5 WAYS MONTESSORI NURTURES CHARACTER

Engage Team • Sep 02, 2022

5 Ways Montessori Nurtures Character...

We all want to help our child develop positive character traits such as compassion, generosity and kindness.

You may be wondering, how we as Montessori Educators help children learn and understand these traits and support their development?

Here are 5 Ways Montessori Nurtures Character...

1. Montessori environments create cognitive, social, emotional, and moral preparedness.

Traditional schooling emphasizes social development whereas Montessori school promotes cognitive, social, emotional, and moral development. Students are more well-rounded as a result, giving them the skills they need for First Grade and all future learning.

2. Montessori introduces important life skills.

Even very young children can begin to learn about essential life skills, such as manners, safety and caring for the environment. We look for opportunities that will allow your child to practice important life skills, such as letting them help set the table or plant the garden. Letting children take care of their very own plant will promote responsibility while also teaching the importance of caring for the world around them.

3. Montessori offers a prepared environment.

A child needs an environment that is sensitive, attentive and responsive. This environment enables a child to learn skills such as self-regulation and self-control. These skills are important in order for a child to be able to become autonomous and make choices. While in preschool, children learn to develop skills such as taking turns. This skill, for example, encourages other skills related to sharing and caring for others.

4. Young children learn through observation in the Montessori Classroom.

One of the best ways to nurture positive character traits is to lead by example and consistently model what it means to be a good person. As Montessori Educators leading by example, we help set children on their way to becoming kind, caring individuals.

5. Children benefit from multi-age classrooms.

One of the first things you notice when you walk into a Montessori school is that the classrooms are not divided by age. In a Montessori classroom, you will see children of different ages working together and socializing happily. When children are able to mix with children of other ages, they have the opportunity to develop what is known as a theory of mind. This allows children to understand that everyone has different feelings and thoughts, which may be different from theirs. It is important for children to develop a theory of mind as it enables them to feel compassion, empathy and kindness. Montessori Adults also help a child to develop their theory of mind by talking about how someone may be feeling or thinking, especially if an issue has arisen.

Eden Prairie Montessori