Perhaps you know someone with a child at a Montessori school. Maybe you heard about it at a local playgroup, or you stumbled across it online. It all sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? An environment that fosters a deep love for learning; teachers trained to meet the needs of each individual child; a classroom community that provides an opportunity for all children to develop independence.
However, as a parent, you have plenty of great options during your child’s early childhood — so what makes authentic, high-quality Montessori the right choice for you, your child, and their education? Many of the experiences in a Montessori classroom seem the complete opposite to our own experiences in school, and it’s understandable to question something new to you! Let’s explore a handful of significant reasons why your child will thrive in a quality Montessori program.
Your Child Will Learn By Doing
Your child will be exposed to hundreds of specially designed materials that invite hands-on exploration. They are in charge of what they want to explore, creating strong neural pathways that contribute to the construction of a strong brain.
In addition, the way an authentic Montessori environment is structured around freedom within limits and living within a community makes it perfectly suited to supporting the growth of these executive functioning skills:
- Self-regulation
- Flexibility and course correction skills
- Impulse control
- Planning and strategizing
- Problem solving
- Initiative taking
- Responsibility
- Concentration
- Collaboration
Your Child Will Learn from and Teach Others
Are you familiar with the saying there is no better way to learn than to teach? This happens every day in Montessori classrooms. You may not even see the teacher right away when you enter one of our classrooms. They may be sitting on a short stool beside a child presenting a variation on a material or with a small group sharing an oral story about a work of art. Perhaps they are observing the work period while planning their next lesson. What they won’t be doing is directing the whole class, seated in rows of desks, through the same instruction all at once.
One purpose of this structure is that all the learners are free to move about the room. This allows for so much observation and admiration of one’s older peers and mentoring of one’s younger peers. When older children have the chance to teach a concept to their younger classmates, the experience solidifies their knowledge and contributes to a confident and joyful relationship with learning.
The Curriculum Adapts to Your Child
Most conventional early childhood programs operate around the notion that all children born within a year of each other are capable of learning and doing the same thing at the same time. As we all know, this simply isn’t true! Many bright children can become bored, or the ones who need more time to learn can be left behind when a whole group is being taught simultaneously.
We truly honor the fact that your child has their own unique timeline for development and will learn different parts of the curriculum at their own pace. Thus, we teach by following the individual needs of your child, not to the entire class or to a group of same-aged children.
Beautiful Classrooms Inspire Your Child to Learn
Our classrooms are beautiful and inviting. Materials are displayed on low, open shelves and beckon the child to “Come touch me! Come explore!” We strive to provide everything from furniture to advanced, didactic materials in child-sized proportions. Art is displayed at their height, too!
Our classrooms are also designed to mimic the home. In fact, Dr. Montessori called the classroom “casa de bambini” (Children’s House). To that end, our classrooms will always have beautiful artwork from all over the world. A cozy, child-sized chair for reading a curated selection of age-appropriate books. The tables, chairs, shelves, and even sinks when possible are scaled to a size that makes them accessible to the children.
The Teacher Really Knows Your Child
Your child will be a member of the same classroom community for three years, and in some cases four! Montessori teachers are trained to observe and to support each individual child, and these years afford your child and their guide an opportunity for deep connection. They will grow deeply familiar with your children’s strengths, challenges, and interests and then plan lessons based on this knowledge.