Quick Answer

The Creative Curriculum is a developmentally appropriate approach where children learn through classroom studies, exploration, play, and learning centers. At The Learning Grove Academy in Avon, Indiana, teachers use it to plan hands-on experiences around children’s interests, then add intentional teaching moments that build early language, math, and social skills.

What Families Notice in a Creative Curriculum Classroom

Walk into a preschool room that uses The Creative Curriculum and you’ll often see children spread across the room: a few building in the block area, a pair looking at books together, a small group at a table with a teacher. The room is busy, and each area has a purpose.

Families sometimes wonder how teachers turn that activity into learning. The answer is in the planning behind it.

How Classroom Studies Work

A study is an in-depth look at a topic children can explore with their hands and senses. A class might spend several weeks on a topic like buildings, trees, or balls, depending on what children are curious about.

During a study, children ask questions, test ideas, and share what they find. A study about balls, for example, might include rolling different balls down a ramp, counting how many bounces each one makes, and drawing the results. Teachers plan these experiences so they connect to skills children are ready to practice.

Learning Centers Give Children Choices

Learning centers are areas of the classroom set up for different kinds of play and learning, such as blocks, dramatic play, art, books, and discovery. Children choose where to work, which helps them practice independence and follow their interests.

Teachers move between centers to observe, ask questions, and introduce new ideas. A child building a tower might be asked how to make it taller without it falling, which turns a play moment into a problem-solving challenge.

What This Looks Like for Infants and Toddlers

For the youngest children in our infant program, The Creative Curriculum looks different. Much of an infant’s learning happens during everyday routines like feeding, diapering, and getting ready for a nap. Teachers use those moments to talk, sing, and respond to each baby’s cues, which supports early language and a sense of security.

Toddlers begin to explore more on their own. A toddler classroom might offer simple materials to stack, fill, and dump, along with books and songs that invite children to point, name, and repeat. Teachers follow each child’s pace and add small challenges as new skills appear.

The Teacher’s Role: Intentional Teaching

NAEYC describes developmentally appropriate practice as teaching that builds on what is known about how children develop and on each child’s individual strengths and interests. The Creative Curriculum puts that idea into daily practice.

At our Avon school, teachers observe what children are doing, notice what each child is ready for, and plan intentional moments to support the next step. For one child, that might mean extra practice holding a crayon. For another, it might mean a new word to describe what they built.

How Families Stay Part of the Learning

Families at The Learning Grove Academy in Avon receive daily digital updates, often with photos of children at work in the classroom, along with direct messaging with their child’s teacher. Parent-teacher conferences each fall and spring give families time to review progress and set goals together.

You can learn more about our programs on the Avon location page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Creative Curriculum?

The Creative Curriculum is a developmentally appropriate early childhood curriculum where children learn through classroom studies, exploration, play, learning centers, and intentional teaching from their teachers.

Is The Creative Curriculum play-based?

Play is a central part of The Creative Curriculum, and teachers plan it with intention. Children explore and choose activities, while teachers guide learning toward specific skills.

What ages use The Creative Curriculum at The Learning Grove Academy Avon?

Our Avon teachers use The Creative Curriculum with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and Pre-K children, adapting experiences for each age group.

How will I know what my child is learning?

Daily digital updates often include photos and notes about classroom activities, and fall and spring conferences give you a deeper look at your child’s progress.

A Creative Curriculum classroom is easiest to understand in person, where you can see children choosing, building, and asking questions. We’d be glad to show you.

Schedule a tour of The Learning Grove Academy in Avon, Indiana and see hands-on learning in action.