Maria Montessori was an 19th Century Italian doctor who devoted her life to the holistic education of young children. Her child-centric approach, theories and practice were embraced by other renowned educators of the time, and the ‘Montessori’ method of teaching was developed. Montessori remains a well-respected and mainstream teaching method in many countries and is currently enjoying a resurgence of popularity in the UK.
We are fortunate enough to have several qualified Montessori teachers across our family of nurseries, all of whom continue to attend courses and learn, just like our children do – we are so thrilled to introduce key aspects of this practice to the children in our care.
The Montessori philosophy follows that children better reach their potential when submersed in a thoughtfully prepared environment. In a Montessori environment, the adult introduces new concepts to the child, ensures thorough understanding, and then steps to one side allowing the child to self-develop and practise these new skills – the adult will watch closely and step-in to support and encourage when needed. When the adult is confident that the child has mastered a particular skill or learning, the adult can then introduce learning extensions and additional concepts.
Montessori understood the significance of giving children time and space to understand and embrace their world and how they should be free to question, probe, investigate and reflect during any learning experience.
The Montessori method emphasises five key learning areas, each of which uses specific learning materials and practises, and which will be introduced in phases to your child.
Practical Life: Focuses on daily tasks develop independence and fine/gross motor skills. Encourages care of self, care of environment and care of others.
Sensorial: Engages the senses through activities like matching colours, grading shapes, and exploring textures to refine sensory perception.
Language: Encourages language development through vocabulary building, phonetic exercises, and storytelling.
Mathematics: Introduces mathematical concepts through hands-on activities with counting, sorting, and exploring patterns.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World: Broadens understanding of the world through activities related to geography, history, science, and the arts.
As part of our commitment to families, we happily share resources to help you continue Montessori Inspired activities at home. Pairing socks is a good example. By pairing socks at home, the child is subconsciously tackling early maths skills (shapes, pattern recognition and numbers), language skills (dots, stripes, names of colours) and literacy skills (busy hands hone fine and gross motor skills and muscle memory in preparation for early writing).
Learning to lay the table and helping during and after mealtimes helps develop emotional intelligence, teamwork, manners, and social skills. It also gives the child a sense of achievement and belonging.
Sorting and grading materials by colour, shape or size. Using hands, tongs, spoons, tweezers. These are important ways to help a child develop their concentration and the important ‘pincer grip’, essential for learning how to hold a pencil.
Pouring liquid from a large vessel into smaller vessels. This is good for early maths concepts, spatial awareness and language development. A tricky activity which really helps develop concentration and fine/gross motor skills.
Equipment is mainly what you would see at home, for example, jugs, kitchen equipment, counting aids.
We are fortunate enough to have several qualified Montessori teachers across our family of nurseries, all of whom continue to attend courses and learn, just like our children do.
Every day
We couldn't be happier with our experience at Townsend Montessori Nursery. From the moment we enrolled our 1-year-old daughter, the staff have been incredibly supportive, attentive and nurturing. Our daughter has flourished under their care, quickly settling in and feeling right at home. The emphasis on Montessori principles has been evident in every aspect of her development. Not only has she begun to speak and express herself more confidently, but she's also taken her first steps with the encouragement and guidance of the dedicated staff.
All my 3 children have attended the nursery, my youngest is still there. The staff are all caring and really know my child, she is welcomed warmly every day and the staff knows what my child needs to start her day. My child has activities set up to her interests and likes. My child gets to explore the outside area and loves the mud kitchen. All food at the nursery is cooked fresh every day by the nursery chef and will try and adapt the menu where possible to support my child's needs. We also like the Montessori approach the nursery has adopted with activities to support this in each room.
We have been so happy with Townsend Montessori Herne Bay. Our son always comes home talking about his friends, the staff and everything he has done and learnt. He can now hold a pen and loves pointing out numbers and letters that he can recognise when we are out. He loves being outside and has loved the Forest school area of the nursery. All of the staff were friendly and enthusiastic to tell us about our son's day and they went over and above to help him settle in and get to know who everyone was.