Creative Curriculum began in the United States in the late 19th century. Many early theorists felt that there was a bigger need for a more meaningful way of teaching. John Dewey developed the Creative Curriculum program using Vygotsky's theory that social interaction is the key to children's learning to help students utilize the skills and knowledge they learned in the classroom.

The Creative Curriculum classroom is a community place where learning takes place through positive relationships between children and adults. Creative Curriculum believes that all children learn through active exploration of their environment and therefore the environment plays a critical role in learning. It inspires children with project-based, investigative learning and builds children's confidence, creativity, and critical thinking through hands-on, project-based investigations. The program helps teachers interact with children in ways that promote development and help students utilize the skills and knowledge they learned in the classroom.

Finally, the goal of Creative learning is to help children become independent and self-confident.