Where does real learning take place: in the carefully planned lessons we design, or in the spontaneous moments when curiosity sparks? This question underpins a growing debate in early childhood education. While a structured curriculum lays the foundation for essential skills, an overemphasis on it can stifle a child’s natural curiosity and intrinsic motivation to learn. The real challenge for educators today is finding the balance—ensuring that young learners meet developmental milestones while nurturing and allowing space for exploration and creativity.

As an Early Years specialist at Canadian International School (CIS), I am committed to helping every student reach their full potential. While we take pride in our comprehensive curriculum and well-defined standards, the real art of early childhood education lies in the educator’s ability to balance those requirements with the dynamic, ever-changing needs and interests of young learners. Educational theorists like Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky have long emphasised the importance of active, self-directed learning and social interaction in early childhood development. Research shows that engaging in play and exploration develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills (Ginsburg, 2007). These ideas continue to inform our approach at CIS, where curiosity is not just encouraged, but integral to the learning process.

The Power of Everyday Moments
At CIS, the journey to learning begins long before students enter the classroom. Each day, our Early Years students gather in a welcoming pod, buzzing with excitement as they wait for their classmates to arrive. During this time, what might seem like a simple transition transforms into an incredible learning opportunity. As students line up to walk to their classrooms, they engage in a fun counting activity that develops their mathematical skills. Taking turns, they count how many friends are present and then use addition and subtraction to deduce who is still missing. Beyond building number sense, this activity also sharpens the students’ memory skills by encouraging them to identify the names of their absent classmates.

Everyday moments hold the potential to become rich educational experiences, proving that learning can happen anytime and anywhere. One such moment was when a student’s farewell gift, a bottle of nail polish, led to an enriching student-initiated teaching and learning moment. Upon noticing the bottle in the goodie bag of a student leaving us, another student suggested, “Why don’t we paint Ms Pritika’s nails?” As students took turns to paint my nails, they exercised problem-solving, eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. It was also a good opportunity to explore number sense: how many nails needed to be painted, how many were painted and how many were left. The discussion left students with a greater sense of numerical awareness, all while they embraced the joy of learning through play. Moments like these are a perfect reminder that learning is not confined to textbooks; sometimes, it emerges from the most unexpected of places—like a bottle of nail polish.

From Routine to Discovery
In the Early Years, learning often happens organically as students navigate their daily routines. For example, a routine task like stacking lunch trays can evolve into a valuable lesson on problem-solving, spatial awareness and shape recognition as students adjust and maneuver the trays to fit together. Through such moments, students develop a deeper conceptual understanding and experience a sense of accomplishment from their daily tasks.

The role of a teacher is crucial in identifying the balance between student-driven experiences and explicit instruction. This aligns with the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which regards children as inquisitive individuals who are full of potential. In Reggio-inspired environments, teachers observe and respond to children’s interests, co-constructing knowledge rather than simply delivering it. At CIS, we see this philosophy in action each day as we follow our students’ lead, honouring their questions and building learning experiences around them. Effective teaching not only involves knowing when to step in and guide, but more importantly, when to step back and let learning unfold.

The Role of Reflection and Critical Thinking
Another teachable moment arose when a student was struggling to build a tall block tower. As the structure wobbled and tipped over, frustration began to set in. Rather than stepping in to directly fix it, I seized this ‘teachable moment’ and expanded it into a mathematics lesson. Throughout this session, I invited students to reflect using open ended questions such as “What did you discover?” and “Why do you think that happened?” to encourage them to think critically about their experience. This led to an insightful conversation about balance and symmetry, turning play into a foundational lesson in mathematics and physics.

These reflective conversations promote metacognition, helping students gain awareness of their own thought process and build self-directed learning skills. This approach aligns with Paul Freire’s dialogic vision of education. Freire, a prominent Brazilian educator, famously critiqued the ‘banking model of education’, where students are seen as passive recipients of information. In contrast, he advocated for a problem-posing approach to education, where students actively engage with information and construct knowledge through inquiry and dialogue. As educators, it is our responsibility to foster such an environment and empower students to be active participants in their own learning.

Conclusion: Learning Lives in the Everyday

Learning is everywhere, all the time. It is not confined to four walls, lesson plans, or worksheets. It lives in everyday routines, unexpected moments and quiet curiosity. As educators, our role is not just to teach, but to recognise these fleeting moments and transform them into lasting learning experiences. Only when we embrace this mindset can every day become an opportunity to ignite a lifelong love of learning. After all, some of the most profound lessons are the ones we do not plan.