The Reggio Emilia Philosophy

The Reggio Emilia philosophy is an innovative and inspiring approach to early childhood education, which values the child as strong, capable and resilient; rich with wonder and knowledge. Every child brings with them deep curiosity and potential and this innate curiosity drives their interest to understand their world and their place within it.

The Reggio Emilia philosophy encourages children to learn through play and discover the world around them by experiencing it. Through this approach, children feed their curiosity, develop higher level skills and become lifelong learners.

There are a number of reasons why this philosophy is so successful.

The environment is a teacher

The Reggio Emilia philosophy treats a child’s environment as a teacher. The approach encourages children to learn from their surroundings, from both the indoor and outdoor settings. This helps to apply learning to real world situations and make connections that have meaning to your child. This approach is hands-on and provides endless stimulation, feeding a child’s curiosity and encouraging exploration. Learning through their environment will always be adventurous in a preschool based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

Learning is child-led

Your child will be in the driver seat of their learning at a preschool based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Children become be more invested in what they are learning when they are allowed to have a say in the content. They are active in steering the direction of what they want to do –  with teachers crucially important to everything the child does. The teachers act more like coaches and mentors, gently guiding children in their learning. 

Problem solving skills are developed

Through guided and structured learning tasks, children have the freedom to research and explore ways to reach their learning goals. The Reggio Emilia approach provides plenty of opportunities for research, experimentation and ample scenarios to develop creativity and critical thinking skills.

Education is about community

Education works hand in hand with every other aspect of life. It never works in isolation. Schools that use the Reggio Emilia approach involve parents, educators, the rest of the preschool as well as the community to educate children. Teachers work in partnership with families and the community to achieve common goals as part of the students’ learning experience. Parents are welcomed into the educational spaces, invited to share their ideas and skills and join their children in their learning journey. This helps children to transition to  different stages of schooling as well as life after school.