Why do some kids have better imaginations?

[Anonymous]

Did you research the montessori philosophy at all before putting your dd in it? Montessori discourages pretend play, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Montessori forbids classroom objects to be used in imaginative play. They are only allowed to be used for their intended purpose. If you pick up a string of beads and pretend they are snake, the teacher will stop that activity and remind the student the beads are used for counting only.

You won't see a play kitchen in a Montessori classroom because Maria Montessori thought it was better for children to learn how to actually clean and cook with real items. So you can't pretend you are cooking up the snake you made the beads to serve your friends or put some blocks in the oven and pretend you are making a birthday cake.

That was a deal breaker for me. I don't understand why Montessori is so popular.

This sounds like a depressing preschool. Why do people like it? My kids are older and went to a regular preschool. They learned the basics, did science experiments, made art projects, sang, danced and played. The 4 year olds would work with the teacher to make their own winter play each year which was presented to the parents. I loved it. I'm at a loss as to why it's not appropriate for a child to pretend and use their imagination.

[Anonymous]

While visiting Rome's asylums for the insane, during her (Maria Montessori's) schooling with a teacher, she used her observations of mistreatment of the children there to read all she could on intellectually disabled children,[5] which led to the creation of her new form of education.

This explains so much. Her basis was to give a sense of order to children with mental and behavioral problems. I can't believe people follow this nonsense today.

[Anonymous]

Different children learn (and play) in different ways. It’s too early to try to interpret learning styles yet and assume they will be long-term, but I think it might be worth you reading this and seeing if it helps you understand it.

https://visme.co/blog/8-learning-styles/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All children have very active imaginations. The key is not to lose it.

Not true. My sister was younger and imaginative. She came up with random daydreams all day long, struggled to even start one, let alone finish. I decided in second grade to assign library numbers to each of my books and make my siblings sign them out, a they’d be returned and I’d know where they were. I would have thrived in Montessori, my sister would have failed.

This is one of the (many) reasons I laugh every time I read that someone wants a nanny trained in Montessori or Waldorf. Montessori is great for logical, visual, solitary, natural and/or tactile learners. Waldorf, with its emphasis on stories, dancing and music, is great with linguistic, social, verbal, auditory and tactile learners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montessori forbids classroom objects to be used in imaginative play. They are only allowed to be used for their intended purpose. If you pick up a string of beads and pretend they are snake, the teacher will stop that activity and remind the student the beads are used for counting only.

You won't see a play kitchen in a Montessori classroom because Maria Montessori thought it was better for children to learn how to actually clean and cook with real items. So you can't pretend you are cooking up the snake you made the beads to serve your friends or put some blocks in the oven and pretend you are making a birthday cake.

That was a deal breaker for me. I don't understand why Montessori is so popular.

This sounds like a depressing preschool. Why do people like it? My kids are older and went to a regular preschool. They learned the basics, did science experiments, made art projects, sang, danced and played. The 4 year olds would work with the teacher to make their own winter play each year which was presented to the parents. I loved it. I'm at a loss as to why it's not appropriate for a child to pretend and use their imagination.

It’s perfect for an inquisitive, self-motivated child who wants to explore and learn at their own pace (faster or slower). For an unmotivated child, it’s a chore. For a daydreamer, it’s stifling. But for a budding engineer, it can be the first step towards that career.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PPs that to a great degree it's innate. I have two kids, close in age, one has been very imaginative from an early age and the other has not. For example, if presented with a bunch of legos, one wants an instruction book he can follow to make a specific model while the other wants to create some elaborate, unique thing. They are in HS now and still pretty much the same way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Montessori forbids classroom objects to be used in imaginative play. They are only allowed to be used for their intended purpose. If you pick up a string of beads and pretend they are snake, the teacher will stop that activity and remind the student the beads are used for counting only.

You won't see a play kitchen in a Montessori classroom because Maria Montessori thought it was better for children to learn how to actually clean and cook with real items. So you can't pretend you are cooking up the snake you made the beads to serve your friends or put some blocks in the oven and pretend you are making a birthday cake.

