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Originally developed by Italian physician Dr Maria Montessori, this holistic approach aims to develop children’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive abilities through exploring the world around them and using their imagination.
The idea is that this allows children to make their own choices, learn and develop at their own pace to build confidence, independence and self-esteem and to create a foundation for life-long learning.
Central to the Montessori method of teaching is the view that children have the best capacity to learn during the early years, from birth up until they are six years old.
What is a Montessori nursery?
In a Montessori nursery, children learn through play using specially designed Montessori toys and resources.
Guided by a trained teacher, children have access to self-educating practical play which encourages them to ask their own questions and discover their own answers.
Montessori is a child-led teaching method that puts children into a prepared learning environment where children can freely choose the activities they want to do.
They are encouraged to explore and lead their own learning.
Difference between Montessori nursery and ‘normal’ nursery
- Montessori nurseries are child-led where children learn at their own pace. They can choose what activities they do. This freedom is thought to help build self-esteem and confidence.
- In other nurseries, children may be guided more in the activities they do.
- Another key element of a Montessori nursery is a multi-age room. Children of different ages will play and interact with each other. This gives the older children the chance to grow leadership skills and learn about patience. The younger children also benefit as they can learn from the older children.
- Traditional nurseries often separate children by age with toys that are age-appropriate.
- Montessori nurseries tend to have wooden toys and use natural resources so play can be more open-ended and not limited or dictated by the toy the child is playing with.
- Toys are stored at the level of the child so they are easily accessible and children can choose for themselves what they want to play with.
- More traditional nurseries may be more structured and focussed on preparing children to transition to schooling where the learning is more formal.
Montessori teachers
Montessori teachers guide rather than instruct and focus on supporting children’s social and emotional development.
They ensure the learning environments are carefully prepared to support children’s spontaneous choice and personal interests and then observe and encourage the child to engage with the activities.
In Montessori education, discipline is viewed as something that should come from the child itself and not be imposed. Teachers avoid rewards and punishment and only intervene if a child is disruptive.
Rather than trying to get a child to read or write at a certain age, the Montessori approach says that children move through sensitive periods when they are especially receptive to learning new skills.
Teachers observe each individual child’s characteristics and tendencies and watch out for when a child is particularly receptive to learning a new skill, such as writing.
Teachers then guide the child to these activities to spark the child’s interest and help them through the process.
Montessori toys
Learning through play is key in the Montessori approach and toys are specially designed to stimulate the senses and help with learning and other areas of development.
Montessori toys are designed in a way that encourage children to experiment, be creative, help them develop motor skills, and play with them independently at their own pace.
An example of a Montessori toy is a wooden geometric shapes puzzle.
While allowing children to have fun and be creative, the puzzle gives children a sense of what wood feels like, help them identify shapes as well as improve their maths and motor skills.
Many Montessori nurseries give children open-ended natural resources to play with such as shells and sticks. They tend to shun bright plastic toys.
Key principles of a Montessori nursery
- Supporting the child as an active learner
- Respecting the inner life of the child
- Trusting the child’s inner motivation
- Providing freedom within limits
- Encouraging the child’s inner discipline
Finding a Montessori nursery
Montessori Global Education gives accreditation to Montessori nurseries to ensure they comply with Montessori principles.
You can find Montessori nurseries by searching on daynurseries.co.uk and reading reviews of nurseries to see if they are suitable for you and your child.
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