What is the difference between nursery and kindergarten?

By APTTI Educational Content · Updated 2026-10-10 · 2 min read

In India, nursery is usually the class for 3-year-olds, while kindergarten (KG) refers to LKG and UKG for 4 and 5-year-olds. Nursery focuses on settling, routines, talk and sensory play; kindergarten adds early phonics, counting and pre-writing. Elsewhere the words vary: in the UK, nursery is for 3 to 4 and Reception follows; in the Gulf, KG1 and KG2 are the two years before Grade 1.

What this means in practice

The word 'kindergarten' (German for 'children's garden') was coined by Friedrich Froebel, who gave the name to his school for young children in Bad Blankenburg, Germany, in 1840.

Typical Indian sequence

Play group or pre-nursery: about 2 to 3
Nursery: about 3 to 4
LKG (KG1): about 4 to 5
UKG (KG2): about 5 to 6
Class 1: about 6

For teachers

Training in pre-primary, NTT, Montessori or ECCE covers both nursery and kindergarten.

Why names vary so much

Different school systems grew from different traditions: British nurseries, Froebel's German kindergartens, American kindergarten as a school year, and India's adoption of LKG and UKG. Today, schools in the same city may use different names for similar ages. When you change schools or countries, ask for the age range of the class rather than relying on its name, and plan activities for the children's actual age.

Practical next steps

Learn the class names used where you will teach.
Adjust activities to each age.
Read age-wise milestones.

ExampleSaira moved from a Delhi nursery class to KG1 in a Doha school and found the content very similar to LKG.

What to keep in mind: Ages vary by state, board and country.

Common follow-up questions

Is UKG part of kindergarten?

Yes, UKG is the upper kindergarten year.

Who started kindergarten?

Friedrich Froebel, who named his school in Germany a kindergarten in 1840.

Sources

Course facts from APTTI's published course pages, checked 10 October 2026. Editorial policy.