Children grow up quickly, which makes their early education incredibly important. The Montessori method encourages healthy growth by focusing on the foundational tenets of success.
Structure
One of the first benefits that a Montessori school offers for kids is a comfortable, familiar, and orderly learning environment. Dr. Montessori believed that many of the barriers to education came from the amount of distractions that children were expected to deal with. She theorized that learning would be easier if the students didn’t need to struggle with oversized materials, worry about random deadlines, or interact with a chaotic and disorganized space.
Going to Montessori school helps children establish a desire for structure. As they get older, they learn how to maintain this structure for themselves, allowing it to become a strong foundation for the other skills they will learn.
Engagement
Children want to learn, but that doesn’t mean they actually know how. The Montessori method is designed to teach young students how to become focused and involved with any project that they are working on.
Montessori learning materials are carefully chosen for the students based on their age and interests. Students are given 1-2 hour work blocks in which they are allowed to select their own activities and work uninterrupted. Most students are surprisingly eager to focus completely on their work; in fact, many of them are disappointed when the work cycle ends and it’s time to move on to the next activity.
Confidence
Early childhood education is about imparting fundamental attitudes that will help the student as they progress through their academic career. Dr. Montessori noticed that far too many programs left the students feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and unsure in their abilities. For this reason, all Montessori learning materials and lesson plans are designed to instill self-confidence and help students feel good about their ability to participate.
One of the main ways this is accomplished is by celebrating minor successes and achievements. Instead of scolding students for bad grades, teachers highlight completed work and let unfinished projects go unmentioned. This creates a string of positive memories that encourages the student to keep learning and achieving as they get older.
Competence
Confidence and creativity are important, but they only help the student if they also have basic skills. Montessori preschools place a heavy emphasis on motor skills and abstract understanding. As students get older, they’re also encouraged to become practiced at the activities they love most. Art in particular is seen as a good way to develop visual senses and physical finesse.
Because Montessori students are allowed to focus on their work, they usually end up becoming incredibly good at each activity that they try. For a young child, this might mean completing a worksheet. However, this attitude also leads older students to write great essays, invent unique projects, and seek excellence in every form of their work.
The Montessori method helps children grow by teaching them the attitudes that they will need to succeed. As they get older, they take the philosophy that they learn as a child and apply it to the many different classes, projects, and experiences that they have the opportunity to enjoy.
