In the Montessori classroom, the child is preparing the hand for handwriting even before trying to write their name. See some of that progression here. From her very first day, and her very first material, the child is constantly using her hand, refining fine motor control. As a child’s manual dexterity develops, they are able […]
A mixed-age environment is fundamental to a Montessori classroom, and we see the benefits of it daily. We wanted to explore some of those benefits in greater detail, as well as hypothesizing some of the unique reasons it is so wonderful in a Montessori classroom. All Montessori classrooms have a mixed-age group, usually three years. […]
Last Saturday, we had our first Parent Education workshop of the year. Our theme was Independence. We’d like to go deeper into what we mean when we say “independence,” as well as discussing some of the ways we can work together to help children develop independence at home in their first six years. In Montessori philosophy, […]
When entering the Montessori classroom, you instantly feel a sense of order and calm. Everything has its purpose and its place. To a newcomer, like myself, the Montessori classroom presents a sense of foreign familiarity: I do not understand how the materials work, but I can explain the concepts they teach. With the teachers’ help […]
One of the most magical things about Montessori, one of the ways the genius of Montessori is revealed, is in the repetition and building of materials and skills. When a child moves from a mastered material to the next one in a series, the change is small, manageable, incremental. This both highlights the change, as […]