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The New Activity School The New Activity School Est. 1953 · near Kemps Corner

We Learn While We Play

Play is how childhood thinks.

NAS has carried this promise since 1953: children learn through activity, stories, movement, art, language, relationships and joyful routines.

Founded 1953 Guided play Whole child Growth over grades
A child concentrating on a wooden block structureIllustrative image
Play carries language, movement, imagination, problem-solving and confidence.
01 Founded 1953
02 Guided play
03 Whole child
04 Growth over grades

The NAS Promise

Play carries serious learning.

Children learn by touching, imagining, moving, making, sharing and growing in real moments.

01

Touch

Concrete thinking

Children understand ideas by handling real things.

02

Imagine

Language and memory

Stories and pretend play build inner worlds.

03

Move

Rhythm and regulation

Bodies help children learn space, energy and attention.

04

Make

Visible thinking

Art shows what children notice and feel.

05

Share

Belonging

Group play teaches trust, turn-taking and repair.

06

Grow

Evidence

Teachers see readiness in real classroom moments.

Philosophy

What the promise means in practice.

The NAS promise keeps the early years human. It protects joy while still asking teachers to be intentional, observant and clear about growth.

Children lead with curiosity.

Teachers notice the idea inside the play and help it become richer without taking over.

Adults guide with intention.

A question, story, word, rhythm or material can deepen learning at the right moment.

Growth is seen in real life.

Confidence, language, independence, empathy and attention appear in everyday classroom moments.

Stories

Children build language, memory, imagination and listening through shared story worlds.

Movement

Bodies help children learn rhythm, space, regulation, coordination and confidence.

Materials

Hands-on work makes patterns, number, texture, sequence and cause-effect visible.

Children’s hands exploring shells, seed pods and wooden rings on clothIllustrative image
Children learn by touching, repeating, pretending and asking.
A teacher and two children working on a wooden construction togetherIllustrative image
Relationships are part of the curriculum.
A keepsake box, pebbles and a wooden block on a sunlit tableIllustrative image
A South Mumbai school with a long early-years memory.

Next Step

See how play becomes readiness.

The curriculum page shows how NAS turns play into learning, from a first safe room to the year before Class 1.

Explore curriculum