The realm of sensory experiences in the Reggio classroom stretches beyond your typical sensory play activities where children are often forced to engage with ‘baby friendly’ or intended for baby materials by way of direct instruction. In Reggio Emilia’s infant and toddler centers, young children are exposed to a plethora of materials. There, infants are given paint and paintbrush as soon as they can sit. At this age they begin to explore artists’ clay. Not too long after, by 10 months, they are ready for more advanced exploration—physical challenges of steps and ramps, eye/hand challenges of gluing, mark-making, and exploring light.

Our Baby ArtSense class aims to enrich infants’ encounters with carefully selected materials to engage all their five senses. You won’t find a welter of plastic toys in our class—instead you will find things like fabric, paper, reflective surfaces, colors, clay, natural elements ready for tiny little hands to feel, grasp, grab and carry around. Baby ArtSense class is perfect for babies and infants who are already sitting independently, crawling or even those who have taken their early steps! You and your baby will sing and dance through the music and song segment in our indoor area, explore our light and shadows atelier and then interact with the variety of materials set out in our outdoor garden.