The neighbourhood was our second classroom. We played in lanes, courtyards, and open grounds. We mixed with children of all ages. We were watched over not just by parents, but by neighbours and grandparents.
Our cities have changed.
For many children in urban India today, that landscape looks very different.
They grow up in apartments and high-rises. Open spaces are smaller and shared by many. Parents work longer hours and commute further. Families are nuclear, with grandparents and extended family often living far away. And screens quietly fill the gaps that open play and large families once filled.
This isn’t anyone’s fault. Cities grow and families adapt. But children’s developmental needs haven’t changed with the skyline.
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What this means for young children
The first six years are built on movement, play, conversation, and warm relationships. When those become limited, we start to see subtle shifts:
1. Physical development: Less running, climbing and jumping means fewer natural opportunities to build strength, balance and coordination.
2. Social confidence: Fewer unstructured hours with other children means fewer chances to practice the real skills of childhood — sharing, waiting, negotiating, and making up after a quarrel.
3. Language: A child who spends more time with a screen than in conversation hears and uses fewer words. This is general and reasonable as observed in classrooms, and research supports it — for example, studies reviewed by the American Academy of Pediatrics note that rich, responsive back-and-forth conversation, not passive screen exposure, is what drives early language development. If you want it to carry more weight on LinkedIn, you can add one line like: A study in JAMA Pediatrics (Madigan et al., 2020) found that higher screen time at 24 months was associated with lower language scores at 36 months.
4. Emotional development: With less time around people of different ages, children get fewer chances to understand, name, and manage their feelings.
These are not inevitable outcomes for every child. They are risks we can notice early and work together to reduce.should provide a clean, secure and welcoming environment where children feel comfortable and happy. Check the classrooms, play areas, safety measures and hygiene standards before making your decision.
What a good preschool can do today
A preschool today has a bigger role than it did a generation ago. It has to bring back, intentionally, much of what the lane and courtyard once gave naturally.
At Sandipani, that means four non-negotiables in our day:
Daily, planned outdoor play and movement — not as a break, but as learning.
Group play that teaches turn-taking, cooperation and conflict resolution.
Rich stories and conversations, so children hear and use language that stretches them.
Teachers who know each child deeply and become that warm, steady adult.
This is the heart of our philosophy of Education through Recreation — play with a purpose, where puzzles, stories, music and movement build real skills. Our TRI-NEETI approach builds on this, developing thinking, reasoning and emotional intelligence together. Because a child who understands her own feelings is better prepared to learn everything else.
What parents can do at home
You don’t need big changes. Small, consistent habits matter most:
At least 2 Hours a day of screen-free. Let them get bored sometimes. They will find a way to find solutions to overcome their boredom.
2 to 3 hours of free play with peers.
One meal together where you talk about the day, not just the food
Read aloud for 10 minutes — even the same book again
Let your child help — setting plates, watering a plant, folding clothes. Responsibility builds confidence.
Looking ahead
Our cities will keep changing. High-rises will grow taller and our lives will get busier. That’s not something to resist.
The real question is: while the city changes around them, are our children still getting what they need to grow well — space to move, people to talk to, and time to play?
We’d love to hear from fellow parents and educators — what has changed the most about your child’s daily life compared to your own childhood?
Share in the comments.
