The Curiosity Approach
What is the Curiosity Approach?
The Curiosity Approach is a modern early years pedagogy that encourages children to learn through curiosity, creativity, and exploration. It promotes environments that are calm, beautiful, and filled with authentic, natural, and open-ended resources — designed to spark awe and wonder.
Rather than relying on plastic toys or prescriptive activities, practitioners curate spaces that invite children to explore, experiment, and take ownership of their learning. Adults act as facilitators rather than directors, following children’s interests, extending their ideas, and providing meaningful provocations for deeper thinking.
Key principles include:
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The environment as the ‘third teacher’ – classrooms are intentionally designed to provoke curiosity and independence.
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Child-led learning – children follow their own fascinations and learn through play, discovery, and inquiry.
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Open-ended resources – natural and reclaimed materials (e.g. wood, metal, fabric) replace commercial toys, encouraging imagination and problem-solving.
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Mindfulness and simplicity – calm, clutter-free spaces help children focus, self-regulate, and engage deeply.
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Connection and relationships – adults observe, scaffold, and join children in meaningful learning experiences rather than leading them.
The approach aligns closely with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) because it supports all seven areas of learning while nurturing character, creativity, and independence. It values the process of learning over the product — helping children become curious thinkers, confident communicators, and reflective learners.
Why the Curiosity Approach at Goldsmith Primary Academy?
At Goldsmith Primary Academy, our community context and educational vision make the Curiosity Approach a natural fit for our Early Years provision. Many of our children enter school with limited experiences of the wider world and low starting points in language and communication. The Curiosity Approach enables us to close these gaps by creating an environment that inspires exploration, promotes rich talk, and builds cultural capital through meaningful, hands-on experiences.
Our adoption of the Curiosity Approach is underpinned by our belief that curiosity is the foundation of lifelong learning. By nurturing children’s natural sense of wonder, we develop critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and confident communicators who are ready to thrive in Key Stage 1 and beyond.
The approach also reflects our ASPIRE framework, particularly the values of creativity, responsibility, and resilience, and aligns closely with Windsor Academy Trust’s mission to unlock academic and personal potential. Through calm, purposeful, and well-curated learning spaces, children develop independence, collaboration, and self-regulation — essential skills for success across the curriculum.
By embracing the Curiosity Approach, we create a bridge between home and school, celebrating diversity, fostering relationships, and ensuring every child feels valued, capable, and inspired. In doing so, our Early Years environment becomes more than a classroom — it becomes a place where wonder sparks learning, and every child’s curiosity is the key to unlocking their potential.
