Montessori education allows for the development of a comprehensive set of life skills, inspires a lifelong love of learning, and helps children become independent individuals. A significant aspect of this approach is the equal emphasis on both cognitive and physical development, focusing on genuinely useful and important things. Unlike traditional education, the Montessori curriculum is not based on academic benchmarks or predetermined schedules but rather on the individual pace at which each child learns. The educational process follows a pattern from simple to complex, from general concepts to deeper and more complex ones. Therefore, a student does not move on to the next level until mastering the previous one, emphasizing understanding rather than keeping up with a schedule that a large group of kids follows.
The result of such an approach to learning is the effective acquisition of new skills. After completing a topic, students understand and can apply the knowledge gained in various situations, not just during academic tests.
Another distinctive feature of Montessori education, often criticized, is the absence of clear boundaries between subjects. The same activity may be aimed at understanding mathematics (count the petals on a flower), language development (describe what you like about it, its smell, where it grows, what other flowers surround it), and, for example, natural science. Now, let's plant the seeds of such a flower in the garden to observe how it grows and blooms.). Maximum integration helps children. At the same time, implementing Montessori approaches in a regular school can be challenging for teachers burdened with the need to report and grade various subjects. However, even if your child attends a traditional school or daycare, you can still benefit from the best practices of Montessori methodology at home.
Let's begin this journey with the understanding that although this approach excludes a clear division into subjects, the Montessori curriculum still includes 5 fundamental sections aimed at developing various skills and deepening knowledge in different areas.
Importance of Montessori 5 Curriculum Areas
Montessori education is based on the philosophy that kids are inherently curious, capable learners who thrive in an environment that supports their unique interests and abilities. The Montessori approach emphasizes practical learning, independence, and respect for each child's individual pace of development. The five sections of the Montessori curriculum serve as the foundation for comprehensive and holistic learning. These curriculum areas create a comprehensive framework for children's growth and development by addressing key aspects of child development, from practical life skills to cognitive and cultural awareness.
Practical Life
Practical life activities are the cornerstone of the Montessori curriculum, focusing on everyday tasks and self-care skills that enable children to become independent and responsible community members. Actions such as brushing teeth, tying shoelaces, and buttoning help children develop fine and gross motor skills, concentration, and self-discipline.
Children can also actively participate in daily family routines: helping with meal preparation or table setting, cleaning up the home (or at least their room), or organizing space by arranging their toys, books, clothes, etc. Even the youngest children can do all this. To enable them to cope with these tasks, Montessori suggested providing children with a "prepared environment." For example, use furniture in the child's room at the child's height or a step ladder in the kitchen so that a toddler can easily reach higher surfaces without the risk of falling and injury. This is not the only aspect of the prepared environment, as it also includes the presence of potentially interesting activities and learning materials within the child's reach, a concise, free-flowing space, and the use of environmentally friendly solutions at every turn.
Sensory Perception
Another crucial aspect of the Montessori 5 curriculum areas is enhancing children's sensory perception and increasing their ability to differentiate and classify sensory stimuli. Children develop heightened awareness and sensitivity through exercises involving the senses, such as comparing colors, assessing sizes, and identifying shapes, laying the foundation for cognitive development and learning.
Sensory games allow toddlers to interact with various textures, shapes, temperatures, and sizes. For example:
- Prepare a box or tray with different materials such as wool, silk, wood, plastic, etc. The child can feel the difference in the texture of each material, sensing their smoothness, roughness, warmth, or coldness. Later, as toddlers learn to associate their tactile sensations with specific objects, blindfolded guessing games can make tasks more challenging.
- A sensory pyramid is another game for sensory development. It involves a pyramid with different materials on each level. The child explores the various materials, seeking relationships between them, their weight, shape, size, temperature, hardness, etc.
- Games with sand and clay, pebbles, and sticks are also very beneficial and can be found outdoors during walks.
- Sensory development also occurs through useful physical activities such as climbing rope and wooden ladders, and climbing walls with differently shaped rocks. A Montessori ramp is also excellent for sensory development, as it is smooth on one side and can be equipped with wooden pebbles or ladder rungs on the other, providing a massage effect.
These sensory games develop children's senses, improve finger muscles, and enhance the ability to perceive and differentiate various materials and textures.
Language Development
In the Montessori system, there are many tips for language development, communication skills, the process of teaching children to read, and even learning other languages at an early age. As in other areas, Dr. Montessori proposed a comprehensive approach aimed at linking abstract and concrete concepts, simplifying the child's entire process of exploring new topics.
For example, Montessori may have been one of the first to notice that toddlers find it difficult to read not because of developmental delays but just because they lack associations between letters on paper and sounds. Sound is something tangible that can be heard, concrete. A letter is just a symbol, an abstract. The child's brain is not ready to perceive, process, and systematize abstract information. Therefore, reading instruction should include more concrete tasks.
For example, the idea of creating a sensory alphabet emerged — so the child can take a letter in hand, look at its color and shape, associate it with other letters, forming syllables.
Maria Montessori suggests communication to increase vocabulary, improve literacy, and develop the ability to express thoughts freely, weaving them into the fabric of other disciplines and everyday life. The more parents and teachers simply communicate with the child, the more noticeable their progress. Similarly, new languages are learned through live communication, by example, and by constantly using that language in different situations.
Mathematics
As with reading, the Montessori mathematics curriculum introduces children to mathematical concepts in a concrete and practical form. Specially designed materials that are attractive to touch and sight are used for exercises. Kids develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts and problem-solving strategies through activities such as counting, sorting, and exploring numerical relationships.
Cultural
The cultural education program in Montessori encompasses a wide range of subjects, including geography, history, science, and art. Through exploration and discovery, children develop an appreciation for cultural diversity, traditions, and natural phenomena, fostering global awareness, empathy, and respect for the world around them.
Conclusion
In the Montessori system, cognitive and physical development are closely linked, and exploring and investigating any new topic allows children to develop not only in one discipline but comprehensively. Montessori education provides a balanced and integrated approach to learning, focusing on the practicality of new knowledge and fostering independence. This approach equips children with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to thrive in an ever-changing world.