HEI Curriculum is based on the Finnish early childhood education model, which is often described through play, child-centredness, participation and holistic development. However, these practices are not simply individual pedagogical choices taken by educators. They are rooted in a long tradition of educational thinking, childhood research and empirical studies of how young children learn and develop. Together, these theoretical and research-based foundations have shaped the distinctive approach to early childhood education in Finland, with the background idea of a child to have a right to high quality early childhood education and care.
The HEI approach brings together several theoretical traditions:
Together, these traditions guide everyday pedagogical decisions and routines at HEI Schools. They shape how educators interact with children, how learning environments are designed, how play is supported, how children's perspectives are included, how learning is observed, and how additional support or challenge is provided.
Although Finnish early childhood education is strongly influenced by contemporary research, its foundations reach much further back. An important historical influence is the educational philosophy of Friedrich Fröbel (1782–1852), whose kindergarten movement emphasised children's self-directed activity, play, creativity and building relationship with nature.
The importance of play, hands-on activities, exploration, creativity and the natural environment can be seen as part of this longer educational tradition, even though today's practices are informed by substantially broader research and theoretical perspectives from various fields of study. These ideas, that were once expressed through educational philosophy, have later on been examined through developmental psychology, education, sociology, childhood studies and research on learning environments and pedagogy.
Socio-constructivist theory views that learning and development is shaped with other people, the environment and cultural practices, rather than seen solely happening through biological and developmental maturation processes. Children are not simply recipients of information and instruction; they co-construct and develop understanding of the world through experiences, relationships, communication and active participation in daily life. Therefore, HEI pedagogy emphasizes learning in peer groups, interactions and joint experiences and explorations rather than engaging children in individual tasks such as worksheets.
In holistic learning, development is not perceived as isolated areas, where for instance cognitive skills are developed separately from social, emotional or physical development. Instead, these dimensions are understood as interconnected. A child's wellbeing, relationships, emotions, physical activity, language and thinking all influence one another and contribute to children’s learning.
Everyday situations such as playing, eating, getting dressed, going outdoors or resolving a disagreement can all be meaningful learning opportunities and contribute to holistic learning and development. Learning is not limited to teacher-planned and intentional teaching activities but it takes place throughout the child's day and across different areas of development.
Basic activities such as nap time, mealtime, transitions and dressing for outdoor/indoor activities, free playing, and being outdoors are considered educationally valuable and meaningful learning activities, and educators play an important role in caring, guiding, and teaching children in them. (Pursi, A., Cekaite, A., & Lipponen, L. (2024).
Play creates a zone of proximal development of the child. In play the child always behaves beyond his average age, above his daily behavior; in play it is as though he were a head taller than himself. As in the focus of magnifying glass, play contains all developmental tendencies in a condensed form and in itself is a major source of development”. (Vygotsky, 1966)
This idea supports an important principle in HEI Curriculum: children can learn together while still having individual learning pathways. Individualisation does not necessarily mean providing every child with a separate curriculum. Instead, educators adapt their questions, materials, interactions, expectations and level of support to respond to individual children's abilities, interests and needs within a shared learning environment. Play serves as an essential context for the development and learning in early childhood years.
Research on play and play-based learning is one of the most important foundations of both Finnish early childhood pedagogy and HEI approach. Play is understood not merely as a break from learning or as something children do after the "real" teaching has finished. It is a meaningful way for children to explore the world, experiment with ideas, express themselves, practise social relationships and make sense of their experiences.
The essential theoretical perspectives on play come for example from Vygotsky. From a sociocultural perspective, play provides children with a context in which they can practise ways of thinking and behaving that extend beyond their everyday actions. In pretend play, children create imaginary situations, take on roles, use objects symbolically – for example, a broom can be a horse – and negotiate shared meanings with others. These processes require children to use imagination, language, perspective-taking, planning and self-regulation and reflect the development of higher mental functions and abstract thinking. Thereby, play provides educators with a window into children's thinking and development.
Contemporary research supports the connection between play and multiple areas of development. Through play, children can develop their cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and physical skills simultaneously. They can test hypotheses, negotiate roles, solve problems and practise communication in a context that is meaningful to them. In play, children are head and shoulders above their performance.
For children of preschool and kindergarten age their mastery of academic skills is not as good a predictor of their later scholastic abilities as the quality of their play. In a four-year-old’s play one can observe higher levels of such abilities as attention, symbolizing and problem solving than in other situations. (Bodrova, 2008)
Higher levels of self-regulation of children’s physical behaviors may be observed in play than in non-play contexts. For example, when a boy was asked to be the lookout, he remained at his post and did not move for a longer period of time than he could when the experimenter asked him to stand still in a laboratory condition. (Bodrova, 2008)
More recent Finnish and Nordic research has further strengthened the understanding of children as active participants and social actors. Influenced by contemporary Childhood Studies and relational approaches, the child is no longer viewed primarily as a developing individual who is shaped by adults. Instead, children are understood as active participants in relationships, communities and their own everyday lives.
