The Montessori Curriculum

How does the Montessori Curriculum work?

The Montessori Curriculum offers children five key areas of study: Practical Life, Sensorial, Mathematics, Language, and Cultural Studies. Each area of study is made up of a set of unique Montessori materials that increase in complexity. Children progress through the Montessori curriculum at their own pace based on their stage of development and interests.

Teachers present key lessons to introduce children to the name and learning outcomes of each Montessori material. After a lesson, the children work with the Montessori material independently to practice, explore, and make connections to the key learning outcomes.

During this time, Montessori teachers stand back, observe how the children are learning, and document their progress. A teacher will only intervene if needed, to encourage children’s independence, as there is a direct link between children’s sense of empowerment and their ability to learn and retain new skills and information.

New lessons are provided when a child is ready to progress to the next stage. Through repetition and practice, children master the progression of the Montessori materials, and develop a fundamental understanding of each curriculum area.

The Five Curriculum Areas

• Practical life: Independence, social skills and care for the environment
• Sensorial: Colors, shapes, textures, weights, dimension, discrimination and distinguishing between smells, taste and sound
• Mathematics: Numbers, quantities, counting, addition, subtraction, decimal system, multiplication and division
• Language: Oral language, phonics, letter formation, sentence structure, vowels and consonants, writing, reading and literacy skills
• Culture: Geography, botany, zoology, science, history, music and art

Core Montessori Beliefs

• Children have an absorbent mind
• The first six years of life are crucial in a child’s development
•  Education should focus on preparing the whole child
•  Learning should be individually focused and self-paced
• The educator’s role is to guide and enrich each individual’s learning process
• Motivation to learn should come from within
• Children learn best through exploration, problem-solving, and experience

Our Montessori program is child-centered, hands-on, and designed with multiple learning styles in mind. It focuses on providing children with the optimal learning environment, materials, and guidance to discover their full potential. 

At each academic level, our programs are based on Dr. Montessori’s findings about how to best support children’s complete development during their formative years. Programs are child-led and self-paced while guided and enriched by knowledgeable teachers. In Montessori, the classroom, the students, and the educators come together to form a personalized approach to learning.

Through Montessori education, children develop a concrete understanding of key learning areas while developing a diverse range of real-life skills that set them up for success at school and in life. The benefits of Montessori education are time-tested and continue to be proven to deliver outstanding academic and wellbeing outcomes for children.

Interested in learning more about our program? Please join us for a Virtual Open House on January 20th, 2022 at 4pm. Contact our Director of Admissions, Alyssa Morris, [email protected].

Text: Montessori Academy