Montessori
Why We Chose the Montessori Program for Our School ?
At Willow Early Education and Preschool, we believe in providing children with the best foundation for lifelong learning. That’s why we have chosen the Montessori program—a globally recognized, child-centered approach that nurtures independence, creativity, and a love for learning.
Key Reasons for Choosing Montessori:
✅ Child-Centered Learning
The Montessori method allows children to explore and learn at their own pace, fostering independence, confidence, and self-discipline.
✅ Hands-On, Experiential Learning
Through interactive activities and sensory-based materials, children develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and a deep understanding of concepts.
✅ Encourages Social & Emotional Growth
The Montessori environment promotes respect, cooperation, and empathy, helping children develop strong social and emotional intelligence.
✅ Individualized Approach
Each child is unique. The Montessori program adapts to individual learning styles, ensuring that every child reaches their full potential.
✅ Prepares for the Future
Montessori education encourages curiosity, adaptability, and a growth mindset, providing children with the skills they need for future academic and personal success.
By choosing the Montessori program, we ensure that our students receive a holistic, engaging, and inclusive education, setting the stage for a lifelong love of learning.
Montessori Curriculum: Areas of Learning
There are five main areas in the program:
Practical Life
Children are provided with a wide variety of aterials that are generally found in the home. They carry out familiar and meaningful ctivities that Care for the Environment: weeping, mopping, watering plants, cleaning tables and windows; Care of Self: pouring a drink, washing self, dressing and food preparation, and are offered the opportunity to learn about socialization through exercises of Grace and Courtesy.
Practical life exercises are fundamental to the whole program. They lay foundations for the 3 year old for their later activities in other areas. The activities are done not only for their own sake but also to develop inner iscipline, organization, independence and orderliness of the classroom.
Through manipulating specifically designed materials that isolate qualities such as colour, shape, order, dimension, distance, texture, temperature, volume, pitch, weight, taste, similarity and sequence the child is supported in their learning and discovery of their surroundings.
Refinement of fine motor skills, visual and auditory senses develop coordination and the ability to order and classify.
Sensorial Life
Language
Language development is an integral part of all activities in the classroom and involves all areas of the environment. Spoken language forms the basis for the child’s written work and later understanding of what has been written i.e. reading.
To build the foundations necessary for literacy, phonetic sounds are introduced through materials called sandpaper letters, these develop a child’s fine motor and writing skills. The development of a child’s reading skills is through the use of the moveable alphabet, where simple phonetic words extend to more complex words, sentenced structure and grammar. The Children’s House presently offers 5 different spoken languages within the environment.
The program lays the foundation in maths concepts with concrete materials. The materials are designed to take children from a physical concept of numbers, through to an abstract level of
understanding of mathematics.
As the child explores spatial relationships, distance, grouping and quantity, the role of number s is developed through the use of equipment such as numbers rods, counters, spindles and the bead system.
Mathematics
Cultural Studies
This area is as wide and varied as possible. The study of Culture extends to and incorporates Art, History, Geography, Biology, Zoology, Botany and the Physical Sciences. By presenting and exposing other cultures and lifestyles, the child learns about the world they live in.
Throughout the year, music, dance, foods, language, and customs from various countries are explored, to give the child an opportunity to experience other cultures.