The Montessori Primary Classroom is a three-year program designed for children ages around 3 to 6. Children can enter when they are at least 2 years and 9 months old and are using the bathroom independently. Because children are considered “Kindergarten” age if they turn 5 before September 1st, those who begin prior to age 3 may require a fourth year in the Primary classroom. It is required to complete a full Montessori cycle if you are considering enrolling in the Primary community.
The Montessori primary classroom is a “living room” for children. Children choose their work from among the self-correcting materials displayed on open shelves, and they work in specific work areas. Over a period of time, the children develop into a “normalized community,” working with high concentration and few interruptions.
Normalization is the process whereby a child moves from being undisciplined to self-disciplined, from disordered to ordered, from distracted to focused, through work in the environment. The process occurs though repeated work with materials that captivate the child’s attention. For some children this inner change may take place quite suddenly, leading to deep concentration. In the Montessori primary community, academic competency is a means to an end, and the manipulatives are viewed as “materials for development.”
In the Montessori preschool, five distinct areas constitute the prepared environment:
- Practical life enhances the development of task organization and cognitive order through care of self, care of the environment, exercises of grace and courtesy, and coordination of physical movement.
- The Sensorial area enables the child to order, classify, and describe sensory impressions in relation to length, width, temperature, mass, color, pitch, etc.
- Mathematics makes use of manipulative materials to enable the child to internalize concepts of number, symbol, sequence, operations, and memorization of basic facts.
- Language arts includes oral language development, written expression, reading, the study of grammar, creative dramatics, and children’s literature. Basic skills in writing and reading are developed through the use of sandpaper letters, alphabet cut-outs, and various presentations allowing children to link sounds and letter symbols effortlessly and to express their thoughts through writing.
- Cultural activities expose the child to basics in geography, history, and life sciences. Music, art, and movement education are part of the integrated cultural curriculum.
The preschool environment unifies the psycho-social, physical, and academic functioning of the child. Its task is to provide students with:
- an early and general foundation that includes a positive attitude toward school
- inner security and a sense of order
- pride in the physical environment
- abiding curiosity
- a habit of concentration
- habits of initiative and persistence
- the ability to make decisions
- a sense of responsibility to other members of the class, school, and community