As you begin your search for the best preschool options in Pleasant Hill, CA, you may not know where to start. This is likely your child’s first experience in an educational environment and it is important that they associate school with the love of learning. After considering preschools that will fit nicely with your commute to work, be sure to look into Fountainhead Montessori School’s Pleasant Hill campus.

What does a Montessori classroom offer?

By choosing a Montessori program, your child will have fun and exciting opportunities that are not always present in a traditional school setting. A few major benefits that make a Montessori preschool a top option are:

Learning through play: Transitioning from being at home to school life can be a big change for a toddler. But playing is already a big way your child learns at home and it is continued in a Montessori classroom. Your child will have interesting and colorful toys to play with that can help them strengthen fine motor skills.

Students also learn how to play within an organized environment. Students are encouraged to choose which station they want to play in. But before they leave that station, they must put everything back into place exactly as they found it so it will be ready for the next student to come in and play with it. Through order, students learn responsibility, how to pick up after themselves, and how their actions affect others. It also helps them focus on one task at a time instead of losing interest and running off to the next thing that catches their attention.

Independence through choice: In a Montessori classroom, a child is allowed to choose any available activity that they want to do. So often, an education schedule is decided before children enter the classroom and whether or not they want to learn that lesson, they have to. But if they are given the choice on what they want to spend their time on, children will often learn the skill to a better degree because of their enjoyment in the process. This independence promotes confidence and excitement during their school day.

Mixed-age classrooms: In traditional classrooms, children are put into classes of children the same age. While this may seem like it makes sense because they may all be somewhat at the same skill level, it can have its negative aspects. Even at a young age, children develop skills all at different times and only having kids in a certain age group can lead some children to feel embarrassed that they aren’t mastering a skill their friend seems to knock out of the park. It also promotes a hierarchy in the classroom as one or two children try to take charge and be the best among their peers.

In a Montessori classroom, there is a three year age span with new and experienced students. With some children obviously older and more skilled, the need to compete is diminished. Older students are encouraged to help the younger students instead of competing with them.

The benefits of a Montessori classroom will stay with your child throughout their school years. Give our Fountainhead Montessori School in Pleasant Hill a call today to ask about previewing a classroom in action.