learners, with visually engaging illustrations and easy, intuitive poems intended to connect with children’s sensibilities.One of the poems encourages movement and participation, with lines such as: “Sway and dance, have some fun, wave your little hands, everyone! Move them up and down, spin them round, move your little feet across the ground! Make some noise, dance and sing…”.Along with poems, the textbook includes exercises that ask children to colour unfinished illustrations and complete images through guided tasks.Activities are aimed at engaging multiple sensory skills and include print-making, identifying art materials, recognising geometric shapes and colours, basic sketching and finger-painting, where children complete pictures by applying paint with their fingers.To support vocational education objectives, craftwork has also been incorporated.The module includes tasks such as completing illustrations by pasting coloured paper or fabric scraps, finishing pictures by sticking twine or wool with adhesive, and clay modelling exercises like rolling clay pellets to form numbers or shapes. The book also features activities where students complete illustrations by arranging elements in ascending or descending order.Officials said the initiative is intended to provide an early foundation in creativity, expression and hands-on learning within the basic education framework.
