An authentic Montessori private kindergarten is a unique educational environment. The room is divided into areas intended to support a specific type of education, but there is also plenty of room for mixing subjects and work areas. And unlike traditional public kindergarten, children are encouraged to move relatively freely around the classroom, moving on to different activities or pairing up with other students on a larger project.
Sensorial Learning
Hands-on kindergarten activities provide lessons that are imparted through the five senses, taste, touch, scent, sound, and sight. These exercises are presented in a number of ways and may be incorporated in other activities, such as comparing colors to tastes, learning about culture and geography, and simple math exercises. Authentic Montessori materials include things like Knobless Cylinders and Thermic Tablets.
Practical Life
Practical life activities can take a wide variety of appearances, from simple things like picking after themselves, to learning to follow routines, measure ingredients, and more. From cooking to sweeping, practical life activities are those things that children benefit from doing both now and in the future. Practical life experience helps children develop a sense of personal responsibility and build their self-esteem, qualities considered important for the overall development of children.
Math Activities
Authentic Montessori classrooms are divided into distinct areas that conform to the different types of activities. In the math area, children are able to explore the Number Rods, learn more advanced math principles with the Binomial Cubes, and learn about all types of math from currency to sets and sorting.
Language
Language and vocabulary activities help children master reading and writing skills, teach them the basics of public speaking, and encourage children to embrace larger vocabularies and clear speech patterns. This part of the classroom includes books, writing utensils, and authentic Montessori activities such as the renowned Movable Alphabet.
Cultural Exploration
This is a broad-ranging category that includes everything from the arts to world geography. Activities include different types of painting and drawing, sensory exercises, animals of the world, and more. This area helps children explore the world they live in, the traditions of various cultures, and where different items– like favorite foods and exotic animals– originated. Children will also investigate the importance of diversity in the world and in our communities, and how diverse places around the world provide us with the things we need, the foods we enjoy, and the people we know.
A Montessori private kindergarten offers children a wealth of learning opportunities carefully divided into distinct areas of the classroom. Children are able to move about these areas to work on different activities and learn social skills like sharing or waiting on their turn as part of the larger classroom experience.