While most of the current resources on our site and in our store focus primarily on supporting dynamic learning and providing a Montessori curriculum for children ages 3 to 6, they apply in many ways to older children as well. Understanding the learner age 6 and younger is essential to any Montessori education program.Dr. Montessori believed, and current research supports the idea, that the most important years of a child’s life were from birth to age 6. This was the age group that most of Montessori’s most famous experimental research included.
These ideas will be useful to anyone who parents or works with children. Many of the practical, specific suggestions and materials for the environment do focus on this younger age group. Especially if you are a homeschooler, or work in a program that includes younger children, it is really important to understand why many concepts most schools teach to older children are best introduced before age 6. While Montessori educators are completely against pushing children, or asking them to endure large group reading lessons and tedious drills, the Montessori approach to teaching reading to preschoolers includes none of these things. It is a developmentally appropriate phonics instruction sequence that starts when the child is truly interested in the information and uses manual materials that perfectly suit the learning style of younger children. These ideas are important for teachers of older children to understand as well.
All the information on this site will help you in your role as an educator or parent of elementary age children. Please read the product descriptions or send us an email to find out if the video training programs and other products will meet your needs. If your child doesn’t have a solid foundation in phonics instruction, the phonics and language programs may be just what you need.