Montessori Curriculum Areas

“When the children had completed an absorbing bit of work, they appeared rested and deeply pleased. It almost seemed as if a road had opened up within their souls that led to all their latent powers, revealing the better part of themselves. They exhibited a great affability to everyone, put themselves out to help others and seemed full of good will.”

— Maria Montessori, MD

The early childhood curriculum is the most holistic and least differentiated at any level of education. It is also the most solidly grounded in philosophy, in clearly articulated methodology, and in theory and research. What they had in common was an understanding of children. And that is what makes early childhood education unique; it starts with the child and not with the subject matter. The early childhood curriculum and practice must be adapted to the maturing needs, abilities, and interests of the child.

The application of the Montessori philosophy and the specifically designed Montessori equipment aids the child’s ability to absorb knowledge and continue the path of self-construction. Within the prepared environment, the materials and activities of the curriculum are those that related to practical life skills; sensory education; language and mathematics; and more general social, and cultural development.

Practical Life

The child’s desire to seek order and independence finds expression through the use of a variety of materials and activities which support the development of fine motor as well as other learning skills needed to advance to the more complex Montessori equipment. The practical life materials involve the children in precise movements which challenge them to concentrate, to work at their own pace uninterrupted, and to complete a cycle of work which typically results in the feelings of satisfaction and confidence. Practical life encompasses four main areas: Control of Movement, Care of Person, Care of the Environment, and Grace and Courtesy.

Sensorial

From an early age children are developing a sense of order and they actively seek to sort, arrange and classify their many experiences. The sensorial component provides a key to the world, a means for a growth in perception, and understanding that forms the basis for abstraction in thought. Each sensorial material is generally a set of objects which isolates a fundamental quality perceived through the senses including Visual, Tactile, Baric, Thermic, Auditory, Olfactory, Gustatory, and Stereognostic.

Language

Children are immersed in the dynamics of their own language development and the Montessori approach provides a carefully thought-out program to facilitate this process. Oral language acquired since birth is elaborated and refined through a variety of language activities. Indirect preparation for writing begins with the practical life exercises and sensorial training. Fine motor skills are developed along with the ability to distinguish the sounds which make up language. With the spoken language background, children learn alphabet symbols, writing and spelling through hands-on and tactile materials. Because children know what they have written, they soon discover they can read back their stories. Creativity is encouraged and the child grows in appreciation of the mystery and power of language.

Mathematics

A child is led to abstract ideas and relationships by dealing with the concrete. The child’s mind has already been awakened to mathematical ideas through the sensorial experiences. The child has seen the distinctions of distance, dimension, graduation, identity, similarity and sequence and will be introduced to the functions and operations of numbers. Geometry, algebra and arithmetic are connected in the Montessori method as they are in life. Through concrete materials the child learns to add, subtract, multiply and divide and gradually comes to understand many abstract mathematical concepts with ease and joy.

Culture

As children give order to the sensory information that they have absorbed, they grow increasingly aware that they need more knowledge about the larger world in which they live. The culture curriculum provides a broad array of activities for children to explore the world through Geography, Science (Zoology, Botany, Physics, and Chemistry), History, Art and Music. Studying Geography allows the children to understand and appreciate cultural diversity. Science activities foster curiosity and creativity in children about nature and about our unique world. Art and music allow the children to express themselves freely.

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