Third Year Primary

Every year Montessori parents whose children become kindergarten age face a common dilemma. Do they allow their child to remain in the Montessori environment, or do they transfer their child to a more traditional kindergarten program in the public sector. Although there are many issues that factor into this important decision, the most compelling for many parents is economical. Although each family must make this decision on their own, following are a number of reasons to consider before transferring your child in the kindergarten year. (You can also visit this site for another list of 25 reasons: 25 Reasons to Keep Your Child in Montessori)

  1. The third year of a Montessori primary class, the kindergarten year, is the time when many of the earlier lessons come together and become a permanent part of the young child’s understanding. An excellent example is the early introduction to addition with large numbers through the Bank Game. When children leave Montessori at age five, many of the still forming concepts evaporate, just as a child living abroad will learn to speak two languages, but may quickly lose the second language when his family moves back home.
  2. Your child has waited for two years to be one of the fiveyear old leaders of her class. The kindergartners are looked up to as role models for the younger students, and most children eagerly await their opportunity to play this role.
  3. Your child already knows most of his classmates. He has grown up in a safe, supportive classroom setting.
  4. As a five year old, your child has many opportunities to teach the younger children lessons that she learned when she was their age. Research proves that this experience has powerful benefits for both tutor and student.
  5. Montessori students learn through hands-on experience, investigation, and research. They become actively engaged in their studies.
  6. In Montessori schools, learning is not focused on rote drill and memorization. Our goal is to develop students who understand concepts.
  7. The Montessori Primary curriculum is a sophisticated program that covers areas of reading, math, writing, geography, culture, and art that are usually left to later years in traditional schools.
    • In a Montessori classroom, the children are introduced to writing and reading exercises when they show a readiness for these activities. Because of this, many children are reading before their kindergarten year.
    • In math, Montessori introduces young children to basic geometry and algebra concepts through the Geometric Cabinet and Geometric Solids, and the Binomial Cube and Trinomial Cube.
    • In geography, they learn about lakes, islands, isthmuses, straits, capes, bays, peninsulas, and gulfs through the land and water forms, and the countries of the world through the world puzzle maps.
    • Through their studies of cultural geography, the exposure to different cultures around the globe helps them to begin to grow into global citizens.
    • In art, they learn about art history and the different artists and their styles such as Picasso and Renoir, as well as basic art concepts such as line and landscape.
  8. In Montessori, your child can continue to progress at her own pace.
  9. At MIM, we offer a full day program which gives the child adequate time to explore all the learning areas in the classroom in depth.
  10. Montessori schools are warm and supportive communities of students, teachers and parents, and they consciously teach children to be kind and peaceful.
  11. Having spent two years together, your child’s teachers know him very well. They know his strengths and areas that are presenting challenges.
  12. Montessori is designed to recognize and address different learning styles, helping students learn to study most effectively.
  13. Montessori challenges and sets high expectations for all students.
  14. Montessori students develop self-discipline and an internal sense of purpose and motivation.
  15. In a Montessori atmosphere the child understands that learning is his responsibility, “ his job,” and he is given the opportunity to set his own schedule and to learn time management skills.
  16. In Montessori, your child has been treated with a deep respect as a unique individual. The school has been equally concerned for his intellectual, social, and emotional development. If you still have any doubts, spend a morning observing in your child’s classroom. Sit quietly and take notes. (You may ask questions of the teacher after class.) Then compare it with a morning in a kindergarten class in the other school you are considering. The differences may be subtle or significant. Project your child into the future and ask yourself how the differences you observed in the Montessori classroom might help shape your child to become the adult you envision.