Montessori Curriculum
The Montessori curriculum is an educational approach developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 1900s. It has recently become popular due to its focus on hands-on learning and individualized instruction based on individual child developmental ability. This unique approach has fostered independence, self-motivation, and creativity among children of all ages.
No wonder parents are increasingly turning to this time-tested method for their child’s education! This page will discuss the principles behind Montessori education and how it can benefit infants, toddlers and preschoolers. So let’s dive into what makes the Montessori principles so special!
Practical Life & Sensorial Lessons in the Montessori Curriculum
Have you ever wondered why your child watches you clean the floor, set the table, or fold towels? Children, like all humans, are attracted to social interaction, meaningful activity, and objectivity. Little children are ready to get their hands dirty and help as they learn to stand, walk, and use their hands.
Dr. Maria Montessori developed the Exercises in Practical Life to direct and focus this interest. These activities give children a basis for learning about and participating in the world throughout the crucial first six years of life.
When it comes to curriculum, the Practical skill program is at the heart of our program. It educates children about the freedom they'll develop in a Montessori classroom. Each of the four aspects of Practical Life Lessons focuses on a distinct but interconnected aspect of developing a child's capacity to function independently. Together, they help a child in developing an understanding of who they are and how their words, deeds, and interactions with others affect those around them.
Orange Seeds Montessori Centre classroom
Practical Areas of Montessori Education
The Montessori curriculum's emphasis on Practical Life in Montessori classrooms includes four fundamental principles:
Self-care activities teach children to care for their own needs and help others.
Care for the environment teaches children to love and respect their environment and be responsible for their actions.
Children develop social skills through Grace and Courtesy exercises.
Control of Movement teaches body awareness in space.
Features of Practical Life Exercises
Practical Life teachings should use real-world objects children can readily access, which are familiar, simple, everyday items, even breakable to them, to be effective and helpful. When children have the opportunity to work with natural objects, they gain confidence and respect.
The period and culture of the kid should be reflected in the Practical Life activities they accomplish. If kids are committed to completing the homework independently, they can apply what they've learned in the classroom to everyday life at home. Most Montessori schools offer activities from easiest to most difficult. Children need order to learn where things go.
Practical Life Skills for Infants/Toddlers (aged 1-3 years)
Practical life activities connect the home and school environments while developing everyday skills through real and purposeful work. Practical life lessons are appealing to the child who takes pride in meaningful work that contributes to the development of meeting her own and the community's needs. These lessons are intended to help the individual child achieve developmental goals such as improving fine motor skills, gaining greater control over movements, fostering a sense of order, increasing concentration, and promoting independence.
Practical Skills Learning Goals for Infants/Toddlers
Self-care
Hand washing
Dressing/undressing
Feeding themselves / drinking from a cup
Practicing using the cutleries
Practicing using the toilet
Pouring water
Nose wiping
Care for environment
Sweeping / mopping
Washing and scrubbing
Setting a table
Watering flowers
Tidying up toys after themselves
Grace and Courtesy
How to introduce yourself to others?
How to properly get someone's attention?
How to express your feelings to others?
How to ask for help?
Coughing etiquette.
Control of movement
Peeling, cutting, spreading, stirring
Folding fabric
Picking up an object
Pouring, spooning, pegging, tonging
Stacking assorted objects
Putting shapes into holes
Pulling a hidden object out of a cylinder
Dropping an object into a container
Playing musical instruments
Squeezing sponges or clothes
Crushing paper
Ripping paper into strips
Turning the pages of a book
Practical Skills Learning Goals for CASA (aged 3-6 years)
As the child develops daily skills through real and purposeful work, practical life activities continue to build on the home-school life course. These activities serve as the foundation for all other environmental work.
Practical life lessons aim to help children develop their concentration, coordination, independence, and sense of order. Practical life activities help a child's logical thought development, ability to sequence and explore spatial relationships, and promote cultural awareness and adaptation. Practical life exercises indirectly prepare children for later reading and writing exercises.
