6 Steps to Bringing Reggio Emilia into Your Home

Crysta Bloom is a mama and founder of kindcocoamama.com who is passionate about this creative alternative education model

“What I love most about the Reggio Method is its belief that children form their unique personalities during their early years of development. Reggio aspires to provide children with outlets for personal expression in diverse ways. They call this The Hundred Languages of Children. You can incorporate this approach at home by following some key principles:

The environment is the “third teacher”. Rooms are beautiful, feature natural light, and are void of clutter. Colour and materials are carefully selected to be visually appealing and inspiring.
Instead of pre-prepared or isolated subject areas of learning, encourage children to work on creative projects based on their current interests. Explore their ideas using different avenues of expression like painting, writing, and storytelling.
Documentation is important in The Reggio Method. Display children’s work including transcripts of thoughts and conversations. Rich conversation is important. Children’s thoughts and ideas are respected.
Toys should be beautiful, well crafted, and made of quality materials. They should be open-ended to inspire children to make self-discoveries. Include items from nature such as pine cones, bark, and sticks.
The use of mirrors in play areas offers the opportunity for children to see another point of view and depth understanding. Mirrors should be placed on walls as well as surfaces.
Allow children to take responsibility for some of their own self care and daily living activities.