Montessori education is based on self directed activity, hands on learning and collaborative play. The children make choices in their learning, while the classroom and the teacher offer age appropriate activities to guide the process. The teachers link the children to activities and their specialized training results in a deep knowledge of child development, the purpose and use of each activity, and an understanding of how to foster and maintain social harmony in the classroom.

​

Children work in small groups and individually during their ‘work cycles” which are uninterrupted periods of time where the children are free to choose the materials on the shelves that they have been shown.The teachers give individual and small group lessons on all of the materials on the shelves showing the children how to use the work correctly. This freedom of choice within clear, firm and reasonable boundaries, allow children to act in positive ways that further development. Parents often misunderstand this freedom and believe it means that the children can do whatever they want. This is not the case, within the classrooms there are clear expectations and children experience the natural and logical consequences of their choices.

​

Children’s needs change as they move through stages of development. The classrooms are prepared in every way for optimizing this development, we align activities in the classroom with what each child needs at any time. Many parents place a high emphasis on their child’s improvement in reading, writing and mathematics as indicators of successful learning. Montessori education also values these vital life skills, but balances them with the development of equally important aspects of the child’s character. Children who attend Montessori schools almost universally display great self control,self- awareness and confidence.