Early childhood education professionals in Uzbekistan are embracing a more playful approach to learning!
From August 26 to 30, 2024, International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) delivered an intensive 5-day training focused on socio-emotional skills, early literacy, and numeracy to 31 preschool methodologists (master trainers). These trainers will now pass on their knowledge to over 100,000 preschool teachers across the country, ensuring that the play-based approach reaches every corner of Uzbekistan’s early education system.
The training centred on three key modules from the newly developed Preschool Curriculum Package created by ICDI: social and emotional development, literacy and language skills, and numeracy and cognitive abilities. This initiative is part of the ‘Promoting Early Childhood Development Project,’ funded by the World Bank Group and commissioned by the Ministry of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
To deepen their learning experience, participants visited a public kindergarten, observing practical teaching methods through the lens of guiding questions provided by ICDI trainers. Throughout the week, they engaged in the same playful activities preschool children will experience once the new curriculum is rolled out. Participants crafted their own books, read aloud and acted out fairy tales, sang songs, and built houses from playdough and sticks. These hands-on exercises demonstrated the power of play-based learning in fostering creativity and holistic development.
This is not the first collaboration between ICDI and Uzbekistan. Between 2022 and 2024, ICDI partnered with the Agency of Preschool Education under the Ministry of Education to develop a curriculum package for community-based early learning playgroups. The initiative included training, mentoring, and ongoing implementation support, further strengthening the foundation for early childhood education across the country.