That was a deal breaker for me. I don't understand why Montessori is so popular.

This is true in AMI schools but much less so in AMS schools. It is why we only considered AMS accredited Montessori schools.

[Anonymous]

I think the people who are talking about Montessori schools discouraging anything but the prescribed use of the various tools they have are right.

Your kid might not innately have as much imagination as others, but being in a Montessori school doesn't help. If pretend play is important to you, I'd strongly recommend switching to a play-based program.

[Anonymous]

I taught kindergarten in a Montessori school. I lasted one year. That teaching style goes against everything I know and love about early childhood education. I’ve never taught in a more depressing atmosphere. Creative/imaginative play is actively discouraged. “Toys” are only played with in one way. There is way too much push on independence and individuality. It really hurts healthy socialization and group play. There is literally zero evidence to suggest Montessori schools are better. Maybe your child would do better in a play-based program.

[Anonymous]

Liking pretend play is inherent to the child. Absent severe abuse, it can't be taught or taken away. So it has nothing to do with Montessori.

Also "pretend play" is not the same thing as being creative. I'm creative, and I always HATED pretend play as a kid ... because it was so boring. I did not want to play princess, dragon, or cops and robbers.

Finally kids are not good or bad at pretend play. It's just one way (out of many) that kids can play. If you want your kid to have more unstructured time for child-directed play (which may or may not include pretend play, depending on your kid), then sure, that is a consideration when choosing preschools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have one 3yr old DD, she goes to a wonderful Montessori school, and we practice many Montessori philosophies at home. We don’t do screens, we do tons of hands on sensory activities, we read so many books( which she loves) and yet my friends 3yr old DD is way better at “playing” then mine. They don’t have screen restrictions, have tons of plastic loud toys, but yet somehow her DD does not jump from one activity to another, and can come up these elaborate play scenarios that my DD can’t follow. I know this has nothing to do with intelligence, I’m just shocked at how creative her child is compared to mine.

Is this a serious question? There just born that way. It has nothing to do with going to a Montessori school or the amount of screen time one gets people naturally vary in their creativity just like they do in intelligence, athletic ability, musicality, and spatial awareness

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have one 3yr old DD, she goes to a wonderful Montessori school, and we practice many Montessori philosophies at home. We don’t do screens, we do tons of hands on sensory activities, we read so many books( which she loves) and yet my friends 3yr old DD is way better at “playing” then mine. They don’t have screen restrictions, have tons of plastic loud toys, but yet somehow her DD does not jump from one activity to another, and can come up these elaborate play scenarios that my DD can’t follow. I know this has nothing to do with intelligence, I’m just shocked at how creative her child is compared to mine.

It has EVERYTHING to do with intelligence. You are slowly realizing not all kids are the same. It can be a painful experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one 3yr old DD, she goes to a wonderful Montessori school, and we practice many Montessori philosophies at home. We don’t do screens, we do tons of hands on sensory activities, we read so many books( which she loves) and yet my friends 3yr old DD is way better at “playing” then mine. They don’t have screen restrictions, have tons of plastic loud toys, but yet somehow her DD does not jump from one activity to another, and can come up these elaborate play scenarios that my DD can’t follow. I know this has nothing to do with intelligence, I’m just shocked at how creative her child is compared to mine.

It has EVERYTHING to do with intelligence. You are slowly realizing not all kids are the same. It can be a painful experience.

pretend play is absolutely not related to intelligence. for example, autism and intelligence can be linked, and one of the possible signs of autism is a lack of interest in pretend play. I don't know why or how, but "pretend play" got an outsized reputation as something really important or meaningful in child development. it's not.

"Our take-away message is that existing evidence does not support strong causal claims about the unique importance of pretend play for development and that much more and better research is essential for clarifying its possible role."

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-22641-001

[Anonymous]

Your kid is 3. Give her a minute.