Academic Excellence | The Charm of the Reggio Emilia Approach at CIS ECE Kindergarten

At CIS ECE, we integrate the Reggio Emilia approach with the Alberta Program of Studies to build a play-based learning framework that emphasizes inquiry, interdisciplinary learning, and children’s agency in the learning process.

Within this framework, one of the most representative Reggio practices—Loose Parts—is systematically embedded into daily teaching. By working with open-ended materials such as stones, fabrics, and recycled items, children shift from passive recipients to active explorers, developing creativity, focus, and expressive abilities through hands-on creation.

Recently, CIS ECE hosted its first Loose Parts Parent–Child Workshop, open to both CIS families and families from the wider community. Led by ECE Coordinator Ms. Kole, the workshop invited parents to experience how open-ended materials can be used to express family stories, emotions, and imagination, offering a deeper understanding of the Reggio philosophy that views the child as the protagonist and materials as the canvas for learning.

Right: Ms. Kole, ECE Coordinator

One of the core highlights of the workshop was the creative session titled “Packing Family Stories into Art.” Each parent–child group worked together using open-ended materials—such as stones, bottle caps, leaves, and other recycled items—to create themed artworks inspired by family trips, everyday moments, or cherished memories.

One child excitedly shared their artwork, saying, “This is me cooking with my mom and dad!”
The mother smiled and replied, “Yes, it’s a part of our family.”

Another family recreated a seaside scene using branches and shells. Reflecting on the finished piece, a parent shared, “This feels more alive than a photograph.”

Another family recreated a warm scene of the three of them skiing together, capturing a cherished family moment.

Through creating and sharing together, families revisited meaningful moments, and each artwork ultimately became a unique family art keepsake.

ECE Coordinator Ms. Kole explained that Loose Parts are not simply about play, but a key practice within CIS ECE’s curriculum framework.

The concept of Loose Parts originates from educator Simon Nicholson’s Loose Parts Theory, which emphasizes the use of materials that can be freely combined, taken apart, and redesigned to spark children’s curiosity, exploration, and creativity.

The curriculum is centered on one core goal: to promote children’s holistic development through play-based learning. Within a relaxed and open learning environment, children not only acquire skills but also develop essential competencies through the process, making learning both joyful and meaningful.

1. Empowering Children with Choice and Voice
Open-ended materials enhance young children’s learning experiences by giving them both choice and voice in the learning process.
With their high level of flexibility, Loose Parts can be naturally integrated across different subject areas, supporting interdisciplinary learning and a wide range of learning approaches.

2. Building an Early Understanding of Sustainability

Open-ended materials serve as an important educational tool for helping children understand sustainability. 

By working with materials that can be collected and reused—rather than single-use items that are quickly discarded—children gradually develop an awareness of resource conservation and waste reduction, forming sustainable habits through hands-on practice.

3. Developing a Sense of Community and a Global Perspective Through Learning

In Loose Parts learning experiences, children do not create in isolation. Instead, by sharing materials and collaborating on tasks, they learn to listen, negotiate, and respect different perspectives, gradually developing an understanding of the relationship between self, others, and the community.

At the same time, the curriculum encourages ongoing communication between teachers and families through the use of technology. By integrating open-ended materials, collaborative learning, and social-emotional learning (SEL), children build meaningful connections through authentic interactions, laying a strong foundation for engaging with a wider world in the future.

At CIS ECE, Loose Parts are flexibly integrated into a wide range of learning contexts. These open-ended materials are not assigned fixed purposes; instead, they adapt to learning goals and children’s interests, taking on different meanings across various learning situations.

Learning contexts include:

Through this sustained and systematic curriculum practice, children gradually develop habits of active learning, naturally laying the foundation for further exploration, responsibility, and growth.

At CIS ECE, Loose Parts learning is not just a classroom activity, but an approach to how children learn and grow.

By allowing ample time for exploration, establishing clear yet caring guidelines, and replacing directive instruction with thoughtful questioning and encouragement, children learn self-regulation through freedom, and develop a sense of responsibility and inner confidence through meaningful attempts.

In this learning environment, teachers and parents are no longer “providers of answers,” but learning partners who accompany children in their thinking and support them in taking action.

This reflects the direction upheld by CIS ECE through the integration of the Reggio Emilia approach and the Alberta Program of Studies—creating an atmosphere of respect and trust in which children grow into confident learners who actively explore the world and express themselves with confidence.

We also warmly welcome more families to join CIS ECE, to experience authentic and meaningful learning alongside their children, and to witness growth as it truly happens.

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