This is the Life Skills CAPS Document (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement) for the Foundation Phase, Grades R-3, issued by the South African Department of Basic Education. It sets out what must be taught, learnt and assessed in Life Skills across Grades R, 1, 2 and 3, and is relevant for the 2026 and 2027 school years. This edition is presented in Xitsonga and covers the subject’s four content areas — Beginning Knowledge, Personal and Social Well-being, Creative Arts, and Physical Education — which together build learners physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively.
The following document, Life Skills CAPS Document Grades R-3.pdf, is the full document.
CAPS Document Brief
Life Skills CAPS Document Grades R-3 kavo-107
The document defines Life Skills for the Foundation Phase as consisting of four content areas: Beginning Knowledge, which draws on Social Sciences and Natural Sciences and Technology; Personal and Social Well-being; Creative Arts, covering performing arts such as dance, drama and music as well as visual arts; and Physical Education. These four areas are taught together to support the physical, social, emotional, cognitive and creative growth of young learners.
The document runs to 82 pages. Section 1 (from page 3) covers the background and general aims of the National Curriculum Statement and the time allocation for each phase; Section 2 (from page 9) defines Life Skills, its specific aims and its four content areas; Section 3 (from page 17) sets out the content to be taught grade by grade, from Grade R through Grade 3, organised term by term within each content area; and Section 4 (from page 72) provides assessment guidelines for the subject.
The stated aims of Life Skills are to guide and prepare learners for life and its possibilities, equipping them with knowledge, skills and values for physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. The subject builds skills in movement, dance, music, drama and visual art, develops knowledge of health and personal safety, and helps learners understand relationships between people and their environment and develop age-appropriate awareness of social relationships, technology and basic science.
Grade
R-3
Subject
Life Skills
Phase
Foundation Phase
Curriculum
South African (CAPS)
School Years
2026 and 2027