Blog · 3 November 2026

Reggio vs Montessori vs EYFS: which suits your child?

EYFS is a curriculum framework: it sets out what young children should learn and how their progress is checked. Reggio Emilia and Montessori are teaching approaches: they shape how children learn, day to day. So the real choice is not one or the other. Many nurseries follow the EYFS and teach it through an approach such as Reggio or Montessori, and the best fit depends on how your child likes to learn.

Evergreen Early Learning Centre in Umm Al Sheif is a Reggio-inspired EYFS nursery. We are not a Montessori nursery. This guide describes all three fairly, so you can choose with confidence.

What is the EYFS?

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the British framework for children from birth to five. Many nurseries in Dubai follow it. It sets out seven areas of learning.

Three are called prime areas, because everything else builds on them:

• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, social and emotional development

Four are called specific areas:

• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design

The EYFS also asks teachers to watch each child closely, record what they see and plan the next steps from there. It expects learning to happen through play.

What the EYFS does not do is tell a teacher exactly how to run a room. That is where an approach such as Reggio or Montessori comes in.

What is the Reggio Emilia approach?

The Reggio Emilia approach began in the town of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy after the Second World War, led by the educator Loris Malaguzzi. It sees young children as capable, curious and full of ideas.

A few ideas sit at its heart:

• Projects grow from the children's questions. If a group becomes fascinated by snails in the garden, the snails can become a project that lasts for weeks.
• The environment is the third teacher. Rooms are calm, full of natural light and real materials, and set up to invite exploration.
• Children have many ways to express themselves. Drawing, clay, paint, building, music and talk are all ways of thinking.
• Learning is made visible. Teachers document children's work through photos, notes and the children's own words, and share it with families.

Reggio is an approach, not a fixed programme. Each school interprets it in its own way.

What is the Montessori approach?

The Montessori approach was developed by Dr Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor and educator, in the early 1900s. It also respects children as capable learners, but it works in a different way.

• A prepared environment. Rooms are ordered and child-sized, and each material has its own place on the shelf.
• Specially designed materials. Many Montessori materials are self-correcting, so a child can see for themselves when something does not fit.
• Child-chosen work. Children choose their activities and often work on their own for long, uninterrupted periods.
• Mixed-age groups. Younger children learn by watching older ones, and older children grow by helping.
• Practical life. Everyday tasks such as pouring, sweeping and preparing food are part of learning.

Many families love Montessori for its order, its calm and the independence it builds.

How do they differ?

Here is the simplest way to see it.

• EYFS answers: what should my child learn by five, and how do we know they are on track?
• Reggio answers: how can we follow my child's curiosity, in a group, through projects and many forms of expression?
• Montessori answers: how can my child learn independently, at their own pace, with carefully designed materials?

Reggio tends to be more open-ended and social. Projects are shared, and they change direction with the children's ideas. Montessori tends to be more structured. Each material has a clear purpose, and children often work alone. Both value real materials, calm rooms and respect for the child.

Which suits your child?

There is no single right answer. Think about how your child plays at home.

• A Reggio-inspired setting may suit a child who asks endless questions, loves to make and build, enjoys playing alongside other children and likes to paint or draw what they are thinking.
• A Montessori setting may suit a child who loves order, enjoys repeating a task until it is just right, and likes to work quietly on their own.
• Whichever approach you choose, check that the nursery also follows a clear framework such as the EYFS, so you can see how your child is progressing.

Most of all, visit. A good nursery of any kind will have busy, calm children and adults who kneel down to listen.

How Evergreen does it

Evergreen is a Reggio-inspired EYFS nursery for children aged 1 to 5, in Umm Al Sheif, near Umm Suqeim 3. We follow the EYFS, taught through a Reggio Emilia-inspired, play-based approach.

In practice, that looks like this:

• Projects grow from the children's own questions.
• Children work with real materials such as wood, clay, ceramic and metal.
• They express their ideas in our art corner through clay, paint, collage and drawing.
• Our 10,000 sq ft of natural, green outdoor learning and playing space becomes a classroom every day.
• Indoors, HEPA filters, natural light and calming earth tones keep the rooms calm.
• There is one teacher to every four children, so teachers have time to extend each child's thinking.

We are licensed by the KHDA and open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Questions parents ask

Is EYFS the same as Montessori?
No. EYFS is a curriculum framework that sets out what children should learn from birth to five. Montessori is a teaching approach. Some nurseries follow the EYFS and teach it in a Montessori way.

Can a nursery be both Reggio-inspired and EYFS?
Yes. The EYFS sets the learning goals, and the Reggio approach shapes how children reach them. Evergreen is a Reggio-inspired EYFS nursery.

Is Evergreen a Montessori nursery?
No. Evergreen is a Reggio-inspired EYFS nursery. We follow the EYFS through a Reggio Emilia-inspired, play-based approach.

What is the main difference between Reggio and Montessori?
Reggio is open-ended and social, with projects that grow from children's questions. Montessori is more structured, with specially designed materials and a lot of independent, child-chosen work.

Which approach is best for a toddler?
It depends on the child. A curious, sociable toddler who loves to make things may enjoy a Reggio-inspired room. A toddler who loves order and repetition may enjoy Montessori. Visiting both is the best way to tell.

What ages does Evergreen take?
Children aged 1 to 5, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Come and see it

The easiest way to understand an approach is to watch it in a real room. Book a tour at www.evergreenelc.ae and see our art corner and garden for yourself.