5 Areas of Focus

Practical Life

Practical life activities are based on actions that a child can observe happening in his daily life environment. Children are able to recognize these activities (pouring water from a jug, scooping, buttoning, tying their laces etc) and relate to what they see their families doing at home. The aim of practical life activities is to help children gain a better understanding of their environment, interact appropriately and ultimately establish a sense of ownership. These “movement”-based activities also help a child to improve physical coordination, improve concentration and develop independence and confidence.

Sensorial 

Young children learn and discover through the active use of all their senses. Sensorial activities are designed to help them refine and further develop each of them. Apart from our five senses, other senses also include our sense of weight, temperature and form and shapes. Through the activities, children learn to distinguish nuances and become more precise in his observations. These skills help them to better organize the information that they have perceived through their senses.

Mathematics

The Montessori approach to mathematics helps a child to learn abstract concepts through the use of tangible mathematics apparatus such the Montessori math beads and number rods. Children will be first introduced to numbers and counting, before moving on to more abstract operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. In the later years, they will also be introduced to more complex forms of numbers such as decimals and fractions.

Language

The early years are formative for a child’s development of language. The Montessori method uses a systematic yet broad-based approach to the honing of language skills. The curriculum first starts off with oral language where teachers are encouraged to name as many things and use broad vocabulary with the child. After which, children will learn to distinguish phonic sounds through fun activities and will eventually progress on to learning to sight words and simple sentences. The main aim of the language curriculum is not only to achieve reading and literacy skills but also to inculcate an appreciation for the language through children’s literature.

Culture

The culture curriculum comprises mainly topics from the Sciences, Geography and the Arts. It is an amalgamation of what we observe in the natural world as well as what we create in the arts. Cultural activities aim to increase children’s exposure and develop their understanding of the world around them. These activities include learning about countries and their flags, botany and zoology as well as singing and dancing and learning about other cultures.