Self-care
Dressing/undressing
Food preparation/serving
Sewing
Frame for hanging clothes
Shining Boots and Shoes
Care for environment
Cleaning
Dusting and polishing
Creating a flower arrangement
Table setting
Brushing
Dishwashing
Grace and courtesy
How to greet others
How to request assistance
How to invite someone to play a game
How to solve problems and create positive social interactions
Control of movement
Balance exercises
Hand-eye coordination exercises
Mastering fine motor skills
Child learns about plants in Montessori classroom
Practical Life Sensorial in the Montessori Educational Method
The Montessori method is renowned for its practical life sensorial focus, which is fundamental to developing young children's learning. The sensory equipment, activities, and materials aim to improve the child's capacity to recognize and process visual, hearing, sensory, and smell sensations. Sensory activities assist children in making sense of the information provided by their many perceptions.
The sensory materials will give the child feedback whenever a mistake is made. Young people are pushed toward autonomy, which boosts their sense of agency and gives them a stronger desire to learn and improve. Participating in sensorial classes makes a child's sense perceptions organized and ready to grasp abstract concepts. Many sensorial materials build a foundation for later work in geometry.
Six senses make up the sensory domain: visual (shape and colour), tactile (touch and movement), gustatory (taste and smell), olfactory (scent and air), and auditory (sound and sound quality).
Learning Goals of Sensorial Focus
Lessons and activities in the sensory area of a Montessori classroom are designed to foster the growth of the five senses (seeing, hearing, touch, taste, and smell). The sensory part of the classroom is designed to assist students in better defining, categories, and comprehending their environment through hands-on activities.
Sensory Montessori Materials for Infants/Toddlers (aged 1-3 years)
The sensorial materials are hands-on activities which allow the child to explore the world through the various senses in a concrete way. Hand-eye coordination, fine/large motor skills, spatial awareness, object permanence, and classification skills are all enhanced by sensorial materials. The materials aid in developing a child's senses, allowing him to clarify better, classify, and define the materials and experiences in his various environments. These sensory experiences broaden a child's understanding of his surroundings.
Sensorial exercises include:
Puzzles
Block manipulatives (pink tower, brown stairs, cylinder blocks)
Gardening
Colour exploration
Sorting exercises
Experiencing different food texture
Experiencing different sounds and levels of sounds
Recognizing patterns
Experiencing different fabrics
Gathering objects in nature
Experiencing warm and cold
Sensory Montessori Materials for CASA (3-6 yr)
Using a child's five senses, the Montessori curriculum focuses on children's natural inclination to investigate the world surrounding them.
The sensorial materials are different kinds of puzzles the child can put together to help them better understand the many different sensorial impressions they have experienced. The mind organizes and sorts these impressions according to various categories. Through the manipulation and exploration of concrete materials, the sensorial area hopes to contribute to developing the child's five senses, ultimately leading to a deeper comprehension of the world in which he lives.
The following are examples of activities which focus on the development of the senses:
Visual acuity: the ability to distinguish between different dimensions, forms, and colours through the use of block manipulatives, colour tablets, and geometric shapes
Tactile sense: the ability to differentiate between different textures, temperatures, and weights through activities such as sorting, matching, and measuring
Hearing: the ability to differentiate between sounds based on their volume and pitch using sound cylinders
Taste: the ability to differentiate between different flavours like sour, sweet, bitter, and salty through the process of preparing food and taking specific classes on taste.
The sensation of smell: discrimination of smell through natural elements such as herbs, food, and flowers through food preparation and specific lessons on smell.
Montessori Math Curriculum
The Montessori philosophy of mathematics education emphasizes using concrete materials and individualized instruction to help children understand abstract mathematical concepts.
Beaded and stamp material manipulation, strip board use, learning fractions using physical shapes, and memorizing fundamental math facts are all examples of such strategies.
Kids learning geometry and math in a Montessori classroom
Learning Goals of Montessori Math Curriculum (1 - 3 years)
Count from 1 to 10
Recognize numbers from 1-10
Recognize shapes – triangle, square, circle, diamond etc.
