What are the pre-primary classes: nursery, LKG and UKG?

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

Nursery, LKG (Lower Kindergarten) and UKG (Upper Kindergarten) are the three pre-primary classes in most Indian schools. Nursery is usually for 3-year-olds, LKG for 4-year-olds and UKG for 5-year-olds, after which the child joins Class 1. Together they are the pre-school years of NEP 2020's foundational stage.

What this means in practice

Each year builds on the last: nursery focuses on settling, routines and talk; LKG adds letter sounds, counting and fine-motor work; UKG prepares children for reading, writing and number work in Class 1.

What a teacher does in each class

Nursery: separation support, songs, sensory play, toileting and self-help routines
LKG: phonics games, matching and sorting, tracing, number rhymes
UKG: blending sounds, simple sentences, numbers to 20 and beyond, group projects and school readiness

Equivalents abroad

In UAE and Qatar schools these are often FS1/FS2 or KG1/KG2; in British-curriculum schools, Nursery and Reception; in Kenya, PP1 and PP2.

A sample week in each class

In nursery, a 'fruits' week might mean tasting, touching and naming fruits, singing a fruit song and printing with cut vegetables. In LKG, the same theme adds the sound of each fruit's first letter, counting fruits into baskets and tracing simple shapes. In UKG, children might read short fruit words, make a class chart of favourite fruits, compare 'more' and 'fewer', and write a fruit name with support. The topic stays the same, but expectations rise each year. Seeing this progression helps new teachers avoid both under-challenging older children and pushing younger ones too fast.

Pre-primary classes around the world

Pre-primary classes act as a bridge between home or play group and primary school, usually for children of 3 to 6. Their names and structure vary: nursery, pre-KG, LKG and UKG in India; FS1, FS2, KG1 and KG2 in the Gulf; PP1 and PP2 in Kenya; KG1 and KG2 in Ghana; Reception in British-curriculum schools; Grade R in South Africa. They are run by schools, community centres, day-care providers and government programmes such as India's anganwadis and Balvatika classes.

Practical next steps

Learn the class names used by the school you are applying to.
Prepare one sample activity for each class for interviews.
Study age-wise expectations in the NCF-FS.

ExampleArjun's school in Hyderabad gave him a UKG class. He plans a weekly phonics sound, a counting game each day and a short 'show and tell' to build speaking confidence.

What to keep in mind: Avoid treating UKG as 'mini Class 1' with heavy homework. The NCF-FS recommends play-based learning throughout these years.

Common follow-up questions

Is pre-KG the same as nursery?

Usually yes; some schools also have a play group below nursery.

Which training covers nursery, LKG and UKG?

Pre-primary, nursery (NTT), Montessori and ECCE training all cover these classes.

Sources

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