Has anyone every had a very high-energy or "busy" boy in Montessori and have any feedback? We are about a year out, but our son really does not stop moving. Even his daycare teacher who has seen alot of high-energy boys, says he is VERY busy.

Anonymous wrote:Both my kids went to Montessori preschool. Results were mixed.

IMO, the kids that do best in Montessori preschool are kids who are 1) average to bright; 2) have good social skills; 3) not too insanely creative or imaginative. #3 isn't a slam, but kids that love facts do better with this model than kids who love make believe stories.

I agree with all of these.

A highly gifted child may not be a good fit for montessori. Some may thrive but many may not. Montessori is a very step by step systematic approach of learning things. Many highly gifted children learn abstract concepts quickly and can skip many steps. They may find Montessori frustrating.

The problem with playbased is that you need to have a really good program and I don't see that many out there. Many full day play based programs are in centers with revolving staff that don't change their curriculum much from week to week. A good playbased program might be like Takoma Park Nursery School which has a blog showing a lot of creative outdoor play and creative art and writing or some of the Reggio programs. Many good play based programs are for just a few hours a week, so a full day play based preschool often leaves many hours of the same type of play all day every year. Montessori tends to provide a nice compliment to playbased although if there isn't enough play throughout the day with a teacher to help guide the children, the program tends to be short on social interaction and creative play. It all depends on the child, the school, and the teacher how well they do.

Our very active/energetic child started at a Montessori this year. He'd previously been in a play-based program and it just wasn't a good fit anymore (not enough structure, among other things). It's only been couple of months in Montessori, and he's thriving. We didn't set out to choose a Montessori program - we looked at a couple of more traditional preschools as well, and ended up going with the school we thought would be the best fit. While the curriculum is appealing (he particularly seems to like the math activities), we also liked that the school encourages parent involvement (which I understand is not the case at some Montessoris). He also gets plenty of time to run around outside, and they have been very good about working with him to help focus some of his energy during the morning school time.

As with any school you should take a tour, observe a class, and talk to staff/teachers/other parents if you can. The Montessori programs in the area vary widely (some more strictly adhere to Montessori guidelines, others don't), so you just need to see what appeals to you and that you think would work for your child.

Both my kids went to Montessori preschool. Results were mixed.

IMO, the kids that do best in Montessori preschool are kids who are 1) average to bright; 2) have good social skills; 3) not too insanely creative or imaginative. #3 isn't a slam, but kids that love facts do better with this model than kids who love make believe stories.

Montessori is trendy like gangnam style

I was interested in this thread because I have to find a preschool for my 2.5 year old. He will start in Sept. I'm considering Montessori, but I honestly don't know much about it. I've read on the Internet and I like the sound of it. I like that it is a tested method and I like the structure. The curriculum didn't sound too academic to me, which is also appealing. Friends have said that play-based is the way to go, and maybe this is dumb, but this is one thought I had: I need morning and after care for my son. Therefore, he gets plenty of "play based" time before and after school.

anyway, thanks for the posts.

Anonymous wrote:A strict Montessori has too many rules for a preschooler. Play based is the way to go. Give your child the gift of creativity.

This is a completely ignorant statement. Sorry it wasn't a good fit for your child, but it millions of preschoolers thrive in the traditional Montessori environment.

21:18. I should add that our child has been to a traditional preschool with some rules since before age 2 and is doing great so I have no worries putting him anywhere else. It won't be that new of a setting for him. I do think it's a good idea to find out about the teachers though. Some love the active boys and while they set strong rules have lots of fun with them and other teachers don't really know how to cope with them. Being that many teachers are women, this is common in many schools, not just Montessori.

Anonymous wrote:A strict Montessori has too many rules for a preschooler. Play based is the way to go. Give your child the gift of creativity.

Millions of children thrive in Montessori schools. There is plenty of room for play and creativity within a nice structure.

A strict Montessori has too many rules for a preschooler. Play based is the way to go. Give your child the gift of creativity.

We took our boy out after a month. He is doing well in a traditional preschool now. In our case, we felt that it was bad teacher fit even though he was in one of the best Montessori school you often hear about on these boards.

His afternoon teacher did shed some light on why it was so hard for my DS. Our son didn't have day care experience and did not know much English when he first started. Montessori rules are just too many for him to cope with when he wasn't sure what they are. More importantly, although he was really smart and easy to teach, he wasn't good at doing the work exactly as instructed. He wants to be creative with the material, and that is a big no no. In the end, he acted out in frustration, and the teacher was hapless.

I did not really think to much before putting him there. As I said, it was one of the most reputable ones. But I don't think Montessori is a good fit for all kids anymore. Our boy may have done better with a different teacher, but it may very well be the case that Montessori is just too restrictive for him.

Montessori teacher here. Agree w/ PP.

Also- (obviously) a lot depends on the teacher's personality & skills- Regardless of the philosophy. Love Montessori!

I think all children can thrive although each program has their strengths and weaknesses. Montessori kids are all different just like any other preschool. I would definitely take a look at the ones near you in your search. Some are very good. We just enrolled our very active older 3 year old to start Montessori in January although I am anticipating a transition period to help him settle down. I wish I could find a program that was a bit more of a mix of playbased and Montessori, but these are hard to find. Luckily we found one that is less rigid which should make it easier. We liked the Montessori program for our older child so while our second is a bit active compared to what the teachers may prefer, I think he'll thrive and enjoy the mix of kids and the activities they do during the day.

I'm considering preschools and wondering whether to include montessori schools for an active 3 year old boy.