Recognize colours
Learn how to write the numbers 0 -10 using sandpaper numbers
Learning Goals of Math Curriculum (3 - 5 years)
Match numeric symbols to the quantity 0 -10
Learn the formation and names of the numbers 0 - 9999
Learn written symbols for numbers 0 – 9999
Understand a concept of even and odd
Learn a decimal system
Learn static and dynamic addition and subtraction with a sensorial experience
Learn short and long division with a sensorial experience
Learning Goals of Math Curriculum (5 – 6 years)
Explore and memorize the table of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
Learn the abstract concept of additions, subtraction, division and multiplication
Learn fractions; naming, writing, labelling
Learn fractions, additions, subtractions, divisions and multiplications
Advanced level:
Learn the concept of time
Learn the concept of money
Learn the concept of measurement
How does the Montessori curriculum teach math?
Montessori math starts at the beginning of early childhood. An infant has an innate need to make sense of the world and a "mathematical mind," according to the Montessori pedagogy. The boundless vitality of their intellect drives them to constantly take in information, process it, categorize it, arrange it logically, draw conclusions from it, and repeat the process.
Stacking and counting Montessori math materials
Montessori Environment Math Materials
Most of a Montessori arithmetic classroom's time is spent on activities that engage the student’s senses. Your child will use these as building blocks until they grasp increasingly challenging concepts. Your child's education will progress in stages; each new set of materials will build on the previous ones. Even though various materials are useful for various mathematical procedures, they all serve unique purposes.
Sandpaper Numbers
Sandpaper numerals are an excellent example of the multi-sensory approach to education espoused by Montessori teachers. The cards include the digits 0 through 9 printed on sandpaper, giving children a tactile and visual aid in their arithmetic education. Young children are introduced to these during preschool as they recognize and trace the numbers.
Number Rods
Blue and red rods alternate to teach young children about counting. One can line up the rods, each representing a different value from 1 to 10, and then compare them. You can teach the corresponding number symbols when the child is ready and has mastered the rods' values and quantities.
Racks and Tubes
When a student is ready for long division, this is employed. The versatile nine-line layout of these boards makes them ideal for a wide variety of division and decimal practice activities designed to help kids get comfortable with the system.
Golden Beads
Before moving on to the beaded frame beads, a child uses golden beads in various sizes. The golden uniformity of these beads serves a dual purpose of demonstrating quantity and fostering an appreciation for a monetary value to the young learner. The child can learn about put a value and number theory with just one colour. We use golden beads to introduce the decimal system and mathematical operations such as additions. Substructions, division and multiplication.
Memorization
Although it may appear out of place with such a free-form approach to school, knowing basic math fundamentals can aid children immensely as they progress through school. The Montessori method encourages memorization of basic arithmetic (such as 6+5 or 10 x 3) so students can focus more on more advanced concepts.
Addition/Subtraction Strip Boards
A table with at least 18 rows and 11 columns is found on boards. A child adds or subtracts using blue or red strips by putting them on a whiteboard with the corresponding numbers. To complete the board, you must line up the strips with their respective values, which are printed at the top of each strip.
How do Montessori Schools Teach Addition and Subtraction?
In Montessori Schools, preschoolers learn basic arithmetic skills through unstructured play and Montessori-designed toys, and then on to more rigorous instruction with:
Rods, numbered
Material for Golden Beads
Stripboards for Teaching Addition and Subtraction
Token Games
The child also enjoys tinkering with fractions and shapes and memorizing basic addition and subtraction principles. Even by the time they reach the middle of elementary school, most students have already mastered addition and subtraction with thousands. The Checkerboard approach, among others, will be introduced when the students have mastered the fundamentals of addition and subtraction.
How Does the Montessori Method Teach Multiplication and Division?
At a Montessori school, once a youngster has a solid grasp of number sense and value, they are ready to learn multiplication and division. Children are encouraged to learn multiplication and division skills through unstructured play, but these skills are also systematically taught through activities which promote and reinforce these concepts, such as:
A Metal Wire Cage with Beads
Shelves and Pipes
Using a Checkerboard Layout
Token Games
Once children have a firm grasp of the principles, they can gradually phase out the manipulatives in favour of pen and paper. Students utilize fraction insets and practice multiplication and division with fractions while they work on whole-number multiplication and division.
Advanced Level Mathematics
Children ready to receive more advanced math classes can do so in smaller groups. They will be introduced to the clock and learn how to tell time. We will teach them about different forms of money, such as bills and coins, to be able to count money. Lastly, we will teach them about measurement and how to use a ruler and tape to measure in the metric system.
