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 PRIMARY Developmental Needs Of The 3-6 Year Old Birth to Six years is the most important age of development for your child. Before he/she comes to us at age three, you have witnessed so many important events from watching her learn to crawl and walk to acquiring knowledge of the English language. By the time your child enters our school the synapses of the brain are growing and expanding like wildfire. Everything is exciting. Everything is new. The child is driven to learn all he can about the environment around him. Montessori noticed that at certain ages children seemed open and ready to learn specific things that appealed to their driving need to know. She called these sensitive periods. This is when a child's body, brain and total being are ready to absorb all that the environment can teach. The child is like a little sponge soaking up information and knowledge. The rich environment of the Montessori primary classroom contains specialized materials to satisfy the child's thirst for knowledge during these sensitive periods while the synapses of the brain continue to grow. Each classroom is divided into four main areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language and Math. In addition, each classroom has an art area, geography materials and ever-changing science materials that explore botany, zoology, astronomy, physical science and more. Teachers follow the child and work into their curriculum answers to all the questions children ask. Technical names are taught as the child searches for the truth about everything in the world around him. The Practical Life area contains materials that teach the child how to pour, spoon, use utensils, tweeze, cut, and clean. The child learns how to perfect dressing skills through using button frames, zipper frames, buckle and tying frames. He washes everything from snack preparation dishes to shelves and windows. The materials in this area teach the child how to care for his personal needs, and be more useful and independent around the house. She learns to clean up after herself and take pride in her classroom. Sequencing skills are acquired that can be applied to other areas of the classroom such as reading and math. Many activities involve developing pincer skills (three fingers) that lead to learning how to grip the pencil for writing work. The young child fulfills many sensitive needs in this area of the classroom. Perfection of these skills leads to independence, confidence, and responsibility. The Sensorial area contains materials that appeal to the child's need to develop the senses. Maria Montessori specifically designed many of the materials as she watched the children and realized their needs. This area of the classroom grows with the child. The Knobbed Cylinders are self-controlling for the youngest child who works to find the proper place for each cylinder on one cylinder block. By the time the child is in the third year (Kindergarten), all four cylinder blocks are positioned into a square and are manipulated at the same time to create a big challenge. The Pink Tower and the Brown Stair teach the children not only how to build, but how to discriminate between height, depth, width and weight. As the child grows, extensions are added to create more challenges and further his understanding. Additional sensorial (sensory developing) materials are three Color Boxes that range from a simple matching of the primary colors to 7-part gradation of the primary and secondary colors. There are Touching Boards (sandpaper) and Fabric Sorting to develop the sense of touch; Tasting Bottles to develop the taste buds; Thermic Bottles to discriminate temperature. Sound cylinders train the ear for future reading and music endeavors. Physical coordination develops with understanding of concepts, laying the foundation for future math work. Language begins with the "Sound of the Week". Students are introduced to short vowel and consonant sounds at circle time or in individual or small group lessons. Each week they talk about things that begin with the "Sound of the Week". They bring "Show and Tell" items that begin with the "Sound of the Week". They practice writing the sound in the sand box after first feeling and tracing the sandpaper letter. Many independent works can be found on the shelves in this area to reinforce learning of the sounds. Older children transfer that knowledge to other writing and pre-reading works on the shelf. Reading is a phonetic approach. Many children are reading by their third or Kindergarten year. Writing progresses hand-in-hand as the child's knowledge expands. Math is a very concrete learning process in the Montessori classroom. There are many counting activities. Children learn the relationship between the quantities and their correlating symbols. They work with the teens and tens developing understanding of numbers to 100 and beyond. They learn math processes through the use of "Golden Beads" material that allows a concrete learning of four-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Place value and memorization of math facts are built into the program making understanding easy because of the hands-on, concrete approach. They also work on memorization of simple math facts. Geometry also has a place in the Montessori classroom as children manipulate geometric solids and planes as well as learn the proper names. The primary program and its curriculum develop over the course of the three years the child spends in the classroom. It is so important that the child be allowed to experience the Montessori environment for the full three years. Each three-year cycle of life builds upon the previous cycle and continues to cycle through the child's life into adulthood. The first year of each cycle is one of hesitation, shyness, and yet excitement as one is introduced to new beginnings. The second year holds more confidence and is a building year. The third year is one of mastery as learning and understanding come together for the child. And then the cycle begins anew. The three-year-old enters the classroom with wide eyes to all the possibilities. The sensitive needs dictate the areas the child needs to work in. He is always working towards perfection and building his skills. This age child has a strong need for order. She is always aware of the smallest changes in the classroom. He keeps the five-year-olds in line when they put things back on the shelves in the wrong places. She notices new earrings the first day the teacher wears them. The three year old usually works independent of the other children, wanting to do everything without help, not really needing social interaction. Often he is content to simply watch others work, quietly absorbing the knowledge for future reference. The four-year-old enters the classroom with confidence and excitement. Gone is the newness of the previous year. He rushes into the classroom to announce to his teachers "I'm back!" This is a year of building upon previously acquired knowledge. The driving need of the year before settles into determined work of the contented child. He knows the boundaries and expectations and can see where he's been (as a three year old) and where he wants to go (as a five year old). She looks up to the third year students and wants to learn how to read and do all the things those older students can do. Socialization becomes important as the child explores emotions and friendship. The third year or Kindergarten year is one of completion. The child masters all areas of work. He becomes the leader, the ones others look up to for support and guidance. The kindergarten children become little teachers as they help the little ones tie shoes and put on their coats for recess. They love to read to their younger counterparts. Math and language and writing work take up the majority of their day. Many kindergarten children who have spent the first two years coming just half-day to school increase their day to full time so that they can experience the social time of lunch and have more time to develop their skills in the afternoon. Often, half day just isn't enough time for the Kindergarten child. The best way to sum up the three year process may be to look at each year in terms of: Watcher, Worker, Teacher. The three-year-old is a Watcher absorbing everything going on in the environment. The four-year-old is a Worker who now confidently moves through the materials he so carefully observed the year before. The five-year-old is the Teacher who is mastering all the works, teaching others and combining and applying his knowledge to bigger endeavors (writing stories to go with the picture he created, taking pride in her ability to move from the concrete to abstract with some math works, etc.). To learn more about our Primary program, please read our Parent Handbook pages |