Reggio Emilia Curriculum

What is Reggio Emilia Curriculum?

📌 The Reggio Emilia curriculum is an early childhood educational philosophy that views young children as capable researchers and active creators of knowledge, not simply passive receivers of information. In these classrooms, children's natural curiosity shapes what they learn, the physical space itself becomes a teaching partner, and teachers work alongside students as co-explorers rather than traditional instructors[1][2][3].

🏗️ HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS: This approach emerged from the ashes of World War II in 1945, when Italian parents in Reggio Emilia's villages used salvaged war materials to construct new schools for their children[4][5][6]. Educator Loris Malaguzzi joined this grassroots movement, helping communities create democratic educational alternatives that reflected their values of renewal and collaborative participation[7][8][9].

🎨 PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION: Learning develops through long-term projects that emerge from children's interests and questions, with teachers documenting the process through photographs, recordings, and observations to make thinking visible[1][3][10]. Children express understanding through multiple modalities—the "hundred languages"—including art, movement, building, and storytelling, recognizing that each child possesses unique communication strengths[2][3][11].

🌟 EDUCATIONAL DISTINCTION: Unlike traditional curricula with predetermined sequences and teacher-directed instruction, this approach features emergent learning where the classroom environment serves as a "third teacher" and families participate as educational partners[1][3][12]. Documentation replaces standardized testing, and collaboration replaces individual competition[1][3].