Today we continue to explore various preschool philosophies to help you guide your child at home!
You may have heard of the Reggio Emilia approach. Local parents and Loris Malaguzzi, who was a teacher near Reggio Emilia, Italy, after World War II, created this curriculum. This is an arts and community based approach. There is a high priority on the aesthetics of the school. When a topic of study is chosen teachers and parents may ask questions to figure out what children already know and provide further elements for children to discover. The goal is to provide a self-guided curriculum for children, to the extent possible. It is a curriculum designed to allow children to explore the world around them in a supportive environment.
As with all preschool professionals, Reggio teachers (called atelierista) have training in art and specific ways of engaging with children. What can you do as many of us are caring for or at least supplementing learning at home?
Give your preschooler a calm aesthetically pleasing area to work and create. Keep it simple.
It’s best if more than one child can create together – whether that’s a sibling or a preschool pod, even a zoom friend can make a project more interesting and provide a peer for discussing ideas.
Allow the children to have a say in what they are learning. Encourage their questions and thoughts. Let them follow their curiosity.
Make sure to put out materials that allow children to uses their senses to explore!
Learn more about Reggio at …
http://reggioalliance.org/resources/faqs/#approach
Ideas for Reggio projects at home…
https://www.pinterest.com/deenasethi/reggio-emilia-classroom-project-ideas/
