Education for children has been introduced in various formats for
centuries. Dr. Maria Montessori created a system of educational learning for
children based on learning naturally. She opened her first preschool in Rome of
1907. Her unique way of educating children is still being used in thousands of Montessori
schools around the world for over 100 years.
Dr. Montessori suggested that learning through sensory motor
skills are a more formative way to teach children of an early age. By
introducing this method, children rely on their sense of sight, smell, taste,
sound, touch, and movement for learning. Preschoolers are taught to learn
through activities created to encourage learning by experience.
Montessori Preschool Activities
Montessori
preschools are found to use a variety
of activities to help students advance in their awareness of the environment.
Since preschoolers explore with their hands, activities catering to this desire
will help them teach themselves, with teachers as their guides.
Below you will find some preschool structured activities you may
in a Montessori school in your area:
Practical
Life Development –
concentrates on activities preschoolers can use for hands on experience to
learn more about themselves and their environment.
- Sweeping – showing a sense of order and cleanliness
- Gardening – an opportunity to interact with nature and
learn how things grow.
- Food preparation – helps with concentration skills while
learning self-care.
Sensory
Skills – show how to use senses as
guides, such as touch exploration for recognition of
shapes and sizes and comparing their differences.
- Graduated blocks
- Pressure sensitive containers
- Colored tablets
Mathematics –
children learn by sorting and classifying numbers.
- Flash cards
- Abacus
Language –
uses letters to familiarize the child with sound and how to correlate those
sounds through:
- Reading
- Vocabulary
- Handwriting
Culture –
children will understand who they are, where they come from, and what their place in the world is through basic structures
for:
- History - timelines
- Geography - maps
- Science - nature and environment
In Pleasanton you can find many Montessori preschools, but we encourage you to schedule a tour and see the quality education your child will receive at Montessori School of Pleasanton. See for yourself what makes a Montessori school the best place for your child to develop individually through discovery and experience.
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