A child who becomes a master of his acts through long and repeated exercises (of practical life), and who has been encouraged by the pleasant and interesting activities in which he has been engaged, is a child filled with health and joy and remarkable for his calmness and discipline – Maria Montessori

In our Introduction to Practical Life, we discussed the direct and indirect purposes of our Practical Life exercises in our classrooms. When visiting our classrooms, take the time to notice our specific Practical Life activities and you will see why we call our classrooms “Prepared Environments.” Teachers carefully select every single material found on our shelves.

Keep your eyes open for some of the following characteristics:

Familiar: They resemble mundane activities that children see regularly in their family life and the objects are therefore familiar. This element of familiarity assists the children for orientation to their new classroom. Objects also reflect the local cultural and social environment helping children  increase their independence, adaptation and ability to contribute to their newfound social community.

Child-sized: Materials are meant to fit small hands. We take into consideration, the child’s proportions in order to encourage precision and the child’s confidence in his/her coordination. Well-proportioned tools that are heavy enough to provide a tactile feedback facilitate the child to fine tune with his/her motor skills.

Real, functional and complete: Objects are recognizable and have a realistic appearance that is connected to their purpose. Materials and activities must be efficient to build self-confidence. By providing children with real and functional tools, we show them that their work is valued. They must also be complete so as to allow children to fully finish the exercise and to therefore finish the full cycle of the activity.

Breakable: A child who is given unbreakable objects is robbed from the opportunity to develop fine motor skills, care of their environment, and respect and responsibility towards the objects of his/her classroom. In that sense, the value of glass/porcelain/ceramic in the environment extends beyond its aesthetic qualities, it gives the child the opportunity to control the fine and gross movements and gives the child feedback of his/her actions removing the necessity to say “carry it carefully”. Teachers embrace breakage as a learning experience, resulting in that activity being taken off the shelf. There is no reprimand, just the consequence of it: items must be taken away until it is repaired or a replacement is found.

Attractive: Maria Montessori believed that the child must be offered what is most beautiful and pleasing to the eye. The objects tend to come from natural materials such as wood, metal, porcelain, glass, etc. At the same time, the objects must be simple so as to not distract the child from their utility.

Limited: There is only one set of each activity so as to strengthen will, choice, independence, social and decision making capacities. If a classmate has already chosen a specific activity, the child will have to choose an alternative piece of work. That way, the child is learning that the community shares its resources and that one’s first choice is not always available. If two children want to use the same material, they must negotiate its use, thereby enhancing socialization and cooperative skills.

Above all else, the materials must be beautiful so as to attract the child’s interest and contribute to the general aesthetics of the whole class environment.

© Lions Gate Montessori

All families treasure books but sometimes it is difficult to decide which books to buy and which to borrow. In our Primary classrooms, we carefully select books for our library corner. You may be asking yourself, “what’s the Montessori criteria when choosing books for the young child?”

Here are a few characteristics that we look for before making each and every book available to our preschoolers:

• Reality: we provide books based on reality. Dr. Montessori wasn’t against fiction or fairy-tales but she believed that these books are best suited to the older children with a more mature mind and ability to abstract. The young child is trying to adapt and orientate to his/her environment and to make sense of the world he/she lives in. Therefore, these children crave and are more interested in books that deal with the world around then, animals, the environment and everyday activities.
• Diversity: we offer books that demonstrate diversity, show different cultures and different lands so as to expose the children to the vastness and beauty of our planet.
• Quality: we take quality over quantity anytime. We look for books that have large, clear, beautiful, high quality images that balances just right with the amount of text. Images must be captivating and inspiring. Also, we always make sure that the books are intelligent and don’t speak down to children. 

Furthermore, when introducing the library and books to the children we follow the same procedure as with all the other materials in the classroom. We demonstrate proper handling and technique of use. We guide them towards the appropriate space to perform that activity and, finally, we allow them to work independently.

To be more specific, we also:

• Demonstrate how to turn a book’s pages carefully from the top right corner as well as how to carry a book properly by holding it with both hands.
• Ensure the child knows and understands where books are kept and is able to put them back after use.
• Provide a comfortable reading space (at home, you may think about having a corner with a few cushions in the living area as well as the bedroom or outdoor environment). We store books at the child’s height in a front-facing bookshelf (you may use other types of displays or even baskets). The young child is not able to associate a book by it’s spine so it’s best to store them where the child can easily see the cover.
• Do not interrupt a child reading (unless they are mistreating the book or are in danger). Children develop and exercise their ability to concentrate just by reading/looking at books. In addition to this, we accept the children’s choice by allowing them to choose a book to read without enforcing our preferences.

Please do not hesitate to ask your child’s teacher for specific suggestions of books and authors.

Happy reading everyone!

© Lions Gate Montessori

“The connection to academic success may not come directly from income, rather from something that is absolutely free. Words.”

The Montessori approach to language takes the importance of words into consideration from the very first day a three year old child steps into the classroom. Language is essential in the process of thinking and the child needs to be spoken to and listened to often. In our classrooms, the teachers facilitate the acquisition of verbal language by preparing the environment and focusing on presenting rich, real and purposeful oral language experiences. Our environments provide endless opportunities for the children to speak using their recently acquired language skills. The children have meaningful conversations, enriching their vocabulary and hearing English in all of its different forms, through stories, poems, songs, oral games, and finger plays. Teachers consistently name things by their specific names, repeat new words when they are introduced, enunciate carefully, and speak slowly. An important aspect of our spoken language lessons in the Montessori classroom are the 3 Period Lessons. These lessons teach particular terms, such as the names of the countries in North America and the characteristics of the Sensorial material (i.e. large, larger, the largest) by using real objects, classroom materials, photos/illustrations, and miniatures. This ensures that the children are not only acquiring new words, but also solidifying concepts based on previous concrete experiences. Our environments are prepared to offer a broad exposure to the spoken word. We understand that it is only through practice that the children work to perfect their speech, articulation, vocabulary, grammar, phrasing, and sentence structure, ultimately becoming masters of their own language.

Years ago, researchers Betty Hart, PhD and Todd Risley, PhD of the University of Kansas, uncovered some amazing results from a very in-depth study of young children (0-3), their caregivers, and their conversations.  After three years of observing 42 families from across a varied socio-economic pool, and examining the more than 1,300 hours of interactions they had recorded, they discovered a great deal about language, but also made some surprising connections along the way. Click here to continue reading… 

We’ve been told it’s “old fashion” for our children to use cursive writing. In fact, most schools no longer teach it. So why do Montessori schools like ours still insist on using cursive? In most cases, it’s the most natural form of writing, but it’s also good for your brain! Find out how in this article from Psychology Today.