A Peek Inside Little Sunshine’s Playhouse’s Inspiring Curriculum

At Little Sunshine’s Playhouse, our classrooms are more than spaces for learning. They’re vibrant communities where curiosity is celebrated, imaginations flourish, and children feel empowered to explore the world around them.

For more than 20 years, our proprietary curriculum has been intentionally planned with care and expertise to stand apart. Each month, it captures hearts and minds by offering thoughtfully designed opportunities for children to learn through play, collaboration, and hands-on exploration. Today, we’re giving you a behind-the-scenes look at exactly what our teachers receive to bring each theme to life, so you can see how intentional and joyful learning is at the heart of everything we do.

Rooted in the Reggio Emilia Approach

Our curriculum is inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, a world-renowned approach that sees children as capable, curious, and full of potential. Every month, our lesson plans begin with a refresher for teachers, grounding them in our philosophy, our values, and the principles that guide each activity.

We include a glossary of key terms so that teachers remain fluent in the language of our approach. For example:

Invitation Activity: A thoughtfully arranged setup that invites a child to explore.
Provocation Activity: A prompt designed to spark questions, wonder, and discovery.
Loose Parts: Open-ended materials that inspire creativity and problem-solving.
Scaffolding: The gentle support that helps a child reach the next level of understanding.

By starting every month with these reminders, our teachers are ready to create learning experiences that are not only fun, but also deeply meaningful.

The Monthly Required Project

Each theme includes a Required Project, a cornerstone activity that embodies the spirit of the month’s topic and invites every child to participate in an authentic, hands-on experience.

For example, in August, our theme was Everyday Heroes. Our Required Project:

“Invite a variety of community helpers to visit the school throughout the month, offering children meaningful, hands-on opportunities to learn from real-life professionals who serve and support the community.”

Children might meet teachers, bus drivers, chefs, librarians, farmers, postal workers, charity employees, doctors, nurses, dentists, firefighters, police officers, military personnel, veterinarians, or representatives from organizations like the Red Cross or United Way.

During each visit, children get to:

Explore tools and uniforms associated with each profession.
Ask thoughtful, curious questions.
Document their learning through drawings, writing, or group discussions.

This activity connects learning to the real world while nurturing appreciation, empathy, and community awareness. Every month’s required project is created with this thoughtful approach.

The Power of Loose Parts

One of our favorite ways to fuel creativity is through loose parts, objects that can be moved, combined, redesigned, and used in endless ways. Loose parts encourage children to use their imagination, problem-solving skills, and fine motor abilities while giving them complete creative freedom.

Every month, we recommend loose parts tailored to the theme. For Everyday Heroes, we might include:

Measuring tapes, magnifying glasses, and clipboards for “investigations.”
Buttons, fabric scraps, and ribbon for designing uniforms or badges.
Recycled boxes and tubes for building fire stations, libraries, or post offices.

Songs, Stories, and Inspiration

To keep our classrooms full of joy, we share theme-inspired songs and books that enrich children’s understanding while fostering a love for reading and music. For Everyday Heroes, that could mean picture books about firefighters, sing-alongs about helping others, or lullabies that encourage kindness.

We also provide positive affirmations that teachers can weave into daily routines, helping children build self-confidence and emotional resilience.

And because creativity knows no limits, each month we share a curated Pinterest board bursting with fresh ideas for classroom activities, learning provocations, and even décor inspiration.

Nurturing the Whole Child

Our curriculum is built to meet the needs of the whole child, supporting growth across every domain of early learning:

Social & Emotional: Activities that foster empathy, teamwork, and self-regulation.
Physical: Fine and gross motor opportunities like building, drawing, dancing, and outdoor play.
Cognitive: Problem-solving challenges, sorting games, and experiments.
Language & Communication: Storytelling, dramatic play, and conversation-rich activities.

This balance ensures that each child grows in every way, not just academically, but emotionally, socially, and physically too. The goal is to give them a good base for kindergarten and every life stage beyond.

Clear Goals for Every Age

To make learning intentional and age-appropriate, we provide month-end objectives for each age group: toddlers, preschool, and pre-k. This allows teachers to track growth and celebrate milestones while keeping activities developmentally aligned.

Where Learning Comes Alive

Our curriculum isn’t just a list of activities. It’s a carefully designed framework that inspires our teachers, empowers our students, and creates magical moments every single day.

When you walk into a Little Sunshine’s Playhouse classroom, you’ll see children deeply engaged, teachers joyfully guiding, and learning happening in the most natural way possible. It’s more than early education. It’s a journey of discovery, connection, and wonder.

Keep the learning going!