Montessori Science Interdisciplinary Focus
Science for Infants (aged 1-2.5 years)
At this level, students learn science through cooking, books, picture cards, exploring their bodies, emotions, living/non-living, magnetic works, and weather.
Science for Toddlers/CASA (2.5-6 years)
The science curriculum at Montessori school aims to provide a concrete exploration of the physical and life sciences to classify the child's understanding of his world.
Magnetism
Buoyancy
The weather is an example of physical science lessons.
Scientific classification and matching exercises: living/non-living, plant/animal, vertebrate/invertebrate
Introduction to invertebrates and the animal kingdom: mammal, reptile, amphibian, fish, bird
Observation and care of classroom pets
Botany: naming and experiences with leaf shapes, plants, trees, and flowers.
STEM and Montessori Education
Montessori Education builds the foundation for the rest of the subjects and reflects the hallmarks of STEM education, most importantly, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. At Orange Seeds Montessori Centre, adding STEM Friday into our enriched curriculum helps little fellows get acquainted with the world of Science and Technology and thrive in their era of Advancement more efficiently and tactfully.
As a parent, you might wonder about STEM’s practicality and why it matters for your child's development at an early age (1 to 6 years). So, here is all you need to know.
Why STEM Education Matters for Your Child?
Montessori Centers are specially designed to work on student engagement. Children learn better when they experiment, discover, and put together ideas. At Orange Seeds Montessori Centre, we value this thought in the form of STEM Education and provide toddlers with a platform which provides the following advantages:
A great deal of freedom for hands-on exploration
Learning through practical activities
Provide an opportunity for children to explore their area of interest at an early age
Shares a holistic approach to teaching which crosses the boundaries of memorizing, conceptual, practical and hands-on learning
Does STEM Work Best at Montessori Level?
There is no comparison between STEM and basic theoretical subjects. It is more about fostering children on how to implement problem-solving and critical thinking skills and real-world tools in everyday life. In today's world, this type of curriculum results in enormous opportunities as it encompasses many skills for future endeavours.
At the beginning of Montessori preschool education, your child learns the fundamentals of Science and Math by exploring Natural Laws, getting special hands-on materials, and problem-solving in a group. It activates senses and results in 100% internalizing a practical life approach, not simply memorizing facts and figures.
The Curriculum at Orange Seeds Montessori Centre is designed for specific age groups, which encompasses innate child curiosity. STEM is a core education that explains how every notion is linked to daily tasks. For instance: they will get to explore different Science experiments and the reasons behind daily life activities and natural processes.
At Orange Seeds Montessori Centre, we provide a ready-made setup, so your child discovers answers using his innate skills, leaving knowledgeable imprints. Your child will experience genuine study methods taught by a certified Montessori teacher who is experienced in this field. We ensure to help your children learn and grow by providing truly-well rounded education so they get enrolled in a career they are born for.
Montessori Language Skills Curriculum
In Dr. Maria Montessori's vision, children have an insatiable appetite for learning and sharing ideas through language skills and interaction. The Montessori curriculum emphasizes learning how to communicate so youngsters can share their thoughts and feelings with others. Language is the medium via which we share information, learn from one another, and teach others.
Montessori literacy learning materials
Language Skills Learning Goals for Infants (Aged 1-2.5 years)
Name the objects around, parts of the face, body, animals
Identify pictures of familiar objects in a book
Identify the object from their description
Name numbers, colours and shapes
Recognize simple songs
Join a rhythm
Fill in words in a song
Prepare for tripod grip
Learn the phonetic sound of 5 letters
Trace 5 letters with sandpaper and a blackboard
Language Skills Learning Goals for Toddlers (Aged 2.5-4 years)
Learn sign language
Be able to relate to the story verbally
Learn the phonetic sound of all letters
Trace all letters with sandpaper and write on a blackboard
Be able to recognize the sounds in words
Sing simple songs
Memorize simple poems
Language Skills Learning Goals for CASA (Aged 4-6 years)
Be able to tell a story from the picture
Learn the phonetic sound of all letters
Write letters on paper
Read phonetic, phonogram and puzzle words
Learn the function of words
Be able to analyze simple sentences
Montessori School Language Philosophy
Dr. Maria Montessori believed children are born with the capacity to learn a language, which is supported by more recent research. Indeed, there are numerous methods by which an adult can foster a young child’s oral language skills, mainly by creating a conducive atmosphere. If children are exposed to oral language at a young age, we can be certain they will acquire the ability to speak.
