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 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. So how does Montessori Academy prepare children for school and life success?
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.
Parents frequently ask why Montessori classes group children by two to three year age groups, when primary schools group students by their birth year.
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.
According to Montessori Theory, the development of literacy begins long before children start primary school, and is acquired in a variety of ways at different ages.
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.
Grace and Courtesy lessons are an important part of Montessori Academy's Practical Life Curriculum. In fact, the skills children learn as part of the Grace and Courtesy lesson program are just as important as Maths, Music and Language. This is because lessons on Grace and Courtesy provide children with explicit instructions on how to interpret and react to different social situations and behaviours.