This perspective changes the question from "What should adults teach children?" to a broader question: "How can children participate in creating their own learning and everyday environment?"
Children's perspectives, interests, experiences and ideas therefore have an important place in Finnish ECEC. Participation can take many forms. Children may contribute to decisions about activities, influence the development of the learning environment, suggest ideas for projects or express their preferences about how they want to participate.
Importantly, participation does not mean that children make every decision themselves. Rather, it means that children are listened to and given genuine opportunities to influence matters that concern them. Adults continue to hold responsibility for safety, wellbeing and pedagogical decisions, while creating space for children's agency within these boundaries.
This contributes to an image of the child as competent, curious and capable of contributing, rather than as someone who must first acquire knowledge and skills before being able to participate meaningfully.
In the HEI Curriculum, as in Finnish education, learning becomes meaningful when it is connected to children's own experiences, interests and the world around them. Rather than teaching knowledge and skills as isolated pieces of information, our approach encourages children to explore ideas through meaningful contexts, themes, projects and real-world phenomena.
This approach has roots in the work and ideas of John Dewey, whose educational philosophy emphasised learning through experience, inquiry and active participation. From this perspective, children develop understanding of the world by engaging with meaningful situations and connecting new experiences with what they already know. Learning is therefore not simply about acquiring information, but about making connections, asking questions, investigating and constructing meaning together.
A similar principle can be found in sociocultural theory, which understands learning through participation in social and cultural activities. A shared context gives children opportunities to use language, collaborate, solve problems and develop understanding together. The context becomes a space in which learning is influenced by people, materials and the environment.
HEI pedagogy and curriculum represents and can be understood as a research-informed pedagogical approach and culture, combining an image of the child as an active learner with an understanding of learning as social, cultural, relational, holistic and deeply connected to the child's everyday life.
Developed in collaboration with the University of Helsinki, the HEI Curriculum is grounded in research-based knowledge of children's learning, development, play, well-being, and holistic growth. This theoretical foundation translates directly into practical pedagogical principles, learning goals, daily routines, and rich learning environments that support every child's individual learning journey and overall well-being.
Key areas of current educational research:
Bodrova, E. (2008). Make-believe play versus academic skills: a Vygotskian approach to today's dilemma of early childhood education. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal.16:(3), 357–369.
Hilppö, J., Lipponen, L., Kumpulainen, K., & Rainio, A. (2016). Children’s Sense of Agency in Preschool: A Sociocultural Investigation. International journal of early years education. 24(2), 157–171.
Hilppö, J., Lipponen, L., Kumpulainen, K., & Virlander, M. (2016). Sense of Agency and Everyday Life: Children’s Perspective. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 10, 50–59.
Kangas, J & Harju-Luukkainen, H. (2022. “Creating a Theoretical Framework for Playful
Learning and Pedagogy: The Finnish Perspective.” in Harju-Luukkainen, H., Kangas J. &
Garvis. S. (eds). Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care: A Multi-theoretical
perspective on research and practice. vol. 1, Early Childhood Research and Education:
An Inter-theoretical Focus, no. 1, vol. 1. 195–208.
Kangas, J, Harju-Luukkainen, H, Brotherus, A, Kuusisto, A & Gearon, L. 2019. “Playing to
learn in Finland: Early childhood curricular and operational contexts.” in Garvis, S. &
Phillipson S. (eds). Policification of Early Childhood Education and Care: Early Childhood
Education in the 21st Century Volume III. Evolving Families. 71–85.
Lipponen, L., Kumpulainen, K., & Paananen, M. (2018). “Children’s perspective to curriculum work: Meaningful moments in Finnish early childhood education.” in M. Fleer, & B. van Oers. International Handbook on Early Childhood Education. Volume 2, 1265–1277.
Lillard, A., Lerner, M., Hopkins, E., Dore, R, Smith, E. & Palmquist, C. (2012). The Impact of Pretend Play on Children's Development: A Review of the Evidence. Psychological Bulletin. 139. 1-34.
Madureira Ferreira, J. (2021). Play-based learning and phenomenon-based learning in the Finnish Early Childhood Education. Olhares & Trilhas, 23(3), 1278–1306.
Pursi, A., Cekaite, A., & Lipponen, L. (2024). Joint waking activity in early childhood education as a collaborative configuration of care. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 31(3–4), 348–370.
Schaffar, B. & Wolff, L.-A. (2024). Phenomenon-based Learning in Finland: A Critical Overview of its Historical and Philosophical Roots. Cogent Education, 11(1).
Smits-van der Nat, M., van der Wilt, F., Meeter, M. et al. (2024). The Value of Pretend Play for Social Competence in Early Childhood: A Meta-analysis. Educ Psychol Rev 36, 46.
Venninen, T., Leinonen, J., Lipponen, L., & Ojala, M. (2014). Supporting children's participation in Finnish child care centers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(3), 211–218.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Your foundational theoretical reference for play, imagination, social interaction and the development of higher mental functions.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1967). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Soviet Psychology, 5(3), 6–18.