These pages hold topics, threads, people or concepts that weave through many of the resources on this site. I developed the topics pages mostly for trainings as a resource. I hope they can be useful in your explorations. Many of these topics have other meanings in different settings or traditions. I offer these interpretations based on my experience only.
A radical, child-driven approach to play that invites children to explore, create, and take risks in open-ended environments, often filled with loose parts and minimal adult direction.
Nature-Based & Outdoor LearningPlay & ExplorationContesting Early Childhood
Engineering in early childhood invites children to design, build, test, and revise—using materials and ideas to solve real and imagined problems through playful invention.
Executive function refers to the mental skills that help children plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and manage impulses—skills that develop through experience, not instruction.
Theories of Development & LearningGuiding Behavior
An approach to play and learning that values open-ended materials—objects that children can move, combine, redesign, and use in endless ways according to their imagination.
Magda Gerber’s approach invites adults to slow down, observe, and respect infants as whole people—worthy of trust, autonomy, and unhurried relationship.
Foundational Approaches & ThinkersParentingTheories of Education
Marshall Rosenberg developed Nonviolent Communication (NVC), a relational approach to speaking and listening grounded in empathy, needs-awareness, and mutual understanding.
Communication & Relational PracticesClassroom PracticesProfessional DevelopmenttCore TeachingsContemplative Education
A relational approach to communication that emphasizes empathy, honesty, and connection—helping people speak and listen in ways that honor everyone’s needs.
Communication & Relational PracticesContemplative Education
Parker Palmer is an educator, writer, and Quaker elder who invites teachers to lead from within—placing integrity, presence, and soul at the heart of education.
The ability of children to make choices, act with purpose, and influence their environment—agency and initiative are at the heart of meaningful learning and respectful education.
In early childhood, agency shows up when children choose how to play, ask questions, solve problems, or change course. Initiative is the spark that drives them to start something new—whether it’s a block structure, a story, or a plan to help a friend. These qualities develop not through reward or instruction, but through trust, time, and space to act on one’s own ideas.
Reggio Emilia–inspired practice places deep value on agency. Children are seen as protagonists of their own learning—competent, creative, and full of potential. When adults slow down and listen, children reveal their theories, intentions, and strategies. Educators support initiative not by directing, but by observing, documenting, and offering provocations that stretch thinking without taking over.
Agency also lives in group life: in circle discussions, collaborative play, and decision-making. When children experience their voice as meaningful, they grow into learners who act with confidence, empathy, and responsibility.
Why It Matters
Supporting agency and initiative helps children develop a sense of ownership, resilience, and purpose. These are not just educational goals—they’re foundations for democratic participation and personal well-being. For families and educators, this means shifting from managing behavior to creating environments that invite choice, collaboration, and meaningful contribution.
References & Further Reading
Malaguzzi, L. (Edwards et al.) in The Hundred Languages of Children
Rinaldi, C. In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia
Katz, L. & Chard, S. Engaging Children’s Minds
Rogoff, B. The Cultural Nature of Human Development
Harvard Project Zero: pz.harvard.edu
NAEYC: Developmentally Appropriate Practice
Glossary
Agency – The capacity to make choices, take action, and influence one’s environment based on personal intention.
Initiative – The inner motivation to begin something, try a new idea, or take the lead in an activity or relationship.
Protagonist – A central actor or initiator in a learning experience; in Reggio philosophy, the child is seen as the protagonist of their own learning.
Provocation – A question, material, or experience offered to invite exploration and support initiative without directing the outcome.
Democratic Education – An approach that values each learner’s voice, rights, and contributions in shaping their learning environment.
A glance becomes a blueprint as children design and build a car from stumps—merging imagination, collaboration, authorship, and spatial storytelling in an evolving outdoor classroom.
