Your local Montessori preschool in Winnetka has a prepared environment to encourage children to explore their curiosity with concrete materials. This is because children have an easier time learning abstract concepts if they first learn concretely. To support your Montessori preschooler, you can transform your home into a prepared environment. No matter where your student goes, their education will continue. Create your own Montessori playroom
The playroom is one of the most important areas in a Montessori classroom. It’s where the majority of your child’s self-directed exploration occurs. Everything should have a purpose, per the Montessori principle of “a place for everything and everything in its place." There should be a mix of child-friendly furniture and a low shelf for storing materials. Montessori preschools typically have sandpaper letters for children to touch as they sound out letters, tower blocks, wooden musical instruments, and 1-10 peg number boards. Montessori-approved materials are always simple. They usually don’t have electronics or batteries and are often made of natural materials like wood and cotton. The simplicity keeps children focused on improving a specific skill or exploring a particular concept. Aside from choosing appropriate materials, the playroom should be invited and easy to navigate. Your child should have space to move, sit, and plenty of natural light. At the least, there should be a child-friendly desk, chair, and rug or couch. Rotate the materials in your Montessori playroom If you tour the same Montessori school once every few weeks, you’d see that prepared environments are always in motion. Before and after class, teachers adjust the environment based on the children’s progress. If a particular toy or learning material was heavily used, it will be stored away and replaced with a different one. Children might ask for the disappeared material, but they typically pick up the new one. Old material can be rotated back in after several weeks or months. By keeping the materials circulating, your child will always have something new to do. The old will feel like new after time out of use, and you might find your child asking for fewer new toys. Simplify your child’s bedroom and bathroom A key focus of Montessori preschool curriculum is self-regulation and practical life. Apply the principle “a place for everything and everything in its place” throughout your home, making it easy for your child to access items. In addition to child-friendly furniture, there should be stepping stools in the bathroom, low-hanging closet rods, and low shelves. Accessible storage will make it easy for your child to store the toys, books, and items they’ve finished using. This helps your child develop early tidiness and organization skills. When they’re older, it will be less of a struggle to get them to clean up their larger activities and messes. Incorporate independence into your home The goal of a Montessori home is to create an environment where children are motivated to become independent. The kitchen can be prepared to have quality silver- and dishware to teach your child to use “grown up” (and not plastic) tools. The entrance hallway or foyer can have a shoe rack for your child to put their shoes upon entering home. For more ideas, ask your child’s Montessori teachers for advice. They’ll be more than happy to further your child’s Montessori development. Comments are closed.
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