Montessori Early Childhood Programs

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The Early Childhood level, for children 3-6, encourages preschoolers to explore and discover, to collaborate with classmates, and to take ownership of their education. The Montessori Method encourages self-directed learning that promotes self-confidence, independence, critical thinking while fostering social and emotional growth. In a Montessori Early Childhood classroom, highly trained Montessori teachers create a customized environment crafted to each child's unique abilities, interests and learning styles.

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All learning activities support children in choosing meaningful and challenging work at their own interest and ability level. The learning approach is "Hands-On" rather than worksheet or passive based.

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Uninterrupted blocks of work-time (typically 2 hours in length) allow children to have full-concentration without loss of focus. This work-time respects individual variations in the learning process, facilitates the development of coordination, concentration, self-confidence, independence and a sense of order.

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Montessori Early Childhood Program Schedules

(Half-Day/Full-Day) Program

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Jr Casa (Perquisite: Intermediate Program )

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The Montessori early childhood program was designed as a 3 year work-cycle by Dr. Maria Montessori. This classroom is devoted for children who are 3-4 years old (preschool age) to prepare essential social skills, emotional well-being, essential study skills, problem solving skills and self-esteem. The first two years of Montessori learning enables children to develop leadership skills in their third-year (Kindergarten).

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Casa (Over 4 years): Kindergarden

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Montessori Kindergarten: Essential & Empowering

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Montessori Kindergarteners are introduced to progressively more advanced Montessori materials and sophisticated academic material. The third year of Montessori work is mandatory to a child who has finished 2 years of previous Montessori work to complete the third-year work.

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They experience an important period in which their previous learning from working with concrete Montessori materials begins to become permanent knowledge. A Montessori Kindergarten student sees and feels their personal growth as they watch others and learn information they have mastered themselves. 

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Montessori Kindergarten is the culmination of the Early Childhood program. Children exhibit the independence, critical thinking, collaboration and leadership skills that they have been practicing during their previous years in the Montessori classroom, exercising them independently as they prepare to transition into an Elementary school. 

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Curriculum:

 

The Early Childhood Classroom offers 5 areas of study:
 

Practical Life

Children learn daily life skills such as how to get dressed, prepare snacks, set the table and care for plants and animals. Children also learn appropriate and graceful social interactions such as saying please and thank-you. Children learn to be kind and helpful, listening without interrupting, and resolving conflicts peacefully. Practical Life activities promote independence and motor coordination.

 

Sensorial

Children refine skills in perceiving the world through their different senses and learn how to describe and name their experiences. Sensorial learning guide children to classify their surroundings and create sensible order. It lays the foundation for learning by developing the ability to classify, sort and discriminate. These skills are necessary in math, geometry and language.

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Language

The Early Childhood Montessori classroom allows children to acquire vocabulary, and develop the skills needed for reading and writing. The ability to write, a precursor to reading, is taught first. Using hands-on materials (for example: sandpaper letters), children learn letter sounds, how to combine sounds to make words, how to build sentences and how to use a pencil. Once these skills are mastered, spontaneously learn to read. ​

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Mathematics

Through hands-on activities, children learn to identify numerals and match them to their quantity, understand place-value and decimal system, practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. They also explore patterns in the numbering system. With an exploratory approach, children do more than just memorize math facts; they gain a firm visual understanding on the meaning behind them.

 

Cultural Studies

A wide range of subjects, including history, geography, science, art and music, are integrated in lessons in the cultural area of the curriculum. Children learn about their own community, and the country around them. Discovering similarities and differences among people and places helps them develop understanding and appreciation of the diversity of the world, and a respect for all living things.

 

What is different in a traditional Kindergarten Program & Kindervalley Montessori Program?

 

                                                                                      Teacher-Centered Education vs. Child-Centered Education

                                                                                                Focus on Seat Studying vs. Promotes Hands-On Learning

                       Lack of Individual Lessons/Ignoring Learning Styles and Pace vs. Learning at their Pace, Promote Individual Talents and Gifts

                                                                                                 Frequent Interruptions vs. No Interruption during Work, Promote Concentration

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