Is a Montessori preschool right for your child?
While there are many benefits to sending your little one to school early, it can also be a tough decision to make. Many parents may have anxiety about leaving their young child in school all day, while others may not feel confident preschool is worth the extra expense. There are various other concerns that come up when parents are considering the possibility of preschool, and while they are all valid concerns, the pros of enrolling your child in preschool far outweigh the cons.
Children are like sponges. They crave and quickly absorb any information you send their way, and they desire to be out in the world exploring in order to grow academically, socially, and in their ability to work independently of their parents. Preschool can fulfill all of these needs for your child.
This is especially true of a Montessori school, where your child is sure to grow by leaps and bounds during the school year.
Here are several reasons to consider our Montessori preschool for your little one.
Our Preschool Teaches Life Skills
Because children who learn in a Montessori environment are encouraged to figure things out for themselves, they tend to learn many important life skills at an earlier age than their peers. Tasks such as washing hands, getting dressed, and cleaning up simple messes are not too difficult for a young child.
Montessori teachers understand this fact, and instead of doing these things for the children, they demonstrate the correct way to carry out a task and allow the child to give it a shot.
Our Preschool Gives Self-Confidence
Mastering the life skills mentioned above is an incredible confidence booster. Toddlers and young preschoolers enjoy being independent, and having the ability to complete a task on their own is a very rewarding experience.
In addition to important life skills, children in a Montessori classroom are given ample opportunity to expand upon their knowledge in the areas of academics, social skills, and more. Mastery of these skills further boosts self-confidence, especially because most lessons are child-led, meaning the students are actually eager to learn the skill they have chosen to work on.
Our Preschool Teaches Respect
Respect is an important topic that comes up often in the Montessori learning environment. Students are taught to be respectful of one another, respectful of their workspace and tools, and even respectful of themselves. This respect, which is practiced so often throughout the day, will undoubtedly follow the students home and into adulthood, where it is bound to help them succeed in all aspects of life.
Our Preschool Teaches Teamwork
While Montessori schools are all about individualized learning, the curriculum also encourages children to work together on certain tasks. The lessons in respect play well into the teamwork aspect of every student’s education, as they learn to cooperate with peers and adults alike.
Our Preschool Values Community
The lessons in respect and teamwork learned in a Montessori classroom, along with the student-led approach, work together to create a unique community that could be described as a family. Watching a child demonstrate — with enthusiasm and without prompting — what they have learned to their classmates or observing one child assisting a classmate during a lesson is wonderful to see and happens each and every day in Montessori schools.
Our Preschool Allows Hands-on Learning
Very few toddlers enjoy sitting down to work with a paper and pencil. Young children need to explore their environment with their hands. (Some people hold onto this preference well into adulthood.)
The hands-on educational experiences offered in a Montessori classroom are priceless, and the ample outdoor play enjoyed by Montessori students ensures a well-rounded child who has plenty of opportunities to explore the world as they see fit and have fun doing so.
Our Preschool Imparts Problem-Solving Skills
The child-led lessons learned in a Montessori school are ideal for fostering excellent problem-solving skills in young children. Teachers are hands-off and encourage students to solve problems on their own. This process of trial-and-error quickly develops a child’s creative problem-solving skills. For this reason, Montessori students often go on to be very successful artists, scientists, and business owners.
Our Preschool Fosters Lifelong Love of Learning
Children who start their education in a Montessori classroom are much more likely to enjoy learning, and thus continue expanding upon their knowledge, for many years after they have finished formal schooling. This is because the child-led, hands-on learning experiences encourage children to see their work as play and instills in them a true love of gathering knowledge.
Our Preschool Encourages Art
One of the biggest aspects of successful preschool programs that is reflected in the Montessori curriculum is the importance of creating art. While Montessori children are encouraged to discover art in their own time as opposed to during a specific time of day, all toddlers can benefit from creating art. Preschoolers are inspired to organize thoughts and write stories about pictures they have drawn or painted, and the actions of drawing, writing, sculpting and glueing help develop their fine motor skills.
Our Preschool Encourages Music
The Montessori curriculum also includes music, which can help children develop rhythm and memorize facts, letters, numbers and dates when they are set to a tune. Keeping music in schools benefits students in almost every area of development. Children who actively play music or sing before kindergarten have been shown to play better with others, have a higher understanding of reading and math, and possess higher self-esteem than children who do not.
Our Preschool Promotes Peer-Learning
Montessori education encourages children to learn from peers of different ages. This gives the younger children someone to look up to and teaches the older children how to be effective leaders and mentors. Students who attend Montessori schools are more interested in learning and have greater attention spans than traditionally educated students.
As you can see, a Montessori preschool is an excellent place to begin your child’s education and instill in them a craving for new information. Not only is the Montessori method ideal for preschool, it is also a great way to educate your child throughout their elementary, middle and high school years. By beginning the Montessori method at a young age, you are giving your child an incredible foundation on which to build their knowledge.
If you are looking for a Montessori preschool in Mclean, VA, we would love for you to come visit us at Brooksfield School. We are now offering preschool services for children as young as 2 years of age, and we are always on the lookout for new people to welcome into our community and classrooms.
