The Reggio Emilia approach to early years education

What is Reggio Emilia?

The Reggio Emilia approach to early years education puts children in the driver’s seat. It sees them as curious individuals with the power and potential to develop and learn from their environment and the relationships they build with others.

The image of the child as a subject of right is central to the philosophy. Instead of viewing children as having needs which must be fulfilled, they are viewed as strong and intelligent individuals. Individuals who should be given every opportunity to reach their potential.

What are the key principles and values of Reggio Emilia?

The Reggio Emilia approach is based around fundamental principles that each individual setting draws from and adapts according to their unique environment and community.

Children are capable of taking an active role in their learning

Children are seen as strong and capable protagonists in their own learning. The approach supports the opinion of each child.

The belief is that every child understands how to construct learning on their own. This gives them the ability to express their knowledge and understanding.

Children possess 100 languages and should be encouraged to express themselves 

Allowing children to express themselves is key. ‘The 100 Languages’ is a metaphor used to describe the many different ways young children show their understanding, learning and thinking. This is why expressive arts is one of the most important elements of the Reggio Emilia approach.

Although literacy and numeracy are recognised as important, Reggio Emilia-inspired settings put extra value on the non-verbal ‘languages’ children communicate through. This includes gestures, glances and emotion.

The philosophy encourages children to express themselves and their knowledge. This is through painting, sculpting, dramatic play, dancing, writing, construction, puppetry and other expressive activities.

Reggio Emilia activities such as exploring the effects of light and shadow using black cards and torches, allow children to create stories. This makes children a part of their own learning.

It also allows children to revisit the activities and subjects that interests them in different ways. They can then gain a deeper level of understanding and see the same thing from multiple perspectives.

An emergent curriculum

The topics and direction of learning come from the children themselves. The curriculum is decided according to what is known to be interesting to the child, such as music, dancing or painting.

Teachers closely observe and listen to the children, talk to parents and have team planning sessions. This helps to create strategies enabling children to build upon their interests and to create community involvement.

Dictated by the child, projects are created which they can return to when they wish rather than imposing strict timetables.

Learning always takes place in small groups. This helps when building relationships and experiencing different points of view which are considered essential to the learning process.

Educational documentation

Documentation is an essential part of the Reggio Emilia approach. It is a fundamental part of the teacher’s role to document the child’s learning process as it gives structure to the theories and practices.

Documentation happens during the child’s learning and can be in written form or through photographic and written wall panels.

It also makes the learning process visible. Teachers, parents as well as children can look back and evaluate progress to understand how the child learns.

Community involvement and building relationships

The Reggio Emilia approach is based on the belief that we learn through making connections between things, concepts and experiences. We make these connections through interaction with others and the environment we are in.

The participation of parents and the community is one of the most distinctive features of the Reggio approach. Parents should always be invited to play an active part in their child’s learning process to create a link to the community.

Teachers are equal learners who guide and nurture children’s learning and growth

Rather than telling children what to do, teachers are instead considered partners in the learning process. They guide the children through the experiences and projects set out in the emergent curriculum.

The teacher’s role in the Reggio Emilia approach is to learn alongside the child. They closely listen, observe and involve themselves in the child’s learning and play.

The teacher looks for opportunities to guide the child to further explore their interests and to enable them to reach their potential.

The environment as a ‘third teacher’

The Reggio approach sees the environment as a third teacher that influences the child on a daily basis. The environment provides children with a wealth of learning opportunities encouraging them to explore, discover and problem-solve on their own.

All resources and material in the classroom and other areas of each setting are thought-provoking and inviting so they inspire children to think outside the box.

What is the origin of the Reggio Emilia approach?

The Reggio Emilia approach to education was developed after the second world war in the northern Italian town of the same name.

It was founded by a teacher named Loris Malaguzzi. It was founded with the help of local parents and citizens living in the town and the surrounding villages.

Devastated by the war, Mr Malaguzzi and people in the community believed that the educational system had to change. Parents in the area were looking for childcare that fostered critical thinking and collaboration.

Mr Malaguzzi opened the first Reggio Emilia preschool in 1963. The approach has since evolved and gained popularity in the UK and around the world.

The child-centred approach was based on Malaguzzi’s belief that a child has 100 languages to express themselves. He wanted to use these languages to support children’s learning and understanding of the world.

How does the Reggio Emilia approach work in a nursery?

Each setting that follows the Reggio approach has its own unique environment and community. The philosophy is flexible, and one nursery will not be the same as another.

Nicola Cargill, senior practitioner at Little Learners Childcare Corby in Northamptonshire, said one of the best things about the approach is its flexibility.

“Although originally inspired by the Reggio approach as we have developed as a setting we have found that we’ve created our own approach.

“We have been influenced by the variety of staff and our vast knowledge base. The parents inspire us with the weird and wonderful resources that they know we’ll love and most importantly we are inspired by the children.”

‘Typical day is very dependent on the children’

Ms Cargill said a typical day is very dependent on the children. Usually the morning includes breakfast, small jobs for the children indoors such as tidying up.

“Until 11.30 where we will then tidy up the rooms we are in; our children really engage in making the rooms beautiful rather than tidying up”.

“We will then come back together within our base rooms for a quick group time before preparing for lunch at 12pm. This process is then repeated in the afternoon.”