As you are deciding which type of preschool program will be best for your child, be sure to add a Montessori program to your list. The benefits of attending a Montessori preschool will follow your child through all their years of school. Giving your child a few years to develop strong independent, problem solving skills in a fun, colorful environment are just some of the ways a Montessori education can bring useful and beneficial habits to your child’s life.

What to expect from a Montessori program

A preschool program is designed to allow children to develop social and life skills before they dive into academics later in their kindergarten year and beyond. Getting ready for academics is important but developing physical and emotional skills as well as creating positive habits that will enhance their lives is also crucial. A Montessori program is built to support the natural learning that occurs when children play while giving them guidelines that will show them what is beneficial and acceptable behavior. Reasons to enroll your child in a Montessori preschool include:

Independent/choice-led learning

In a Montessori classroom, children are introduced to different stations that each have a particular task or objectives. Students are allowed to decide which station they would like to play with each day. The idea of letting children decide where they want to play gives children a deeper sense of enjoyment and drive to accomplish the task. If they ever get bored and want to try a different station, they are not forced to continue doing something that has lost their interest.

Children will remember better and give more effort to something that interests them. They will also feel a greater sense of ownership over the task because they were able to decide where they wanted to put their effort.

Organization

An important component to the Montessori method is that order is important. With children choosing where they want to play, it would be easy for the classroom to become disheveled. But in a Montessori classroom, children must put every part of the station in perfect order before they can move on to something else. Not only does a child feel a greater sense of responsibility when choosing what to play with, but it creates the idea that they need to think about the next child who will be playing at the station.

Problem solving skills

Many of the Montessori tasks involve exploring a toy or task and figuring out how it works. Instead of showing the child how it works and doing it for them, students can take their time to look at the station, touch it, and explore how to complete the task.

Absence of time pressure

Students are allowed to take as long as they like with each station. They are not hurried along or attempting to get a station checked off of their list. They can take their time to learn the lessons and skills of that station as thoroughly as they want. Their curiosities and interest can be fully satisfied before they decide to move on to something else.

Choosing to enroll your child in Montessori preschool will give your child so many benefits. If you are in Danville, CA, give our Fountainhead Montessori School a call today.