The phrase ‘sensitive periods’ often conjures up thoughts of moody teenagers, but it actually refers to a period of time when a child’s interests are focused on developing a particular skill or knowledge area.
Ensuring that children have the skills they need to succeed in the digital age is one of the most important issues for 21st century education.
The term normalisation is often met with confusion and concern from parents. However, the good news is normalisation is actually very positive in the context of Montessori education.
Fine motor skills, or dexterity, is something that we often think develops naturally in a child as they grow older. However, there is actually a close relationship between fine motor development and cognitive development.
If you’ve ever been in a Montessori Academy classroom around 9am, you might be surprised by what you see and hear. Young children aren’t usually known for being quiet or overly attentive for long periods of time. However, during the first few hours of the Montessori preschool day, children are highly focused on their own chosen tasks, usually individually, under the guidance of a trained teacher.
The human mind is by nature mathematical. From birth we learn the meaning of phrases such as “how old are you?” and “we’re leaving in one hour.” The capabilities of the mathematics mind are present in the mind of the child. An infant is able to understand the difference between one and many.
The importance of early childhood education to children’s lives is beyond question. A good beginning to life is well recognised as the foundation for future development, health and wellbeing, not only in the early years, but also throughout life.
The phrase ‘sensitive periods in human development’ may sound like it refers to moody teenagers, but it actually refers to periods of time when a child easily absorbs information in a specific way. The most important sensitive periods occur between birth and age six.
Montessori is a transformative educational model that can make a significant contribution to the educational outcomes for children from all social, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
Practical Life is one of the most controversial areas within the Montessori Curriculum. This is because people often question the educational benefits of Practical Life Activities, such as watering plants, sweeping, cleaning and folding. It’s not uncommon for people to ask why children need to learn to wash dishes and pack away, instead of simply leaving them to play. So why is Practical Life so important?