Play to Develop

Maria Montessori fosters the idea that real purposeful work prepares one for real life. You may witness your child helping at home with mundane tasks, such as wiping up, pushing a chair in, pouring water, and cleaning and washing their hands. The traditional work of the family is referred to in Montessori as practical life work. It is the most critical area of education for life.

It's re-enrollment time, and in thousands of Montessori schools all over America, parents of four year old's are trying to decide whether or not they should keep their children in Montessori for kindergarten or send them to a local school. 

Do you ever wonder why the Montessori method places such an emphasis on independence and responsibilities?

We all chose Montessori for a reason, right? Whatever that may be, we all must understand that Montessori is not quite the traditional way of learning as most of us have been used to attending schools. Montessori once said, 'Today, education (what is called education) is still largely the passing on information. It is static and stagnant. It fails its purpose if it remains on the same old level if it does not move with the needs of the time. The mere information imparted is nothing.

I wanted to continue talking about movement in the classroom. I truly appreciate all of you coming to our Back to School night, and I know I probably rushed through the movement aspect in the classroom, but it is essential for children. It is not only applicable in our environment, but it is also applicable in our daily lives.

Points of interest is a valuable piece of Montessori terminology, a point of interest is something we call attention to to highlight detail to a child.

I just wanted to reach out and talk about independence. As we continue during the Winter Season, children start to wear thicker jackets, sweaters, etc. One of the things that we work on as a class is having children learn how to hang their jackets up on a hanger, as well as put it on themselves.

Many of you are interested in finding ways to occupy your child's time in a Montessori way to give your child an environment that fosters calmness and focus.