A lion’s face with the mouth wide open carved out of a carton, colorful ludo dice placed in a corner and rangometric pieces lying on every table. This is the scene in classes I and II of Delhi government schools. As five-year-old Aditya walks into his class, he picks up the dice and looks at the number on it. He then throws the same number of balls towards the lion. He is not playing, but actually learning mathematics. He tells his teacher, “I had six laddoos (the number on the dice), but the lion could eat only three. Three others got wasted as they didn’t fit in his mouth.” With this, Aditya and his 40 other classmates learned counting as well as subtraction. Not only in Aditya’s class at Government Co-ed Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, Sector-8 Rohini, but in over 400 government schools, students of classes I and II are learning mathematics this way. Learning to count using dice, walking around the classroom to measure its length, using a straw to learn about triangles and carrying strings to learn about different lines — mathematics is now taught through activities and classroom conversations. TOI attended two of these classes where students shared what they liked about the class. Now, even their assessments will be based on activities. This step, school principals say, will ensure that the foundation of the subject is strong for students. The directorate of education has prepared a detailed booklet mentioning the learning outcomes and syllabus that needs to be covered. Poonam Rane, a primary school teacher, told TOI, “The children enjoy rangometry activities the most. We also get to see their creative side as they make a lot of interesting figures.” For Rane and other teachers, such activities have also made them more enthusiastic. They have been carrying a mix of toys, stationery and bottles to teach students about flat and curved shapes. Pieces of the sting are being used to learn about different types of lines and matchsticks to understand angles. There are also stories, such as those of twin sisters, to teach students about doubling. “Teachers are taking a lot of initiatives themselves. Activity-based classes have renewed their energy, but their concern is an objection from parents. I’ve assured them that I will explain to parents about the importance of joyful learning,” said AK Jha, the principal.