Conversely, a child must be trained to read and write. A child will pick up whatever vocabulary is shown to him. Educators in a Montessori school carefully select Montessori language materials to foster language acquisition and create a Montessori environment full of language-learning resources.
Language Curriculum for Infants (1-2.5 years)
According to Dr. Maria Montessori, Montessori education creates the foundation for language by expanding vocabulary. We allow them to explore all the objects and materials in the room and play zones with their senses. These objects are intended to help children learn new words and identify objects based on their descriptions. The primary goal is to be able to select the appropriate word to describe an object.
In the classroom setting, we provide multiple opportunities for children to speak, practice using their new oral language, and hear our languages in various forms, such as reading, storytelling, and signing. By naming parts of the face and body, identifying pictures of familiar objects in a book, introducing numbers, colours, and shapes, and introducing animals, recognizing basic songs, filling in words in a song by joining rhythm, children are developing their vocabulary and cognitive awareness.
Introducing phonemic awareness by presenting word sounds. Children will learn to identify objects which begin with a sound, recognize the sounds in their name, and match sounds to 3 - 5 writing symbols.
Children learn the pincer grip and fine motor skills through small movements and hand-eye coordination while picking up an object, pouring, spooning, pegging, tonging, sieving, stacking assorted objects, putting shapes into holes, pulling a hidden object out of a cylinder, and dropping an object into a container.
Child reading independently in a Montessori classroom
Montessori Education Language Curriculum for Toddlers (2.5-4 years)
Developing pre-reading and pre-writing skills by mastering previously learned skills and vocabulary enrichment:
Increasing phonemic awareness by introducing all word sounds. Children will learn to identify objects which begin with a sound, recognize the sounds in their name, and match sounds to symbols.
The children must be able to hear the sounds in words. We encourage children to speak and pronounce new words, sing songs, and recite poetry.
The child can manipulate writing tools in stages, beginning with a thick mark-making tool, such as a crayon or brush, then a thick whiteboard marker, and finally, a pencil to prepare the hand for writing.
Sensory activities such as drawing in the sand, tracing sand paper letters, and writing one's name with tracing cards are practiced at various levels in the classes.
Observing printed matter in the environment, such as books and classroom displays, encourages pre-reading exercises.
Learn new names for objects and classify them using tangible objects and picture cards.
Dramatic lessons for practicing and simulating social situations
Stories, songs, and poems to help the child appreciate literature
Games with oral sounds: beginning sounds, ending sounds, middle sounds, words with objects
Montessori Reading Curriculum for CASA (4-6 years)
Introducing the sound of each letter and matching it to the writing symbol, practicing sound recognition in words, practicing symbol recognition associated with the sounds in words, and learning how to link letters together to form a word.
Practice making words, using our alphabet's letters, and expressing thoughts with written words to learn phonetical spelling words. The more the child works with letters and words, the easier it will be.
Written sound games with the moveable alphabet: initial sounds, ending sounds, and middle sounds
Making words out of letters, phrases and sentences, paragraphs and stories.
Hand preparation through a material progression: metal insets, chalkboards, unlined word paper, lined word paper, lined sentence paper, lined story-paper
Promote reading. We gradually introduce short phrases once a child has gained confidence with individual words. We isolate each part of speech with short phrases and present it in a clear, repeatable, and interesting lesson.
Preparation for Writing
Most of a child's work in Montessori classrooms is focused on teaching them the skills necessary to read or write. Skills in shifting from left to right and using one's fine motor abilities. Montessori writing involves understanding how words are formed by combining specific letters and sounds, fine motor abilities, and coordination to handle a pencil. The changeable alphabet is a device used in Montessori classrooms which helps encourage a child to type by allowing the kid to build words from the letters in the alphabet.
