Curriculum

Exercises of Practical Life are the first activities presented to the child. Most parents must have experienced that new toys that you buy are only a novelty for a while and then the child gets bored and may never play with that. Do you wonder why the child loses interest so quickly? Just like us, children also like doing purposeful work. Children are immediately drawn to activities such as washing hands, sweeping, pouring, carrying, fastening buttons etc. These activities are familiar to them from home and they sense its use in their development. With these activities the child will learn to do things on their own (their strive for independence) and in turn will build their confidence. Also in this area we teach children about grace and courtesy. In a Montessori environment we wish the child has enough freedom to work happily but it has to also be understood that freedom comes within boundaries. Grace and courtesy will teach the child discipline to work, how to interact with others and how to respect the environment which is not only applicable in this setting but also in real life.

The sensorial activities are given so that the child gets the opportunity that most of us didn’t get and that is to sharpen our senses. I know that I always wished that I had better understanding of sounds in music, which would have given me confidence to sing or play an instrument. The sensorial materials have been very carefully and scientifically designed and will only be found in Montessori classrooms. In doing these activities your child will expand their appreciation, confidence and interest in cultural activities such as art, music etc.

The language area covers anything and everything to help the child get to a point where they are confident in speaking, understanding, writing and reading. From the perspective of a teacher, teaching language in the Montessori way feels like a very natural process in which the child goes from the first stage of identifying sounds in spoken words then to writing (so they can express their own thoughts quietly) then to reading (understanding the author’s thoughts) with full comprehension. Oral activities included are the I-Spy game, news period, stories, poems, songs and many more.

It is said that humans have a mathematical mind so why do most people have such a fear of numbers? After seeing how beautifully mathematics is introduced in the Montessori environment, I quickly understood the importance of how a subject is taught and what impact it can have for a child for the rest of their lives. Mathematics is introduced in a very fun and concrete manner and once it has been absorbed by the child from this angle they will easily be able to progress to solve mathematical problems on paper and mentally. The material in this area is also very specifically designed to reach the child’s interest which will help grow love for this subject.

As a part of all the areas we also introduce cultural activities such as learning about animals, plants, science, geography, history, art and music. Experiencing real life is a key part of Montessori teaching therefore to introduce areas of culture there will be trips to libraries, museums, parks and various other places.