The child
Is made of one hundred.
The child has
A hundred languages
A hundred hands
A hundred thoughts
A hundred ways of thinking
Of playing, of speaking.
A hundred always a hundred
Ways of listening
Of marveling, of loving…
from the poem “100 Languages”
by Loris Malaguzzi. Translated by Lella Gandini
The hundred languages is a key principle of the Reggio-inspired approach. It refers to communication and emphasizes the importance of providing children with one hundred ways to learn and share their thinking of the world around them.
Here are some of the ways we've communicated in our classroom this year:
Friendships formed without words
The birth of Christ read by Senora Oro-Hahn
Block building with a partner
An assistant teacher quietly coming alongside and translating into Korean
A look of understanding when a word is spoken in Spanish - "Grande o pequeño?"
Collaborative paintings
Counting in the language we know best
An assistant teacher who trained to teach English as a second language
Self-portrait drawings
The universal language of tag at the park
Numbers substituting for words
Sending written and drawn messages to friends
Twelve mini English accents asking for "waw-tuh" to drink
Our hope is that these twelve children will continue using their hundred languages to share their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and knowledge, with the people they meet next year, and for the rest of their lives.
The full poem can be found here: The 100 Languages
