What started as a humble classroom activity — diary writing — has blossomed into a creative movement, one that educators, parents and language experts hail as a remarkable stride in early childhood education.
Published Apr 26, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 26, 2025 | 9:00 AM
The cover of Kurunezhuthukal.
Synopsis: Kerala’s General Education Department has compiled a delightful collection of diary entries penned by first-grade students across the state, in a book titled ‘Kurunezhuthukal — Onnile Ezhuthum Chinthayum’.
A quiet but powerful transformation is underway in the classrooms of Kerala. In what education circles hail as a first-of-its-kind initiative, Kerala’s General Education Department has compiled a delightful collection of diary entries penned by first-grade students across the state.
Titled ‘Kurunezhuthukal — Onnile Ezhuthum Chinthayum’ (Kid Writings — Scribblings and Thoughts of First Graders), the book was edited by General Education (GE) Minister V Sivankutty himself.
The book was released on 23 April, offering a peek into the innocent musings, observations, and dreams of Kerala’s youngest writers.
Across the state, first-grade students — barely six years old — are not just learning to write alphabets and words but are also penning down their observations, dreams, and daily experiences in their own simple yet heartfelt language.
What started as a humble classroom activity — diary writing — has blossomed into a creative movement, one that educators, parents and language experts hail as a remarkable stride in early childhood education.
These tender voices are writing about everything they see around them: The blooming of a flower, a rainy afternoon, a visit to the market or the arrival of a new pet at home.
More than just scribbles, these diary entries reflect how children perceive the world, what touches them and what ignites their curiosity. Teachers note that the freedom to write and illustrate their thoughts has unlocked an extraordinary world of imagination among children.
The changes go beyond classrooms. Parents have enthusiastically embraced this initiative, noticing how their children’s language skills and confidence in expression have grown.
Cover page of the book.
Many parents proudly recount how their children have started reading newspapers, shop boards, and even helping younger siblings learn the alphabets.
Recognising the richness of these young voices, some schools have taken the initiative to compile and publish these diaries.
The writings have even found a place in the revised language textbooks, inspiring children across the state to pick up their pens.
The state education department’s language curriculum planners see this as a strong validation of Kerala’s reimagined approach to language teaching.
The children’s writings, alongside reflections from parents and teachers, have been brought together in a special collection titled Kurunnezhuthukal — a delightful window into the hearts and minds of first graders.
More than formal assessments, it is the voices of parents and children that truly testify to the programme’s success. Parents call it a joyous experience to watch their little ones narrate their world through their own sentences.
The initiative is also being seen as a foundational step towards strengthening literacy and creative thinking skills at an early age. As the state documents these diaries into a comprehensive collection, educators hope it will inspire other states to rethink how language skills are introduced to children.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Sivankutty lauded the state’s innovative diary-writing initiative, calling it a testament to the creativity blossoming in young minds.
“The curriculum reform has brought major changes in how children learn, helping them think and write more creatively,” the chief minister said in a message which has been appended in the book.
He also appreciated the move to compile these diary entries into a book, describing it as a heartening initiative that encourages the creative work of children.
Sivankutty echoed the sentiment, calling the initiative “a matter of joy and pride.” He noted how first graders are expressing their daily experiences — from home, school, and their communities — through simple yet meaningful sentences.
From the book.
“What’s beautiful is how the things that touch them most take centre stage in their writing. It’s a window into how they see the world,” the minister said in the book.
The government has been implementing various activities from the first grade to make language learning more engaging.
Since July 2024, first graders have been maintaining ‘joint diaries’, gradually transitioning from writing with their parents’ help to independent, mistake-free entries.
A charming detail the minister pointed out was how, in early pages, parents’ pen-written letters appear alongside the child’s pencil notes — only to fade away in later pages as the children grow more confident.
Teachers play a vital role in this effort, reading diaries daily and leaving encouraging notes and stars for the budding writers. Children are also free to draw and colour in their diaries, adding a splash of creativity to their stories.
“This simple act of diary writing is quietly transforming classrooms, building confident, expressive learners from the very first grade,” the minister added, congratulating the teachers who nurture these young talents.
It’s the initiative, which began as part of the language learning programme through illustrated notebooks and joint diaries, which has now blossomed into a book featuring 44 diary entries and 12 social media posts previously shared by the general education minister.
“Children are natural storytellers — we just need to give them the space and tools,” Amul Roy, Programme Officer, Samagra Shiksha Kerala, told South First.
“This initiative helps children turn their ideas into words, colours, and pictures, nurturing not just their language skills but their confidence and independent thinking as well,” he added.
The diary entries reveal the tender, vibrant world children live in. One entry paints a joyful picture of a birthday party, while another offers a moving account of a father’s accident and its impact on the family — both accompanied by heartfelt illustrations.
Diary entry on birthday celebration made by Asher K Shaiju of CMSLPS School, Ponkunnam, Kottayam.
In another entry, a young girl writes about her father’s fever and a visit to a shop where she buys chocolates, capturing everyday emotions in simple yet powerful words and images.
Beyond self-expression, educators note that the practice embeds self-regulation and mirrors the constructivist philosophy of learning — where children actively construct knowledge by connecting it to their lived experiences and sociocultural contexts.
“Our classrooms have become more dynamic and creative through this language integration and social constructivism approach,” added Amul Roy.
A diary entry with illustration made by Rifa P of Eranjimankadu.
Parents, too, have seen remarkable changes. And some reactions from them were also included in the book.
“My daughter Hyra Fatima has written about a hundred diary entries. She’s picked up new letters and symbols, and now comes home eager to share what she learned at school,” said Shabeena Nisar, a parent from Pathanamthitta.
Fasthu, another parent from Kozhikode, shared a similar sentiment.
“At first, my daughter and I wrote the diary together. Now, she finds topics on her own, adds drawings, and even my three-year-old has started recounting her day like a diary. It’s incredible to see how the habit of writing and storytelling is spreading in our home.”
The initiative, designed to move language learning beyond textbooks, offers students opportunities to contextualise language, creatively reinterpret experiences, and reflect on their thoughts — key components in effective language acquisition.
In the words of a first grader’s diary entry, “I saw a rainbow in the sky. I want to write about its colours.” And just like that, a rainbow of words is blooming in Kerala’s classrooms.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
