Imagine you visit a preschool program and notice children in each classroom deeply engaged in a variety of play-based experiences. In one room, a group of children make a car wash out of cardboard. Other children in the room engage individually and in small groups making elaborate block structures, retelling the story from a favorite book, or writing invitations to an upcoming event. In the next room, a small group of children in the block area figure out which angle of a ramp helps small cars go the fastest. At the easel, children experiment with mixing colors. In the math area, children form sets of seven using small interlocking blocks. You notice one of the teachers observing and jotting down notes on what the children are doing. Other adults are engaging children in play while asking open ended questions like, “How can we make the car go faster?, What would happen if we mix all these colors? Let’s find out!”

This program is using an example of what is known as an “emergent approach to curriculum. 

Emergent approach to curriculum: an overview

Rooted in the work of noted early childhood theorists like Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky, when using an emergent approach to curriculum planning, teachers observe the children they are working with, considering their skills, needs, and interests to plan both structured play and unstructured play and projects.

In an emergent curriculum program, what happens in two classrooms with the same age group will look different because activities are specifically tailored to the children within those classrooms. A teacher considers all that they know about individuals and the particular group of children they teach and plans accordingly. 

How an emergent approach to curriculum works

A successful emergent curriculum approach means that teachers thoughtfully plan the classroom environment to ensure children have access to many different hands-on learning opportunities. While classroom activities evolve based on children’s interests, teachers may also use state early childhood education standards to support all areas of child development.

As children engage with activities, materials, and one another, teachers actively conduct observations. Teachers practicing emergent curriculum also utilize reflective practices, taking time to reflect and act on their observations of children. To track progress and inform future learning experiences, some early education programs use a system for tracking children’s progress, such as Bright Horizons’ Meaningful Assessment and Planning Process.

Teachers continue to plan according to age group objectives including school readiness skills, such as letter and number concepts, but do so in a way that is hands-on, interactive, and tailored to children’s needs and interests. While every classroom will look different, parents touring an emergent curriculum program will see a child-centered environment that encourages learning through natural exploration.

As children approach their kindergarten year, you may become even more curious about their progress. Maintaining positive parent-teacher communication can help you feel confident that your child is learning the necessary skills and are adequately prepared for kindergarten.

Project work is often another component of programs that successfully practice emergent curriculum. Projects allow children to study a topic in more depth over a period of days or weeks and can involve a small group or the whole class. Projects in an emergent curriculum classroom often focus on answering children's open-ended questions such as "Where does water go when you water plants?" or "Why are things different colors?" or "What kinds of homes do animals have? And what about people's homes?" Attentive teachers will also take note of how children engage in projects, such as their interactions with certain materials or challenges that arise. These experiences can serve as a springboard for future learning.

Emergent curriculum is a developmentally appropriate approach to planning for children's learning in early childhood education settings. Through this approach, teachers gain greater understanding of each child's individual needs, allowing for more thoughtful and individualized programming. 

Emergent curriculum vs. traditional learning

• Child-led vs. teacher-led: Emergent curriculum values and builds on children’s interests and ideas, while traditional curriculum follows a more fixed, teacher-created plan. 
• Flexible vs. structured: Emergent curriculum evolves as teachers respond to children’s individual skills and interests, while traditional curriculum typically follows a more structured, predetermined sequence of topics.
• Individualized vs. standardized: Emergent curriculum tailors activities to the unique needs of each child. Experiences are personalized to support each child where they are, whereas traditional curriculum often applies the same lessons to all children in a group. 
• Exploration vs. instruction: Emergent curriculum emphasizes hands-on discovery and problem-solving while traditional curriculum often focuses on teaching specific concepts. 
• Dynamic environment vs. static environment: Emergent curriculum adjusts materials and setups to reflect ongoing projects and interests, while traditional curriculum classrooms often maintain consistent setups throughout the year. 
• Collaborative vs. independent: Emergent curriculum encourages collaboration among children and teachers to explore topics, while traditional curriculum may incorporate more individual learning tasks and assignments. 

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