In traditional early childhood programs or elementary schools, a child may bring home worksheets, crafts, art projects and even homework daily. However, parents new to a Montessori environment may be disappointed by the limited amount of “work” that comes home with their child. This work is viewed as evidence of what the child is learning and is a treasured connection parents make to their time away from home.
Sonnet Montessori understands that connection is important to parents and incorporates some “busy” but fun work into our programming. When our classrooms observe a special occasion, they typically complete a themed craft project, for example. However, themed projects are not a daily practice because it is the process of creating art that is important, not the finished project. As they experiment with various mediums, the child’s fine motor skills are refined, creative expression is encouraged, and the child leads their learning. In adult-planned and led craft projects which use a model or template, there is little opportunity for creative expression and the adult leads the learning, typically requiring all students to participate even if their interest leads them elsewhere.
Be assured, your child is learning during his or her time away from you! Since most of our materials are hands on and accomplish their purpose as children handle them in the classroom, there are limited times when paper and pencil are required. A few of the Montessori works in our classroom that use paper and pencil would be the metal insets, some math work (bead stairs, subtraction and addition strip boards, stamp game, etc.), the hundred board (which has an extension which can be completed on paper). Parent education nights are a wonderful opportunity for parents to learn more about what happens in our classrooms on a daily basis!
It’s important to understand that papers that children bring home from the Montessori classroom are almost always used in conjunction with hands-on materials. In the Children’s House classroom, children are still in the process of acquiring concrete experiences to help support their learning of abstract concepts. Instead of filling out rows of addition worksheets, for example, a Montessori Children’s House student will use the addition strip board so that they can SEE why three plus two equals five. Memorization of facts comes after understanding has been established.
Below are some comparisons of traditional worksheets and Montessori materials.
The moveable alphabet, metal insets, and sandpaper letters are language works in our classrooms that equip children to interact with written language without requiring them to use movements and muscles they are not developmentally ready for.
