What’s so great about Montessori Preschool? We’re sure you hear the term “Montessori” here and there. You may even trust it as a positive child-development philosophy without knowing much about it.
Archbishop Walsh Academy/Southern Tier Catholic School has long hosted a Montessori preschool program. How could this benefit your child? Let’s break it down.
How Would Montessori Preschool Benefit My Child?
Montessori is a child-centered approach to learning – rooted in neuroscience and years of study on what makes young minds “tick.” It allows students, even at the youngest of ages, to have more freedom in their learning activities to emphasize social, emotional and physical experience.
Here are 4 key points about Montessori preschool that parents/guardians just can’t ignore.
1. Self-Directed Activity
Young students are encouraged to explore their classroom and choose activities that interest them. This allows children to find the things they enjoy (and find stimulating). Of course, the educator sets the environment, but every option is presented as a choice in free play.
You may see groups of students learning alone or at play together – building puzzles, playing with toys, exploring books and crafting projects at their leisure, much like in any early childhood classroom. But look more deeply. Our little independent learners are being set free to:
- Develop multi-sensory skills
- Manage interpersonal relationships
- Feed their curiosity
- & so much more
Which resource is most abundant? Time (which segues nicely to our next point).
2. Moving at Their Own Pace
In a Montessori preschool classroom, students are able to learn at their own speed. Students (especially little ones) absorb and comprehend at different rates. Some may learn and retain sight words with just a few tries. Others may take a year or more to become proficient – and that goes for any subject.
If they’re forced to move ahead or on to a new activity before they’re ready, that does nothing to help the learning process. If anything, it hinders it.
The Montessori philosophy honors the time it takes for individualized learning to flourish.
3. Laying a Foundation for the Future
When most people think of early childhood education, they’re envisioning what happens in an early elementary school program. We may picture young children sitting in a reading circle or reciting basic times tables in a second-grade classroom. But here’s the truth: the foundation laid BEFORE they get to school is just as important – if not more.
But isn’t daycare just a glorified babysitting service? Not at all! Montessori begins with the youngest learners. Even toddlers have just as much to learn by:
- Socializing
- Sensory experiences
- Unstructured play
- Finding joy in personal interests
Learning at a young age also develops concentration, which can be among the hardest skills for young (very active) minds to achieve. By working at a favored task to mastery, children learn to focus on the task at hand, avoid distractions and reduce impulsive behavior. They learn calm patience while exploring new tools and tasks, rather than getting frustrated when the first attempt fails.
4. Hands-On Learning
Montessori preschool students build multisensory perception and motor skills through hands-on learning. Sensory experiences are the ultimate learning supplement. Particular senses associated with learning experiences help young children to absorb and retain information.
It’s really quite amazing. For example, a child may remember 3 + 5 = 8 because they remember feeling the counting beads in their hands and visualizing that number of beads on the table in front of them. They may associate the smell of paint or markers with spelling words they practiced in art form, or the sound of a nursery rhyme building vocabulary.
What’s more, hands-on learning brings excitement. They’re engaged. They’re participating meaningfully. They want to be there.
Explore Montessori Preschool for Your Child Today
Here at our small, private Catholic school, we provide a safe and nurturing environment in our Montessori preschool for children of all ages to thrive.
Let’s lay a foundation for the future. Book a tour today and let’s get to know each other!