Within a Montessori nursery school, the environment is specially prepared for children. The materials are displayed on shelves that are at the children’s eye levels, making them easily accessible to everyone. This helps to build up the children’s developmental needs, as they are at the centre of the environment.
Montessori Approach
5 key areas of learning:
Activities for everyday living
To promote independence and prepare children for every day life at home, this development area includes enjoyable exercises that teach them to function and find their place in their own environment.
Sensorial
The sensorial activities stimulate the five senses. The materials used provide in an enjoyable way and give teachers the opportunity to discover what kind of learner your child is. Once we know how your child learns we can set up activities
that continually challenge them to extend their learning.
Mathematics
Once they can recognise numbers they will move through stages from simple to more complex exercises of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division concepts.
Language
This is a sensitive time for language development of children and through phonetic awareness activities a strong literary foundation is built. Montessori language activities are designed to improve a child’s vocabulary, listening skills for common sounds, and differentiating between objects and pictures.
Science and cultural studies
This includes geography, zoology, botany, science, art and music that are supplementary to the Montessori method. Our aim is to show children how wonderful diversity truly is, embracing and celebrating our differences, sharing our experiences and exploring the world beyond the country we live in.
In 1896 Maria Montessori became the first woman to qualify as a medical doctor in Italy. She pioneered an approach to education that focuses on children’s innate desire to learn and their enormous capacity to do so when provided with the right environment and the appropriate materials.
How children learn with Montessori
Montessori is an exciting process of self-discovery leading to confidence, independence, self-discipline and a hunger to learn because they are learning through themselves. We believe that children learning at their own pace is the most effective basis for their future education.
The benefits of Montessori
A study by the University of London (UCL) in 2003 showed that Montessori children have a high level of cognitive attainment at age 5, well above the national average. They also demonstrate excellent levels of positive social and behavioural development, and have a strong sense of self-esteem.
Early Years Foundation Stage
We also follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which is the Government framework for children up to the age of five, setting out 7 key areas of learning around which activities are based. All of our activities are based within the EYFS, and added to with the Montessori philosophy.