Because the job is "hands-on," a child needs to use both his hands and intellect to produce words. Both were playing with sandpaper letters, and playing with sand in a tray offered a comparable experience.
Teaching Culture in Montessori Schools
The Montessori Method emphasizes that culture helps children learn about the world and its people. People, their homes, clothing, food, and habits teach us something new about the world by demonstrating how well we can adapt to new environments. Young children develop a sense of belonging to a bigger group. Geography, science, history and social studies are the foundation for this comprehension in Montessori programs.
Cultural Learning Goals for Ages 1-2.5 years
Learning about the human body, emotions and healthy eating
Learning the names of animals, insects, fruits, vegetables, etc.
Learning about weather and seasons
Learning about community helpers, transportation
Learning about planet earth, space, planets
Learning about different cultures and traditions
Cultural Learning Goals for Ages 2.5-4 years
Learning about time (e.g. day, week, months, year)
Learning about manners
Learning about various habitats and weather
Learning about the lifecycle of caterpillar and chicken
Introduction of science concept of gas, solid and liquid
Introduction of magnetism
Learning about the globe, land and water forms
Exploring people's traditions and culture
Cultural Learning Goals for Ages 4-6 years
Learning about calendar
Learning about mental health and the human body
Exploring body parts of turtles, fish, frogs, birds and horses
Learning about parts of plants
Learning about light and sound
Learning about past, present and future
Learning about continents and flags
Geography in the Montessori Curriculum
Montessori teacher leading geography lessons
Geography and social studies (1-2.5 years)
Using a globe ball, singing ethnic songs, reading books, creating cultural delicacies, and celebrating classmates' traditions are terrific methods to introduce geography at this level.
Geography and social studies (2.5-6 years)
At this stage, students are introduced to land and water formation presentations and hands-on map exploration to heighten their awareness of the Earth's physical properties within the context of the geography curriculum. The geography that can be touched, such as lakes, islands, peninsulas, gulfs, rivers, and straits, are only some of the land and water features which can be studied.
Exploration of global maps and flags
Identifying the names and locations of the world's continents and states
Creating maps and books of flags to practice and get more familiar with the concepts presented in the course's geography textbooks.
Cultural geography
Students and their families are encouraged to discuss their cultural backgrounds and experiences with the rest of the class. Society, places, things, plants, creatures, homes, clothing, transportation, arts, and crafts from around the world help students connect physical and cultural geography. The curriculum also introduces students to various cultures by utilizing visuals, artifacts, and narratives from across the globe.
History in the Montessori Curriculum
History for Infants/Toddlers (1-3 years)
The study of books and the acquisition of routines are two of the more common ways in which students are exposed to historical content. Predictable schedules and routines help children at this age when they are focused on the here and now.
History for CASA (3-6 years)
Teaching a young child to recognize and appreciate the passage of time is a top priority. Understanding a timeline and exploring seasons help children better understand the past, present and future.
Kids exercising in Montessori school
Physical Development for Infants/Toddlers (1-3 years)
Children of this age need ample practice using various motor skills to develop greater physical coordination, self-reliance, and self-assurance. Exercises requiring broader movement include the following: Dancing, Yoga, crossing a Balance Beam, Walking stairs, Lifting and Carrying Heavy Objects, and Cautiously Moving About the Classroom or Office.
Physical Development for CASA (3-6 years)
Even with well-developed gross motor skills, Orange Seeds Montessori Centre promotes instilling a healthy, active lifestyle with physical exercise. In addition to 30 minutes of daily exercise, kids practice Yoga in the classroom.
These activities help kids develop confidence, self-awareness, independence, and social skills. Through both individual and group activities, kids learn to become more aware of their physical surroundings and develop the self-control necessary to engage in socially acceptable behaviours (such as waiting for one's turn, following directions, sharing, listening, and keeping one's own space) which will help them succeed in school and life.
Students can develop their skills with classroom activities which require them to hop, balance, ride, and march in various directions and start and stop as instructed. Children can learn about the importance of rhythm in physical education by clapping and moving to the beat in a small or big group setting. Through school activities in all subject areas, kids can hone their motor skills and become more coordinated.
