The children’s house ( 3 to 6 years old)
Between the ages of 3 and 6, the child enters the phase called by Maria Montessori “conscious absorbent mind”.
Within our International School classrooms, the child is in a very orderly environment, giving him the opportunity to discover and explore the world around it.
Within our prepared environment, we start with concrete presentations and gradually move towards abstract learning. Thus, each element constitutes an indirect preparation for further, more complex work. Later, as children move from one job to another, they continue to practice, perfect and then master what they have learned.
There are four main areas in the program of our International School
The Practical Life component invites the child to perfect the work of his hand while developing his concentration. The child’s desire to seek order and independence finds expression through the use of a variety of materials and activities which support the development of fine motor as well as other learning skills needed to advance to the more complex Montessori equipment.
A wide range of materials offer children the opportunity to have concrete experiences and fully understand abstract concepts.
As the understanding of math operations develops over time, children physically add, subtract, multiply, and divide with manipulatives, before moving on to memorizing math facts.
Sensorial work allows children to awaken all their senses, and in fact, awaken their intelligence, their critical and logical mind. Sensory life is the basis of language and mathematics. The child manipulates, discovers and names shapes, compositions, textures, weights, temperatures, sizes, using concrete and sensory material.
Everything is language. The child constructs his language through his interactions with others.
Our International School classrooms incorporate both spoken and written language into the environment to further enrich this early learning.
Children grow in a stimulating environment rich in experiences where he is given rich vocabulary with which to express himself, to write and to read.