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By Deanna Mascle
This is the time of year when the parents of many preschoolers
must decide where their child will attend school in the fall.
I
wanted to take this opportunity to share my experience with
Montessori preschool education.
My son is completing his second year in a Montessori preschool
program and attended from the age of 3 1/2.
I chose Montessori for several reasons. First, my son is a
bright, inquisitive child who already had a sound grounding in
recognition of his alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors
before
he started preschool. I was worried that he might be bored in
a
more traditional preschool. Montessori’s highly individual
program means he is always challenged and interested. In
addition, my son is a very active child and the Montessori
program gives him lots of opportunity for free play outdoors
and indoors as well as more freedom to move about, stand, or
even lie on the ground while working on his lessons in the
classroom.
In my opinion one of Montessori’s great advantages is the fact
that the child drives the educational experience. My son’s
interests and abilities determine his unique educational
program and so his lessons may overlap but are not identical
to
those of his classmates. This makes him an eager and motivated
student.
The education program offered by Montessori also includes many
advantages. My son’s experience includes the arts, math and
science, language, and life skills. He regularly impresses our
friends and family with his knowledge of science, sign
language, and other areas not traditionally included in
preschool programs.
I also like the fact that his classroom includes a wider range
of ages so he has friends who are both younger and older. In
addition, he really enjoys having regular contact with the
elementary-age students who serve as both role models and
friends.
Finally, as a parent, I cannot stress enough the benefits that
a program like Montessori offers in terms of life skills. All
students are expected to be responsible for their own personal
hygiene as well as maintenance and cleaning of the classroom
and food areas. While support is offered by adults and older
children, even young children can learn to clean up after
themselves. It has certainly had an impact on my son’s
willingness and ability to help out at home.
Recently I compared preschool experiences with a friend whose
child is completing her second year in what most people
consider to be the top preschool program in our community. We
compared our children’s skills to the checklist provided by
our
school district of 60 skills (including cognitive skills,
listening and sequencing skills, language skills, fine motor
skills, gross motor skills, and social/emotional skills) that
will help children transition into kindergarten. My son has
all
60 skills while her daughter lacked skills in each of the
areas.
I recommend every parent at least consider Montessori for
their
child as it is a child-centered learning approach that can
provide an excellent foundation for a child’s future growth
and
learning.
About The Author: Deanna Mascle writes articles to help you
prepare your preschooler for school and life for her
newsletter
"Preschoolers Learn More". You can find more preschool
education
articles at TeachYourPreschooler.info
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