Our Learning Approach

The Reggio Emilia Approach

Tinker Village is a Reggio Emilia Inspired Program. The Reggio Approach to early childhood education places a special emphasis on the unique capabilities of each child. Regarded as one of the leading approaches to early childhood education, Reggio environments would often be filled with a range of natural and recycled materials. Interesting 'play spaces,' called provocations, are set up as teachers and children 'co-construct' their learning through open-ended exploration and questions. This belief has a practical impact, creating a co-learning environment where teachers learn with the children and work in a lateral relationship as opposed to a hierarchical one. That partnership is also intended to encompass the parents and community of each child.

Reggio Emilia also revolves around the children’s senses, relying on sight, sound, touch and even taste and smell to assist with learning. As a result, our Reggio Emilia environment tends to look different than your average preschool with large common spaces, natural elements, and lots of accessible and curiosity-sparking materials. We believe that children use art, language, physicality, experimentation, relationships and so many other avenues as forms of communication and expression.

The Montessori Approach 

The Montessori approach supports children to unfold their own potential by giving them the freedom to explore an environment that is designed to meet their developmental and individual learning needs and that enables them to lead their own learning. Education is student-led and self-paced but guided, assessed, and enriched by knowledgeable and caring teachers, the leadership of their peers, and a nurturing environment.

Within the community of a multi-age classroom—designed to create natural opportunities for independence, citizenship, and accountability—children embrace multi-sensory learning and passionate inquiry. Individual students follow their own curiosity at their own pace, taking the time they need to fully understand each concept and meet individualized learning goals.

Given the freedom and support to question, probe deeply, and make connections, Montessori students grow up to be confident, enthusiastic, and self-directed learners and citizens, accountable to both themselves and their community. They think critically, work collaboratively, and act boldly and with integrity. What better outcome could you wish for your children?

Play-Base Learning Approach

Children naturally learn through play by engaging in and making sense of their world. Play-based learning is self-chosen, enjoyable, and process-oriented. These opportunities are experiences that are child-directed and teacher-facilitated. In play-based learning,  our teachers take an active role as intentional planners, observers, and guides. Play-based learning maintains the joy of free play while allowing our children to connect authentically with content. When children co-construct their learning with their teachers and peers, they apply it to their own lives and make meaningful personal discoveries as they progress toward learning goals.

Play-Based Learning offers many benefits: Builds executive function skills, content knowledge, and creative thinking. Enhances problem-solving skills. Develops reading, vocabulary, and writing skills. Builds counting, classifying, measurement, and patterning skills. Grows prediction and observation skills. Offers the opportunity to test ideas and make modifications. Helps children learn about themselves and the world around them. Allows children to apply what they learn to new situations. Builds confidence, the ability to collaborate, and to express their feelings. Produces opportunities to expand thinking and try new things. Motivates children to take “safe” risks.

Our program concentrates on building creative and artistic senses, early literacy skills, mathematical reasoning and scientific curiosity. 

Participating in new hands-on activities that balance physical and academic development and exploring different constructive learning centers daily, children learn new communicative, social, and problem-solving skills in our nurturing environment.