Curriculum

The Accademia dei Piccoli curriculum combines the Polish national core curriculum with inspiration from Reggio Emilia pedagogy and daily contact with Italian and English. Below we describe what this looks like in practice.

Philosophy and Teaching Approach

“Every place has a soul and an identity: trying to discover it and connect with it means also learning to recognise your own soul.” – Accademia Dei Piccoli

At our preschool we believe that the best learning happens when children are actively involved in it. This idea lies at the heart of Reggio Emilia pedagogy, which inspires us. We put the child’s experiences at the centre, encouraging children to explore, discover and learn through hands-on activity. This makes education a dynamic process rather than passive memorisation.

Programma Dei Piccoli and the Explorer’s Chest

Tangible proof of our approach is our own curriculum and the Explorer’s Chest – a special box full of inspiring materials that the children use throughout the year. It allows them to:

Play at being little explorers and ask questions.
Observe the changes taking place in the world on their own.
Develop their imagination through experiences and experiments.
Turn learning into a fascinating adventure full of surprises.

Atelier – a Space for Imagination

Our Atelier is much more than an ordinary art room. It is a unique space where children explore the world and express their ideas using a rich range of materials and a variety of art techniques.

The Trilingual Curriculum in Practice

Accademia Dei Piccoli combines the Polish core curriculum with daily contact with Italian and English. English is taught by our English teacher, while Italian – led by our teachers from Italy – accompanies the children throughout the day — at mealtimes, in play, in songs and in Italian traditions. The languages are present in everyday activities:

Creative labs: We use light tables and mirrors to explore shadows and materials. We create on large canvases, which encourages spontaneous expression.
Sensory and maths workshops: We use everyday objects to learn classification and stimulate motor skills.
Nutrition education: Through play with fruit and vegetables we help children get used to healthy food.
Social learning at the table: Lunch together is a time for bonding – children help lay the table, serve food and discover new flavours together.
Discovering cultures: We introduce children to regional costumes, monuments and dishes, sparking their curiosity about the world.

And all of this happens in Italian and English! At Accademia Dei Piccoli we focus on learning through natural use of language every minute of the day.

Philosophy

“Every child is a unique individual: Accademia Dei Piccoli recognises this individuality and designs its curriculum and learning environment to meet the needs of each pupil. The aim is to develop values such as independence, self-discipline and responsibility, while supporting creativity and individual passions. This approach fosters agency, self-confidence and self-esteem, which are essential for future success.”

We believe that contact with art is enriching at any age: it reveals new aspects of reality and strengthens sensitivity and attentiveness to the world around us.

Our strength is our highly qualified teaching team. These dedicated teachers work alongside the children, nurturing their curiosity, creativity and independence. The aim is to create an inclusive and stimulating learning environment in which every child feels valued and supported in their education.

In theory

The child is a protagonist – a complete learner, ready to learn, to build knowledge and to discover the world.

Children develop best through cooperation; education should take place in a group of children together with adults, which helps with solving problems, making decisions and introducing innovation.

The child has “a hundred languages”: they communicate through words, movement, drawing, construction, collage, music and many other means to express their knowledge and experiences, and their work deserves the attention of an adult.

The space should provoke thinking and experimenting, sustain interest, and allow socialising and contact with nature and culture.

The teacher is an observer and listener who offers topics that match the children’s interests and motivation, adapts the course of activities to current events, and is a partner and helper in solving problems.

The parent is the teacher’s partner in education.

In practice

An art corner, where children have access to different kinds of paints (watercolour and acrylic, solid and liquid) and painting tools – both conventional ones, such as brushes of various sizes, and less usual ones, such as sticks, small combs, cotton buds, toothbrushes, pipettes, cotton pads and more.

A construction corner with building blocks, which are a very important element of a Reggio-inspired classroom – which is why they have their own corner, often the most spacious one in the whole room.

A reading corner full of cushions, a place for reading and calming down where children can spend time whenever they like. We encourage children to bring their favourite books.

A “home” corner where children can dress up and transform into all kinds of characters, with elements of a real home such as pots, cups, plates, cutlery and kitchen utensils.

A writing and creating corner, where children have all kinds of writing, drawing and making tools: markers, crayons, pencils, pens and felt-tips.

A light corner, where children can play with a projector and images on the wall.

A feast for the senses: an illuminated sensory table. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!

Contact details

Would you like to talk in person? You are welcome to visit our preschool in Warsaw.