Montessori curriculum 

Children have what Dr. Montessori called absorbent minds and an innate desire to learn. “In our dealings with the child at this stage [0-6] we are confronted with a simple but important fact. It is not direct help the child needs: indeed, to attempt to do this would impede his growth. What he needs most of all is the possibility of acting freely on his own initiative without intervention of the adult. To obtain this result most satisfactorily we have found it best to place the child in a specially prepared environment in which he can choose his own actions and make his own social contacts. Set free to live his own independent life in this prepared environment he not only learns to do things by himself and acquire new moral and social aptitudes, but also makes swift and surprising progress in the elements of culture. Because he still possess ‘the absorbent mind’ (though now working, with his hands) he learns writing, reading, fundamental ideas of number, and many other things besides, spontaneously and without fatigue.” (Maria Montessori: Her life and work, E.M. Standing, 1962, p113).

The Montessori areas of activity, or curriculum, is typically divided into the following categories: 1) practical life exercises, 2) sensorial , 3) language,  4) culture, and 5) math. It is presented to the child in a prepared environment which gives the child freedom to explore and gain independence.  

Practical Life Exercises

Practical life activities are divided into two areas: 1) care of self and 2) care of the environment. These activities form a basic part of the Montessori method and involve practical, real-life goals which aim to help children develop a sense of order, skills in concentration and coordination and gain independence.  Practical life activities address personal care, such as buttoning, zipping, and washing hands; care of the environment, such as polishing, food preparation, and cleaning tables;  movement, such as pouring, chopping,  twisting, and sorting; exercises of grace and courtesy, such as greetings and manners.

Sensorial

Sensorial activities engage the child’s five senses: taste, touch, smell, hearing, and sight. Children use their senses to order, classify, and describe materials in relation to color, length, smell, texture, and sound. Materials such as the pink tower, sound cylinders and color tablets help a child to understand and internalize these different concepts.

Language

The sensitive period for acquiring language is from birth to about age 6. Language development is an important part of a child’s cognitive development. Oral language activities focus on simple listening skills, enunciation and vocabulary. Children are encouraged to use words precisely and confidently express themselves. Written language activities, such as the sandpaper letters, help children link symbols with sounds. Children then learn to compose words phonetically using the moveable alphabet.

Culture

Cultural activities introduce customs, practices and social behaviors of people from other countries. Activities related to culture involve geography, music, art, and language.

Math

Math comes alive in the Montessori classroom. To begin with children use materials such as the Numerical Rods, Colored Bead Bars, Spindle Box, and Sandpaper Letters. These concrete, manipulative materials help children learn not only to count but to conceptualize quantity and relationship between the numbers.  After mastering the basics of math, children move beyond the concept of 10, learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with materials such as the Addition Strip Board, Subtraction Strip Board, Multiplication Bead Board and Division Bead Board.