A Reggio Emelia Inspired Approach

Children are strong, interested, capable, and curious.

The Reggio Emilia Approach, founded by Loris Malaguzzi, stems from the belief that children are capable of initiating their own learning. It is is based on the concept that a child has ‘100 languages’ to show us what they know; children will express themselves and their learning in any way they feel comfortable.

As a Reggio inspired center, we focus on building the cognitive, social, language, creative, and physical skills that encourage students to be knowledge bearers and researchers in their own learning experiences.

An important component of this approach is the idea of an emergent curriculum - a Reggio-inspired curriculum is always flexible and changes based on the children’s ideas, thoughts and observations. Children are full of curiosity and creativity, and in a Reggio inspired classroom, these qualities are consistently emphasized.

Core Principles

The Child

The child is valued as central to their own learning, and should not be viewed as an empty vessel to fill with knowledge. Children seek out their own interests and revisit and build upon ideas at their own pace.

Children have multiple ways of thinking, playing, exploring, speaking and doing. Referred to by the Reggio Emilia approach as ‘The Hundred Languages of Children’, children can communicate in unlimited ways and should be encouraged to use every tool they have to express themselves, such as building, making music, dancing, creating art and playing pretend.

The Environment

The learning environment is often referred to as ‘the third teacher’ and the Reggio philosophy views it as a living organism. It enables uninterrupted exploration, play and learning. The environment is designed to be not only functional but also beautiful and reflective of the child’s learning. Materials within the classroom are authentic, thought provoking, interesting and accessible. The classroom supports the child as the owner of their learning journey.

The Teacher

In the Reggio Emilia philosophy, teachers are partners in the learning process. They guide experiences, open-ended discovery, and problem solving. Teachers observe the children and promote opportunities to encourage further exploration of a child’s interests. While children and teachers collaborate, it’s the teacher’s responsibility to identify when a concept can be used to further discovery and learning.

Teachers in a Reggio inspired classroom create a learning environment that empowers students’ curiosity, exploration, and respond as their interests change.