Children’s House is an educational program for children aged 3-6. There are five learning areas which all meet the Early Years Learning Framework in abundance. The five areas are: Practical life exercises (including Health and Physical Education), Sensorial materials, Language, Mathematics, and Cultural activities (Science, History and Geography, The Arts, Technology & Enterprise). It is within these curriculum areas that children develop the skills needed to become well-rounded citizens of their world.
Education is about more than learning to count or recite the ABC. In Montessori, children can reach their full potential by independently learning about the world around them.
They can learn at their own pace free of competition of others. They are measured against their own learning plan and are worked with for where they are at, not where they ‘should’ be. In Montessori, Children’s House, children learn with all their senses, they learn with their hands.
The things he sees are not just remembered;
form a part of his soul
Maria Montessori
Montessori referred to children in this age group as having ‘Absorbent Minds’. This means that they are absorbing everything around them more than they would at any other time in their lives. They are actively exploring their world and practicing skills they need for everyday life.
Children work in multi-age settings. They learn off the older children and see more difficult work being done as well as being a mentor to the younger children which further consolidates their learning. Multi-age settings have many benefits, and these are only a few. The focus of Children’s House being on the whole child not whether they can perform academic skills.
Children’s House is a beautiful start to education where the focus is not on academic rote performing but on actively engaging in learning, learning independence, exploring the world around them in hands on ways and learning to engage peacefully with those around them.
Rebecca Wraight
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