FAQ for Families

Montessori emphasizes creating a safe, nurturing environment where children can explore independently. Parents can mirror this at home by simplifying spaces, offering child-sized furniture, and observing their child’s natural development.

Use low, accessible shelves, rotate toys regularly, and keep spaces uncluttered. Invite your child to participate in daily life, like preparing meals (grating carrots), sorting socks or dusting a table.

Choose open-ended, natural materials that promote exploration and focus. Parents can involve their child in everyday activities, offering tools like small brooms or pouring pitchers to encourage purposeful engagement.

Start with simple tasks your child can accomplish, like putting on shoes or cleaning up spills. Allow extra time for these activities so your child can practice without pressure.

Practical life activities build motor skills and foster concentration. Parents can offer activities like washing vegetables, scooping grains, or watering plants to involve their child in meaningful, everyday tasks.

Montessori encourages redirection, modeling calm behavior, and setting clear, consistent limits. Parents can engage by using positive phrasing (e.g.” we walk inside”) and acknowledging emotions ( “I can see that you are upset, do you need a hug?”)

Narrate your actions, read daily, and engage in conversations, even if your child is not yet verbal. Parents can label items in their environment and sing songs to enrich vocabulary naturally. Use enticing vocabulary vs. “baby talk.”

Follow your child’s cues for readiness and maintain a calm, patient approach. Parents can provide a child-sized potty and allow their child to participate in the process without pressure.

Offer freedom within a framework of safety and respect. For example, let your child choose between two outfits (“would you like to wear the red sweater or the pink sweater today?”) or decide when to clean up, as long as it’s done before a specific time.

Model naming emotions and guide your child to express their feelings respectfully. Parents can engage by staying present during big emotions and offering comfort without solving the problem for the child.

Montessori encourages self-directed learning and intrinsic motivation. Parents can ask questions like, “What did you enjoy working on today?” instead of “What did you do today?” to reinforce their child’s ownership of learning. Better yet, ask the teacher for a few names of exercises that your child is practicing and say to your child, “Did you work on the pink tower today or the button frame?” They might be surprised that you know the names of their special work!

Montessori materials are beautiful, tactile and self-correcting, designed to deepen understanding and engage the child’s senses. In the Casa environment there are materials for each section of the classroom: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics and Culture. Parents can explore how these materials work by attending classroom observations or parent education nights.

Montessori education encourages children to take responsibility for their work, themselves and their environment. At home, parents can create routines that allow their child to manage simple tasks, like setting the table, brushing their hair and feeding the family pet.

Teachers guide rather than direct, observing each child’s individual needs and interests. Parents can mirror this approach by stepping back and letting their child lead during activities at home. Try observing your child at play, what do they do? Who are they mimicking? How can you join in or simply enjoy observing!

Practical life activities build coordination, focus, independence and responsibility. Parents can invite their child to help with chores like helping to make their bed, sweeping the floor (with a child-sized broom) or dusting a bookshelf providing them with a role in the family to feel engaged and useful.

Create predictable routines, use child-sized furniture and tools, and offer choices. Parents can also limit distractions like screens to create a calm, focused environment.

Through phonetic awareness, storytelling, and hands-on materials. Parents can read daily with their child, emphasizing sounds and rhymes, and encourage writing by providing paper and pencils.

Math concepts are introduced concretely with materials such as, The Number Rods and move into the abstract as the child grasps the concepts of the numbers 1-10. Multiplication is taught by using beautiful bead chains that are colour coded and teach the child how to “skip count.” Parents can engage by pointing out math in daily life, like counting steps or measuring ingredients.

The three-period lesson introduces new concepts in stages: naming, recognition, and recall. Parents can reinforce this at home by using clear, simple language, such as naming fruits at the store.

Children learn to resolve conflicts and collaborate naturally. Parents can support this by encouraging turn-taking and problem-solving during playdates.

Montessori integrates hands-on materials with individualized learning. Parents can foster curiosity by encouraging their child to share what they’ve learned or pursue interests at home.

The Great Lessons provide a big-picture view of the universe, inspiring curiosity. Parents can support this by discussing big questions, like “How was the Earth formed?” or visiting museums.

By allowing children to follow their interests. Parents can encourage exploration at home by providing resources, like books or tools, related to their child’s passions.

Through concrete materials that transition to abstract thinking. Parents can engage by connecting school concepts to real life, like using fractions in baking.

By emphasizing community, respect, and collaboration. Parents can model respectful communication and involve their child in family decision-making.

By fostering independence, critical thinking, and emotional resilience. Parents can engage by encouraging their child to take on responsibilities, like planning meals or managing their schedule.

Exploration, leadership, and global awareness. Parents can support this by discussing current events, encouraging community service, or planning family projects together.

Through independent research and collaborative work. Parents can provide resources or help facilitate discussions that connect schoolwork to the real world.

By building self-discipline, problem-solving skills, and adaptability. Parents can encourage reflection by asking, “What challenges did you face today, and how did you solve them?”

Through guided discussions and peer mediation. Parents can support this by modeling respectful conflict resolution at home.