Children in a Montessori preschool learn how to be independent from the start. Children are expected to tie their own shoes, feed themselves, clean up their messes, hang their own coats and go to the bathroom with assistance. Teachers provide students with common items used for these daily tasks, such as forks, shoes and coat hangers. Children choose the tasks they feel comfortable with by selecting a given item; teachers provide assistance only when necessary to help the child successfully complete a task. This type of learning fosters high self-esteem and responsibility.
Children in a Montessori preschool use all five senses to explore their educational world. Teachers provide many hands-on opportunities to learn. For example, a lesson on water would involve not just talking about water but observing how the water flows, listening to a recording of the roar of a waterfall or raindrops, touching the water in a bucket or glass and perhaps taking a field trip to an aquarium or watershed. All of the activities are designed to help the child gain a full understanding of the concept being explained. Children are provided with actual objects, depending on the lesson, to fully enhance the educational process.
Math is a key to abstract thinking, so the Montessori preschool uses manipulatives to help children understand these concepts in concrete terms. Children use blocks or beads to count, add or subtract. Children can use shape sorters to learn about geometry or coins to understand the concepts of money. Montessori preschools use a European form of math known as "unified math," which teaches algebra, geometry and statistics in addition to the basic mathematics principles. Teaching these subjects early and integrating them into a child's early learning helps children begin to develop abstract thinking skills at an earlier age.
Language skills are a core component to a Montessori preschool curriculum. Children trace and learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet, as well as common sight words. Letter and number flashcards and guided worksheets depicting letter tracings assist children in learning these concepts. Children also use magnetic letters to see and touch the shapes of the letters. The Montessori teaching method believes that writing letters should be taught before reading, as a child will learn the sounds of the letters by the practice of writing them. Many children learn to read much more quickly using the Montessori method than other methods of teaching.
Science is a key element of the Montessori preschool, as well as art, music and geography. Children will use interactive toys, such as globes, puzzles or arts and crafts projects to master each subject. Children are given the opportunity to choose what they will learn by picking the toy they are most interested in. For example, a child who is interested in the globe will be taught about geography with her teacher. A child who chooses an animal puzzle will learn about the different animals and how they live.