We recently interviewed a graduate of the Miniapple Montessori kindergarten program and her family about their experience with Montessori kindergarten. Elyse is now in third grade and currently attends public school.

Miniapple: If you had to do it again, would you choose Miniapple for kindergarten or would you have wanted to be at your current school with your friends? (more…)

The Montessori classroom is unlike any other educational environment. The child-centered, sensory-friendly setting is engaging, interesting, and led by a teacher who is unlike any other educator. How are Montessori teachers different from traditional teachers? Take a look at the top things that Montessori educators do differently.

Acting as a Guide

In a traditional classroom, the teacher often serves as the instructor. Standing in front of the students, the teacher leads the class by directing the children. Telling the students what, how, and when to learn isn’t part of the Montessori teacher’s repertoire. (more…)

The Montessori philosophy values the individual child. That’s not to say other educational environments don’t value the student too. But in Montessori classrooms, the child leads, making their own choices. If you’re a Montessori parent (or considering becoming one), take a look at why children need the freedom to choose and how they can benefit from it.

Learning Styles

How does your child learn best? There isn’t one educational strategy that works for everyone. Different students adopt different modes of learning, depending on their natural preferences, abilities, likes, and dislikes. (more…)

What are practical life activities in the Montessori classroom? The name says it all. If you’re new to Montessori education, take a look at what you need to know about these in-school exercises and how your young child can benefit from them.

Types of Activities

Practical life activities include a variety of exercises that provide the young child with the chance to learn through doing. (more…)

Montessori may be different from the way that you learned, and grasping its benefits can be difficult. Simply put, Montessori allows your child to learn by exploring their environment and mastering their education in a way that works for them. Starting your child in a Montessori kindergarten is likely to expand their learning in ways you’d never expect. (more…)

Children of all ages are eager to learn about their world and everything in it. They learn their first lessons from their parents and siblings at home, and when they go to school, they learn from their teachers and the world around them.

When young children go to public school, they learn by watching, listening, and reading. In a Montessori school, however, young children are taught to experience the world through all five of their senses. This can give them new insights and allow them to think creatively. (more…)

The term early literacy may seem like a buzzword in education. Even though you may see it repeatedly on every daycare blog, article or book, this does not mean it is just a trendy early childhood activity.

Language development starts early on, making an early foundation for reading and writing a necessary part of the young child’s education. Unlike traditional preschools, Montessori does not approach literacy with a rote, memorize, and repeat type of standard. (more…)

As you consider schooling for your young child, getting them off to the right start developmentally can go a long way toward building a successful future.

Along with verbal and social skills, another important part of a child’s development is their fine-motor skills. Improving fine motor skills will help a child handle tools like scissors. Having developed fine motor skills also improves handwriting, and allows for better coordination. (more…)

Sharing is a social skill that isn’t always easy for a young child to master. Toddlers and preschoolers are curious explorers. And with that in mind, they don’t always want the intrusion of a peer taking over their play. In other words, young children aren’t always natural sharers.

Does this mean that your child can’t, won’t, or shouldn’t share? The answer to this question is complex and doesn’t have one straightforward or all-encompassing response. There’s an ever-present ideology in early childhood (whether in the classroom or at home) that pushes children to share without a sense of awareness. (more…)

Building social skills as a young child helps lay the foundation for good social skills as an adult. Children learn to communicate, show respect, and how to express their feelings in a reasonable manner.

Along with teaching your child social skills at home, you have the ability to expand their knowledge through a Montessori kindergarten classroom. Montessori classes offer several benefits over a traditional school, and a number of these benefits have to do with social interactions.

See all of these benefits and the ways they can help your child thrive socially. (more…)