Montessori preschool children learn by doing. The idea is that engaging in multipurpose hands-on activities helps children enjoy learning and that enjoyment leads to the children being more interested in learning increasingly complex and abstract lessons. These 4 examples are only the tip of the Montessori iceberg, but they are enough to show you how and why Montessori works as well as it does.
Whether the kids are looking for colored rocks or an elusive Monarch Butterfly, the time Montessori preschool children spend outdoors benefits them in many ways. It helps them develop social skills, learn to think critically and solve problems, and assists their fine and motor skills development. The subject of the search is far less important than the purposes behind the search, but that is the secret of Montessori success.
Creative Arts
Making music, drawing a sunrise, or building a block tower are all creative endeavors used in Montessori preschool. Teaching children how to express their creative talents gives them a sense of self-esteem, but it also teaches vital skills like critical thinking, math, science, and language. The beauty of the Montessori Method is that the children’s activities are more often a means to an end rather than the goal itself.
Fitness Games
As the name implies, fitness activities are intended to help children develop critical fine and gross motor skills. Running, jumping, climbing, and building exercise young muscles and help young minds gain a better understanding of the laws of physics and how they apply to everyday life.
Montessori-Inspired Geography
Montessori-inspired geography often beings with maps in preschool, but it goes much farther than that. Montessori preschool children learn about cultural diversity, the origin of foods and animals, and a host of other information in the process of learning a place’s location on a map. They learn those other things because learning to remember a place's location is a poor substitute for learning the myriad bits of information that make every location a unique part of the world.
From preschool onward, Montessori students are involved in a whole-child form of education that uses special hands-on activities and invites learning about many facets of our world beyond that actual activity lessons. In addition to academic and physical development, they learn about culture, social etiquette, and practical skills, all while allowing every child to develop at his own place and in his own way.
