Up until now, you’ve been the main source of education in your child’s life. From reading to them to singing songs together, teaching them the names of common household items and helping them identify different types of animals, you’ve spent a significant amount of time preparing your child for life out in the real world—and you’ve enjoyed that role to the fullest.
But now, it’s time for your child to transition into formal education. And to give them an excellent chance at academic success, you’ve enrolled them in the best Montessori school nearest you. Now you’re left wondering what you can do at home to prepare them for life inside a Monstessori classroom.
Montessori School
Preparedness
Here are 7 things you can do before your child enters a Montessori preschool:
1. Encourage Their Independence
A big tenet of Montessori education is self-directed learning, so encourage your child’s independence at home by teaching them a variety of skills like dressing themselves, eating with various utensils, and cleaning up after themselves.
2. Develop Fine Motor Skills
Many learning activities in a Montessori preschool require fine motor skills in order to be successful. So start early and practice often with activities that enhance your child’s fine motor skills such as cutting paper, coloring, stringing beads, or tying shoes.
3. Foster Curiosity
Montessori-trained teachers are experts in supporting the learning process as it takes place, often as a result of student interest. To foster your child’s natural curiosity at home, allow inquiry-based learning to take place whenever possible by encouraging your child to explore their interests freely.
4. Introduce Montessori Materials
Create a Montessori-friendly environment at home by bringing in toys that are made with natural materials and are specifically designed for exploration. Montessori manipulatives are regularly used in the classroom for learning, so introducing them to your child early on will add to their sense of familiarity when working with them.
5. Establish Routines
Well-established routines are a huge part of the Montessori classroom, and you can help your child transition to a set schedule there by having one of your own at home. Any activity throughout the day can become part of your regular routine like brushing teeth, snack time, clean up time, or bedtime.
6. Emphasize Grace and Courtesy
Early childhood education certainly includes core subject areas, but social skills, manners, and conflict resolution are also key to your child finding success in the classroom.
7. Encourage a Love for Learning
The Montessori preschool classroom also places a huge emphasis on holistic education and developing a life-long love for learning. So taking your child out in nature, to museums, or to create unique art will instill a passion for learning and growing that can last a lifetime.
Transitioning to Montessori Preschool
Moving from a home environment to a private preschool is always a bit of a change, but transitioning to a Montessori preschool can become a much simpler process for your child when utilizing the strategies listed above. You’ve been their biggest advocate in early childhood education, thus far, and you will continue to do so as your child makes the leap into formal schooling.
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