Our Approach to Learning



We believe that all children – regardless of ability – should have the opportunity to learn in an educational environment that meets their unique intellectual, physical, and social needs. Our intention is to provide adult support for a child initiated and developmentally appropriate curriculum in an environment where children are comfortable and thus able to learn through play and the exploration of their environment. The curriculum is not built on children’s interests alone, as educators and parents also have interests worth bringing into the curriculum. The values and concerns of all the adults involved, help the classroom culture evolve. The curriculum is called emergent because it emerges and evolves, moving along new paths as choices and connections are made, and it is always open to new possibilities that were not thought of during the initial planning process.



At Mindful Moments, ideas for curriculum emerge when educators respond to the interests, questions, and concerns generated by a specific group of children within a particular environment. Emergent curriculum describes the kind of curriculum that develops when children are engaged in experiences where they are exploring what is socially relevant, intellectually engaging, and personally meaningful. The basic idea is that organic, whole learning evolves from the interaction of all members of the classroom – both children and adults. In emergent curriculum, both adults and children have initiative and make decisions; this power to impact curriculum decisions and directions means that sometimes curriculum is also negotiated between what interests children and what adults know is necessary for children’s education and development.



Educators plan based on the different interests and abilities of the children in the classroom and use these cues as the starting point for curriculum planning. Often, ideas emerge through conversations and open-ended questions. Children’s questions are what stimulate and give direction to the curriculum. There are no preplanned workbooks or planning binders for our curriculum; it emerges from the children and educators working together, with the adults actively listening to the children’s ideas and then acting on them. This approach also allows the educators to change and modify the curriculum easily in response to things that happen in the course of the day. An unexpected question can lead to an interesting discussion or an opportunity to have a parent or guest expert share a special skill with the children. Our child-centred approach allows the educators to look carefully at children and create a flexible program that meets their needs in a very holistic way.