Gymnasium activities for improving movement control
Children can enhance their small and large muscle control by completing exercises. Examples of this type of physical preparation include stretching, ball work (including throwing, catching, tossing, and kicking), and activities requiring using both the left and right sides of the body.
When you think about your toddler's education, what comes to mind? You probably think of the basics like counting, recognizing shapes and colours, and learning the alphabet. But what about the importance of arts education? Theatre and fine arts are often thought of as "extracurricular" activities. Still, they can play a vital role in your child's development. Here's a look at why arts education is so crucial for toddlers in preschool while still in daycare—and how you can ensure your child gets the opportunity to learn and grow through the arts.
Physical Development in the Montessori Curriculum
Gross motor skills need whole-body movement and involve the body's core stabilizing (large muscles) to perform daily functions, such as walking and standing, jumping and running, and maintaining an upright position at the table. They also encircle eye-hand coordination skills like throwing, catching, and kicking (ball skills). Gross motor skills also influence tasks like a child's ability to sustain torso support (appropriate tabletop posture), dressing up, writing, cutting, drawing, and other personal activities.
Fine Art, Music and Theater in the Montessori Curriculum
Self-Expression
One of the most important things children can learn is how to express themselves. Unfortunately, many children struggle with this. They may have difficulty finding the words to express their thoughts and feelings. Or, they may not know how to express themselves healthily. Theatre and fine art allow children to explore their emotions and learn how to express themselves safely and safely. Through role-playing and creative expression, children can explore their emotions and learn how to put them into words. As a result, they will be better equipped to handle difficult emotions in their everyday lives.
Working With Others
Another essential life skill children can learn from theatre, and fine art is working with others. Children must work together to put on a play or create a piece of art. They have to communicate with each other and cooperate to create something unique. This is an essential skill which will benefit them throughout their lives. Working with others is an integral part of many jobs and relationships. Children will be better prepared to handle these situations when they arise by learning how to organize and work with others at an early age.
Creative Thinking
Children participating in theatre and fine art also learn to think creatively. They have to develop new ideas and solve problems to create their art, which helps them develop critical thinking skills they can use in other areas of their lives. For example, if a child is struggling with a math problem, they may be able to use creative thinking to solve it. Creative thinking is an essential skill which will benefit children throughout their lives.
So, if you're looking for ways to give your child a head start in life, consider enrolling them in a daycare or preschool which offers fine art and theatre classes. It could make all the difference in their future success.
How does Orange Seeds Montessori Centre help develop these skills in kids?
At Orange Seeds Montessori Centre, we believe art and theatre should be integral to a child’s education. We offer a variety of classes taught by professional artists and our educators, which help children develop their imagination, confidence, and social skills.
Music Classes
We offer a variety of music classes for kids. Our music classes are designed to be fun and interactive. Music is a beautiful tool which aids with developing emotional and social abilities, coordinating the mind with the body, and practicing self-expression.
Drama classes
At Orange Seeds Montessori Centre, we believe every child is different and unique. So, creativity should be nurtured and encouraged in every child. Our drama and creative play classes stimulate your child's senses and help them explore the world. In this class, we encourage children to create characters and stories using their imaginations. We also offer plays using dance, singing, bouncy balls, and puppets. This way, they learn to think outside the box and develop new ideas. It helps children learn how to cooperate and explore different emotions and scenarios. This type of creative thinking is essential for future leaders.
Overall, fine arts and theatre are essential for preschool education. Early childhood is a crucial time for developing creative thinking skills. You can help ensure your child has access to quality and sustained arts education by enrolling them in classes at the daycare. The impact on your child's future will be immeasurable!
Orange Seeds Montessori toddler classroom
Montessori Curriculum at Orange Seeds Montessori Centre
The Montessori teaching method is an excellent alternative to daycares and the traditional classroom curriculum. Montessori principles encourage creative thinking, emotional development and social skills, which will benefit children throughout their lives. At Orange Seeds Montessori Centre, we provide an enriching Montessori experience for early childhood education that promotes exploration and self-expression through language, music, STEM and creative play. If you want your child to develop a lifelong love of learning, consider enrolling them in our program today!
Virtual School Tour
Take a virtual tour of Orange Seeds Montessori Daycare in Oakville through photos in the gallery below, or book an in-person tour now.
