Reply to Help me understand the difference between Montessori and play-based preschool

Forum Index » Preschool and Daycare Discussion

Reply to "Help me understand the difference between Montessori and play-based preschool"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]There are good and bad Montessori schools, just like there are good and bad play-based schools.

When testing into a Montessori school (most private schools require an observation visit, which is really a test of watching how your kid does in the classroom, the teachers look for a child's ability to concentrate on a task. For a 3 year old, this means being able to watch the lesson given and try to repeat the action, then be able to do it themselves. Each task has some future purpose, whether it's hand/eye coordination or working on grip for future hand writing.

For our crazy active son, we wanted to foster this ability to concentrate and be more self-sufficient. We also really like the mixed age classrooms because the older kids benefit from knowing a lesson well enough to teach a younger child and younger kids sometimes listen/work better with another child. In addition, for the long-term, Montessori kids are not expected to ever sit behind a desk and listen to a teacher in the front of the classroom (grade school). They're much more active in being able to move about the classroom and choose their own activities based on the individualized weekly plan (the teachers go over what they should be doing and remind them to finish their list).

Our kid is not going to get these things from a play-based environment and potentially be labeled as a "rambunctious child." However, our 4 year old son loves math and reading, so he can already do simple math (addition/subtraction) as well as read toddler books, which has worked really well because that's what he's interested in. If anything, I would say he's behind in some life skills (whined about putting on his own socks and shoes for a looooong time compared to his 2 year old sibling) and social skills (oblivious of social cues such as when it is appropriate to interrupt or talk). However, I don't see these things as outside the curve or unusual, but partially his personality emerging (definitely a future nerdy kid).

If you're on the fence, go ahead and tour more schools to figure out the good vs bad. But think hard about your child's personality and what learning style would work well for them. Some kids don't do well in Montessori and some kids don't do well in a play-based environment. There is no one-size fits all.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics