Reggio Emilia Art Activities at Home: 6 Creative Ideas for Children
Play-Based Approach
Last updated on 3 June 2025
Lily Valley PreschoolLily Valley PreschoolPlay-Based Approach
Last updated on 3 June 2025
Reggio Emilia Art Activities at Home: 6 Creative Ideas for Children
Play-Based Approach
Last updated on 3 June 2025
The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education is one where curiosity and creativity have vital roles to play. In this child-led pedagogy, children learn through experimentation and exploration, which are core elements of the Reggio Emilia art approach.
After all, art is an exploration of possibilities – the realisation of ideas drawn from imagination.
That’s why art is such a vital part of early learning, especially in Reggio Emilia-inspired institutions. If you want to see the benefits of the Reggio Emilia art approach for your own child, join us today as we consider ways to explore it at home.
One of the most important principles in Reggio Emilia art is that learning is child-led. Rather than telling your child exactly what to do, you empower them to explore, choose materials, and express themselves freely.
That means the first thing your child needs is an appropriate workspace – a space where they’re free to explore artistic possibilities, supported by open-ended tools and materials.
The workspace is basically where children can discover their own varied languages for learning. They have the agency to choose how to direct their efforts and on what, making them more involved and engaged in their development.
Here are some tips to get you started on crafting your child’s workspace:
It may be useful to ensure that the workspace has enough room to hold both you and your child too. This allows you to be an occasional participant in your child’s experimentation with art, which can help you bond while supporting their growth.
You can even supply guidance to them during certain art activities this way. For instance, when they choose to mix certain colours together for the first time, ask them what colour they produced. Ask if they know anything that has the same hues.
By asking the right questions, you continue to let them lead yet also guide them as they use art to learn about the world!
There are a lot of activities you can suggest to your child if neither of you knows where to start for Reggio Emilia-inspired art activities. Below are some of the ones we recommend:
A fun, sensory art activity that involves cutting bubble wrap into shapes, putting paint on those shapes, and then pressing them on a sheet of paper to make a print
This is a bit like putting together jigsaw puzzles with a reference. You give your child a famous piece of art like Van Gogh’s The Starry Night and invite them to recreate it with other materials – things like coloured buttons, pieces of coloured paper, and so on.
Provide your child with various interesting materials that can be used to create hanging art. Materials can include ribbons, feathers, beads, and the like.
This is a bit like putting together jigsaw puzzles with a reference. You give your child a famous piece of art like Van Gogh’s The Starry Night and invite them to recreate it with other materials – things like coloured buttons, pieces of coloured paper, and so on.
Set up an area with primary-colour paints, containers, and palettes that your child can use to experiment with colour mixing and creation.
You can invite your child on a trip to a nearby park or garden to collect materials for this. Materials may include leaves, twigs, flowers, and even stones. The idea is to take these back home and see how to add them to artwork.
Many children fall in love with the artistic freedom and expression offered by the Reggio Emilia art approach. They learn to embrace creativity as an essential part of their education and growth – their parents do the same!
If you’d like your child to continue exploring Reggio Emilia art in a dedicated environment, consider enrolling them in a Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool like Lily valley. Our specialised ateliers as well as workstations give children the space, tools, and inspiration to let their creativity thrive.
Interested in seeing how we bring art and learning together? Register your interest in a school tour with us! You can also ask us questions about the rest of our methods in supporting children’s holistic growth.