Is Montessori School Good for a Gifted Child?

Yes, perhaps in the same way that athletic academies are good for gifted athletes

Frequently, our teachers are asked 'is Montessori school good for a gifted child?’ The short answer is ‘yes,’ but it goes deeper than that.

What Does ‘Gifted’ Mean?

During the Montessori preschool day, our teachers have seen a difference between showing promise and exhibiting skills in one subject versus showing the same mastery in ALL subjects.

For example, I may be a ‘gifted’ teacher--but Elon Musk is a gifted mind. His talent and brilliance are greater than mine. So, how gifted am I really in the scheme of things?

Is someone gifted in everything?

Yes, you can make a case for being ‘gifted’ by being accepted at an Ivy League school. But for 99% of kids, applying ALL the components that maximize your gift towards success is every bit as important. 

'Average Kids' Turn Out Highly Successful, Too!

At our school, teaching ensemble subjects and building student competencies in all of them is something we start working on from age three. A few of our kids are brilliant but the majority are average like us. Still, being ‘average’ doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. Our teachers build average children and focus their skills on creating overall academic and social development.

The Lifetime Montessori School Difference

At Lifetime Montessori School, we have a child working at a high level in math. Is he gifted? Well, he certainly shows an early predisposition toward the subject matter.

Here’s where we differ from the school down the street. Yes, he’s got skills.

But, more importantly, he is learning at his own pace—a second-grader achieving fourth-grade math skills. And, with a teacher guiding him individually each step of the way towards understanding the backing concepts of the topic.

So, is Montessori school good for a gifted child? Yes, because we challenge the whole child. But, it’s also good for average kids, too, because they learn via their peers how to master each task as it weaves into another, more complicated task. In this way, we create a collaborative, peer-to-peer, and student-to-teacher bond that results in lifelong problem-solving skills as a tool for success. And, if that’s not a ‘gifted’ approach, then at least it is enlightened!