Primary – 2 1/2 to 6 years old

“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period between birth and age six. For, that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest instrument, is being formed.” Maria Montessori

 

Our Primary Program for students ages 3 to 6 years old offers a personalized approach in which each child discovers the joy of learning. The Primary Montessori curriculum focuses on the elements of our everyday life and aids students in becoming independent and confident individuals. As a result, children acquire the means, in a series of carefully sequenced steps, to master a wide variety of concepts and activities. The areas of learning that are addressed in the Primary environment are:

  • Practical Life – Practical Life activities are the foundation of the child’s development. They involve competence in the care of the self, care of the environment, motor coordination and social interaction skills. Practical Life exercises utilize familiar objects such as dishes, pitchers, water, etc… Exercises include table washing, pouring, and food preparation among others. Practical Life activities promote independence, sense of order, concentration and coordination.
  • Sensorial- Lessons in the Sensorial area teach the child concepts and skills through the five senses. The self-correcting materials developed by Maria Montessori meet the child’s need to learn by “doing.” Through touch, sight, hearing, smell and even taste, students learn concepts such as long, short, thin, thick, sort similar objects and match scents. Sensorial materials also lay the foundation for the mathematical mind with concrete lessons that represent abstract concepts such as the binomial and trinomial cubes.
  • Language – The Montessori environment reinforces a child’s natural interest in language and specifically in learning to read and write. This area focuses on activities that develop proficiency in speaking, vocabulary building, writing, reading and composing through expressive and comprehensive experiences. Literacy activities are based on phonics, linguistics and sight-reading skills matched to the learning style of each child. Through the Montessori language curriculum, students gain the tools to become lifelong readers and writers.
  • Mathematics – Lessons in the math curriculum involve beautiful hands-on materials that allow mathematical concepts to be clearly and easily understood. Children enjoy manipulating our Golden Beads to learn the workings of the decimal system and its four basic operations. They practice math lessons and understand arithmetical processes such as fractions and basic algebra. The mathematics Montessori materials create a concrete impression of the abstract and introduce a three-dimensional foundation at an early age.
  • Cultural Subjects – Cultural Subjects focus on the child’s desire to learn more about the world we live in through lessons in Geography, History, Science, and Community Education including ethics, social awareness and peace education.
  • The Arts – Music, visual arts and dramatic arts are incorporated into our daily curriculum.