The Montessori Kindergarten Year
The Benefit of Completing the Cycle
“I have found that in their development, the child passes through certain phases, each of which has its own particular needs. The characteristics of each are so different that the passages from one phase to the other has been described by certain psychologists as ‘rebirths’.” - Maria Montessori
With her theory of developmental planes, Maria Montessori believed that children reinvented themselves every 6 years. The Montessori theory and curriculum is based on these planes, grouping children by age into three year cycles that are designed to feed their specific developmental needs.
The Montessori Primary years, ages 3-6, should be thought of as three pieces to a puzzle. Each year the child gains knowledge, skills, and experience that come together as a complete puzzle at the end of the kindergarten year. During the first year, children develop order, learn the systems of the classroom, and normalize to the environment. During the second year, they more deeply explore works they were introduced to their first year, they begin to guide their younger friends while at the same time still receiving guidance from their older friends. The third year, kindergarten, is the year of mastery. During the kindergarten year they become a leader and a mentor to their younger friends. Materials that they have explored during their previous two years gain new depth as they are able to take them from concrete to abstract. We encourage parents to think of the three years of each cycle as a house. The first year is the foundation, the second the walls, the third the roof. While the foundation is useful on its own, the house is not complete without the roof.
The Importance of the Montessori Kindergarten Year
During the third year the lessons come together and become a permanent part of the young child’s understanding. Without this process of taking a concept from concrete to abstract, the student will gradually lose the ground they’ve gained with Montessori’s unique method.
In their kindergarten year students become leaders in the classroom. They are given the responsibility of giving lessons, modeling appropriate behaviors, and helping with special classroom tasks reserved for kindergarten students.
The process of giving a lesson that they have mastered independently is something that shows true competency and further cements that lesson in their mind.
Kindergarten is a year of rapid academic and social growth. Their skill level dramatically increases when they are given the opportunity to consolidate their knowledge within the Montessori classroom.
Montessori allows children to continue to learn and grow at their pace. For students who are advanced in the curriculum this allows them to continue to learn without the restrictions of waiting for peers to catch up.
Students are held to the same moral and social standard regardless of where they are in the curriculum.
The goal of Montessori is to develop students who truly understand a concept, so it does not rely on rote memorization or drills. Instead the curriculum builds on itself over the course of years so that the concepts are fully understood by the student.
We set high expectations for all of our students, not a special few. All students are challenged at their level and held to high standards, which develops an internalised sense of self discipline and purpose.
By the kindergarten year students have been in the same community for two years already. Your child will be challenged to reach their full potential in a familiar and safe environment instead of having to acclimate to a new style of learning.
Your child has spent their first two years in the classroom looking up to and admiring the kindergarten students. Children eagerly await their opportunity to join the ranks of kindergarten students in the classroom. This year gives them the opportunity to shine, and leadership brings self esteem and intellectual confidence.
We can always fill an open spot in the classroom, but we can never replace your child. Each student is an important part of the fabric of our class and what they bring to our community is unique.