Montessori is an educational approach followed by the best schools in UAE. It is a leading curriculum that creates a favorable environment for kindergarten students to nurture their skills. Children in their initial years of schooling need a strong foundation for their physical, mental, emotional, and social development.
Montessori provides the ideal atmosphere, where children have the freedom to make creative choices, discover the world around them, and develop to their full potential.
Montessori aims to help the child grow in the following ways:
● Be independent and develop self-confidence
● Develop essential skills required to succeed at school and in life
● Develop analytical thinking
● Encourage creativity and imagination
● Develop kindness and helpfulness
● Learn to observe and question ideas
● Learn the importance of being organized
● Develop a love for learning
● Excel academically
● Develop their overall personality
The activities employed by the teachers at Montessori schools are based on the play method that helps children understand and imbibe new concepts.
Through these activities, teachers inculcate the virtues of helpfulness, kindness, brotherhood, empathy, hard work, truthfulness, and self-reliance in kindergarten students. These values are imparted through stories, songs, and activities that help students retain the information and implement it in their everyday lives.
Impact of Montessori on the Child’s Life at Home
Organized Living
In a Montessori school setting, children learn in a structured classroom that is organized as per their needs and age. They are taught the importance of being disciplined and organized even during their playtimes.
Learning to put away their toys in their rightful place so that it’s easy to locate them the next time, or arranging their bags and books neatly instead of piling them in some corner are some of the simple acts that teach children the benefit of staying organized.
Through these class activities, children learn how important it is to keep their belongings neatly or help their parents by doing the same. They develop a sense of order that they find helpful in their daily activities.
Kindness
Being kind and helpful are the first lessons taught at the best schools in the UAE. Children at kindergarten age are quick to learn and imbibe these lessons that are taught through creative and interesting, role-playing activities.
Helping one another, respecting others and their opinions, being kind to their classmates, teachers, and other members of their school are taught through examples that help children understand the importance of being kind and helpful.
Children retain these practical lessons and implement them in their personal lives, too. They behave kindly with everyone they come in contact with, be it other children or adults in their family or their community. Moreover, helping others also gives them a sense of satisfaction and happiness.
Independence
The Montessori method of education encourages independence among their students. The desire to do things independently is very strong in children. The Montessori method followed at the best schools in UAE promotes this drive for independence through practical experiences.
The teachers urge their students to complete their tasks by themselves. Through trial and error, children, too, learn and enjoy doing things by themselves. This gives them immense satisfaction. They discover the skills they possess and how to use those skills to work independently.
Children practice this at home, too, by doing their work or studies by themselves, solving puzzles, or even completing tasks by themselves, without the help of their parents.
Imagination and Creativity
The Montessori method encourages imagination and creativity in students. Activities are developed to give children the opportunity to explore new ideas. They are encouraged to discover the world around them, which broadens their thinking and fosters creativity. It motivates them to work on activities they enjoy and learn from. This, in turn, teaches them to focus on those activities, which improves their concentration.
At home, too, children participate in household activities that they find interesting. Their imagination and creativity help them stay occupied in those activities and complete the tasks. This brings about a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Practising Real-life Skills
The Montessori method followed at the best schools in UAE teaches children to take care of themselves and assist their friends, too. They are taught how they can be helpful at home and assist their parents in simple household chores.
Teachers demonstrate how children can clean up after themselves, fold their clothes, make their beds, wash their cups and plates, set the dinner table, or sort the vegetables. They are encouraged to help or look after their younger siblings or pets and care for them. Simple activities, such as these, teach them real-life skills and the importance of caring for and assisting others.
Freedom of Choice
Students at the Montessori schools are given the freedom to choose but within reasonable boundaries. They are taught that their actions have consequences and therefore they need to make decisions only after careful consideration.
It teaches them about the behaviors that are acceptable in their homes and their society. Thus, giving them freedom teaches them the importance of positive behavior. It teaches them to respect boundaries and rules set in the school, at home, and in their community.
Importance of Montessori Education
Children in the kindergarten age group are very observant and absorb all that they perceive around them. It is, therefore, necessary to guide them in the best possible way.
The Montessori method of education followed by the best schools in UAE directs the children through stimulating activities and lessons to help create in them a sense of responsibility. It motivates them to be independent, disciplined, organized, helpful, and accepting of others around them. Thus, it helps in the overall development of the children and prepares them for their future.
Conclusion
Montessori education is one of the oldest methods of imparting knowledge to students through hands-on learning and self-directed activity. It gives children the freedom to choose their activities through which they discover the world around them. It teaches them values that the children practice not only in their school but also at home and in their community.
