The National Bal Bhavan is an autonomous organisation fully funded by the Ministry of Human Resources Development. Department of School Education and Literacy. Since its inception in 1956, the Bal Bhavan as a movement has grown by leaps and bounds throughout the length and breadth of the country and today there are 68 State Bal Bhavans and 10 Bal Kendras that are affiliated to National Bal Bhavan. Through affiliated Bal Bhavans and Bal Kendras, National Bal Bhavan reaches out to school drop-outs, children of socially and economically backward class, street children and also the special children. Several schools of Delhi have also taken up the membership of National Bal Bhavan and this joint and consolidated effort of non-formal institution has indeed made creative enhancement of children a grand success.
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National Bal Bhavan is engaged in pursuits for the integrated growth of the child by involving them in various activities in a tension free environment irrespective of their gender, caste, creed, colour etc. To mention a few, the activities are clay modelling, paper machie, music, dance, drama, painting, crafts, museum activities, photography, videography, indoor & outdoor games, home management, traditional art & craft, educational & innovative games/chess, science is fun etc. Some of the special attraction of the National Bal Bhavan are Mini Train, Mini Zoo, Fish Corner, Science Park, Funny Mirrors, Culture Craft Village. It has National Training Resource Centre (NTRC) within its premises which imparts training to teachers on diverse activities. The main aim and focus of this resource centre is to train the teachers in the all round growth and personality development of children as the teacher’s community is well versed with the social, economical, emotional, intellectual and psychological needs of children. The workshop of NTRC also aims to make both teaching and learning a joyful experience for teachers and students respectively.
National Bal Bhavan has also launched a scheme to identify, honour and nurture the creative children of India irrespective of their socio-economic status. The rationale behind this scheme – ‘The Bal Shree Scheme’, is that creativity is a human potential that directly relates to self-expression and self-development. This scheme seeks to identify creative children within the age group of 9-16 years in four identified areas of creativity i.e. creative art, creative performance, creative scientific innovations, creative writing. This scheme was put into effect in 1995 and since then children have been identified and honoured for their creative elegence in their concerned fields.
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They have received this honour from The President of India at a glittering function organised at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In addition National Bal Bhavan organises several Local, National andInternational Programmes viz., Workshops, Trekking Programmes, Talk Shows, Camps, Observance of various days i.e. Earth Day, Environment Day, International Children’s Assembly, Youth Environmentalist Conference, Education for All, All India Chairperson’s and Directors Conference under the able guidance of Ministry of Human Resource Development. Besides, National Bal Bhavan also deputes its children from diffrerent parts of the country to various countries under the Cultural Exchange Programmes and these children act as a young ambassador of the subcontinent’s socio-cultural ethos. Besides, member children of National Bal Bhavan, affiliated Bal Bhavans across the country and member school/institute of National Bal Bhavan also participate in International Painting Competition on the themes that are of global concern.