The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a curriculum framework, not an exam: there are no IB tests in the PYP. Learning is inquiry-led, which means children learn by asking questions and finding things out. This guide explains two of its big ideas, the six transdisciplinary themes and the learner profile, with easy ways to bring them into family life.
The six transdisciplinary themes
In the PYP, learning happens through units of inquiry. A unit is simply a block of learning, and the units sit under six transdisciplinary themes.
Transdisciplinary means “across the subjects”. Language, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, and personal, social and physical education are taught through and alongside the units. So a theme is not a subject of its own: it is a big idea that several subjects can feed into.
The names are a good clue to what each theme is about. Here is one everyday way into each, with a question to ask:
- Who we are. Share family stories: where you have lived, what your child enjoys, how they have grown. Ask: “What makes you you?”
- Where we are in place and time. Look at old photos or a map together, or talk about a journey you have made. Ask: “What was different when your grandparents were your age?”
- How we express ourselves. Make something together: a song, a dance, a drawing or a made-up story. Ask: “What feeling did you put into it?”