Is your child enrolled in a Montessori school? Parents across the nation love the Montessori method of teaching, which encourages their children to pursue individual learning interests and inspires a true passion for knowledge. Montessori schools practice facilitated learning with a concentration on independent focuses. Montessori parents generally see increased levels of engagement from their children when it comes to their education.The beauty of young children is that their capacity and hunger for knowledge knows no boundaries! Your child’s learning environment is not limited to the walls of the school, but rather extends to any place they interact with. Their constant educational awareness continues to thrive, even during their time at home.
Creating an atmosphere where your child can flourish is the challenge of any parent, so here are some tips to help you support your child’s success:
- Create a structured, but stimulating environment
- Engage in their interests
- Encourage cooperative learning
Creating a Stimulating Space
Just like any growing individual, your child needs a physical space that harbors their creativity. Ideally, this space is personalized to them, with a balance of fostering their interests while inspiring exploration. Supporting practical learning heightens their problem-solving skills in everyday life. This center of learning and play should be optimized for their interactions: making everything child-safe and within their reach.
Maintaining an organized area of constructive play at home allows your child to focus on the task they have set for themselves. The sense of order allows for your child to use divergent thinking, where they can deduce a range of solutions to a problem instead of one single solution. Work with your child on the importance of their responsibility for keeping their space tidy and organized.
Engage in Your Child’s Interests
While many parents look at helping with homework as a task required of them, many Montessori parents find themselves actively participating in their children’s passions. This relationship inspires cooperation and strengthens the bond between you and your child. Not only does your child get to show you what they learned at school today, but they feed off of the energy of your response and your inspired interest. After all, what parent isn’t touched when witnessing their child light up over their explorations of the world and the way it works?
Your verbal validation is incredibly encouraging, however, engaging with them in their activity through expressed interest and asking questions stimulates their curiosity and prompts deeper exploration. Their interactions with you reinforce their knowledge and improve their ability to communicate it to others.
Cooperative Learning
Montessori learning principles emphasize the importance of interactions across various age groups. Immerse your child in cooperative environments, where they are encouraged to participate in hands-on learning with their peers. Choose thought-provoking activities that involve the collective attention of multiple age groups. A cooperative environment, crossing age gaps allows young children to bounce ideas off of their older peers and share in combined knowledge. Older children will increase their ability to expand upon their ideas by explaining them to their peers and younger children will benefit from more experienced learners.
You have already made an incredible choice by enrolling your child in a Montessori learning program. The guidance of the teachers will empower your child in their intellectual pursuits, but your support of their interests produces prosperous thoughts that they will carry with them into adulthood.
Tour Our Rockville, MD Preschool Today!
At Norbeck Montessori, we strive to provide a welcoming, educational environment where children can learn and thrive. Come see our preschool and kindergarten students in action and see the difference a Montessori education makes!
Schedule a tour of our Rockville Montessori school today!