Winston-Salem Montessori, North CarolinaChildren’s House Program

3-6 Year Olds

For the young child, learning is a process that involves all the senses. Dr. Maria Montessori created enticing materials for children to manipulate, and through their exploration, understand higher-level concepts, develop inner- discipline and foster their natural curiosities. She discovered that given the proper amount of guidance and freedom, children develop a positive sense of self and their community.

Montessori Curricular

Goals For Children 3 to 6 Years Old

The educational program for the Early Childhood level in Children’s House is distinguished by a core curriculum where each child acquires and applies a breadth of skills during a three-year learning cycle

Well-planned lessons are presented in a carefully prepared educational environment filled with specifically- designed, age-appropriate materials. The Montessori trained teacher creates opportunities for individual children in a mixed-age community. The children learn and achieve at a rate which meets their particular needs and allows their talents to emerge.

The primary program encourages the young child to explore, to cooperate, and to attain academic and social independence. The acquired skills are intended to prepare each child not only for success at the next academic level, but also for success in life.

Practical Life

Practical Life exercises instill skills in caring for oneself, for others, and for the environment. Activities include many of the tasks children see as part of the daily routine in their home as well as lessons in the social graces and courtesy. Through these tasks children develop muscular coordination, skills of independence and focus their attention in activity that promotes concentration and attention to details.

Learn more

Sensorial

Sensorial exercises promote the development of the senses and the building of skills in discrimination. Children develop cognitive skills by learning to order and classify their impressions through activities in touch, sight, taste, smell, listening and exploring the physical properties of their environment.

Mathematics

Montessori math activities help children learn and understand abstract mathematical concepts through manipulating concrete materials. Children get a solid foundation in basic mathematics principles, preparing them for later abstract reasoning, and helping them to develop problem solving capabilities.

Learn more

Language

The Montessori activities build skills in sound discrimination, prepare the hand for writing, encourage the development of written expression and lay a foundation of phonetic skills that prepare the child for reading.

Learn more

Botany and Zoology

Lessons in botany, classification and zoology expose the child to a wide scope of activities intended to promote interest and encourage reverence for living things.

History

Lessons in history expose the child to a wide scope of activities intended to promote interest and integrate a sense of time in their understanding other subjects.

Geography

Through sensory experience and the use of imaginative stories, children are introduced to both physical and political geography, using models of landforms, Montessori puzzle maps and the flags of the world. Presentations focus on people who live on different continents and their food, music, clothing, traditions, holidays, customs, and housing.

Music

Maria Montessori understood that music is one of the fundamental spiritual needs of humans. All children in a Montessori classroom learn to sing on pitch and carry a tune, and even, with the advanced lessons on the Montessori Bells, learn to read and write music. Starting simply, teachers give children the opportunity to participate in one of the great joys of life – listening to and making music.

Learn more

In-Depth Articles

montessori child learning through observation
Adolescent

Observation to Instruction

Do you see your child throwing their clothes on the floor in a heap? Maybe leaving things out on the kitchen table? Interrupting during mealtime?

montessori children learning how to blend into a community
Children's House

Caring for Community

Part of being part of a community is participating in the daily routines to care for our surroundings. In Montessori, we provide numerous ways for

four montessori children who should be going out
Adolescent

Going Out: An Expansive Elementary

At the elementary level, children want to know the how and why of everything. As a result, they have a strong drive to explore the

montessori children using nature to improve behavior
Children's House

How to Improve Behavior

Our brains are hardwired to look for problems and generate solutions. In The Neuroscience of Change, Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford

child wearing a face mask during COVID
Adolescent

COVID and Child Development

We’ve enjoyed some return to normalcy after the intensity of the early COVID years. However, it’s important to remember that our young children are still

mixed age children in the montessori three-year-cycle
Children's House

The Montessori Three-Year Cycle

When visiting a Montessori classroom, it can at first be surprising to see children of a range of ages in one room. Visitors often ask