Typical preschool classrooms are filled with letters, numbers, shapes and colors. Children are taught how to behave in a classroom and what is expected of them while they are in the care of the teacher. In that way traditional and Montessori methods are the same. Likely in a typical classroom, the children all learn together in a group. Montessori encourages children to spend as much time as they need on any given task to ensure the child is able to fully experience the activity using all their senses. In a typical classroom the child may have the ability to develop their senses but it is up to the teacher to put that into context for the child and that is wholly dependent on the particular teacher’s training. Montessori teachers are all trained with a particular set of motivators in mind when creating a classroom space or even designing an activity. Montessori education looks to the child for guidance and typical preschool education is lead by the teacher. One is not better than the other, it is simply a style and method that may or may not serve your child’s needs as you see fit.

Who and what is Montessori?

Dr Maria Montessori was a medical doctor in Rome in the late 1800s, assigned to care for children who were believed to be unteachable. These children, she realized were housed in environments devoid of sensory stimulation or any type of enrichment. She noticed a little boy, who was nonverbal, playing with any little bit of debris that he happened upon, he would touch it, play with it, move it around. She took just a simple thought, clearly this child is taking in information from his environment and trying to learn about the world. She posited that if she created an enriching environment, one that would try to reach him through his senses; touch, smell, sight, hearing and taste, he might at least live a more fulfilling life in the children’s institution.

She began to design activities that would stimulate his sense of touch. She brought him all kinds of different textures and has she helped pass his finger lightly over the surfaces she would name them. “Rough, rough”, she said (in Italian, of course) while gently running his fingers over the surface of a piece of sand paper. Soon the boy began to recognize rough surfaces. She used that little piece of information to devise other activities to stimulate his sense and began naming those as well. By interacting with the boy and naming the things we was experiencing, she was able to start teaching him about his environment, with this in mind, she began to enrich his environment adding things like bits of colored paper, things to smell, beautiful images, music to listen to, this all made the boys world a little brighter and he began to learn. She continued to design and conduct these experiments to prove that the children in the hospital were not unteachable, they just needed someone to teach them in the way they learn.

“teach them the way they learn”

Montessori was able to devise a way to teach children in their own “language”. Most lessons given in a Montessori classroom, especially in the beginning, are done in silence. Young children are still picking up language and new words so teaching new concepts can be difficult, but a child will always imitate. Montessori teachers move through the classroom with a child’s sense of wonder and try to see everything around them for the first time. They are guides in the classroom, they do not show the child how to complete an activity, they first model the task then ask the child if they would like to try. Montessorians realize that children learn by watching and in doing so, they model a behavior they wish to see in the classroom. This makes the instruction very clear but not overt: do what I am doing. Children always want to do what you are doing, Dr Montessori just hacked the child’s senses to teach them.

The multi-age classroom

Montessori classrooms do not group children of a particular age but rather by developmental stage. This is to ensure that a particular child is given all the time they need to work on a specific task until they have it mastered. Not all children learn at the same pace at the same time and in a classroom with children ages 3 to 6 years no one child will feel left behind if someone else their age has moved onto another area of the classroom while they are still mastering a task. The mixed age classroom also encourages the older children so assist the younger children, this leads to a classroom community where children are concerned for other and take their place as a peaceful, mindful and contributing members of the group. The multi-age classroom also helps children develop social skills and patience. A 6-year-old, who has been in a Montessori program for the full 3 years might see a 3-year-old struggling to move a chair and offer to help them because odds are, when they were 3, someone who was 6 helped them. This also teaches the 3-year-old to ask for help when they need it instead of throw a fit out of frustration.

Montessori is a life style choice

Montessori methods can be used to teach children in a classroom setting but most lessons are transferable to home life. In a classroom we exercise the child’s ability to do for themselves. You at home can aid your child in this pursuit by preparing your home for them to be successful. For example, getting ready to leave your house in the morning usually includes a bout with tying shoes… little shoes. Try instead to find your child shoes that they can easily put on and take off by themselves. Whether they are slip on shoes or Velcro straps, this gives the child a way to take care of their own needs giving them the confidence to be just like you, not to mention the free time you’ll gain by simply not having to tie little shoes. This little change can make a huge difference in the confidence building of the child and take a little stress out of getting out the door.

Little Garden Montessori is dedicated to the pursuit of early childhood education in its natural and most efficient form. Children will learn through play and not even realize they are gaining knowledge and experience that will help them in their everyday life. We are always here to provide support to families who might want to engage in a Montessori lifestyle or incorporate some aspects of it into their lives. We hope this information is helpful in aiding you to make your decision on what type of preschool is right for you and your family

Peace, love and light.

NB