3 Benefits Of A Kindergarten Montessori Education

When many people think of school, they think of grades, tests, and strictly formal environments. Montessori education provides an alternative means of growing and learning, one in which students can independently seek out their interests and passions. Guided by teachers trained in the Montessori method as well as materials that encourage direct engagement with the learning process, students are given the opportunity to achieve their full potential. If you are considering the benefits of enrolling your child in a Montessori kindergartenlike Tej Acton Academy, take a look below at just three of the biggest ones.

More Than Just Academics

The Montessori philosophy recognizes the importance of developing necessary skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. In fact, many parents who choose to begin their child's education in a Montessori find that their child is soon much more advanced in these academic areas than their peers. However, parents can also find that kindergarten Montessori classes emphasize other qualities such as independence, leadership, kindness, and collaboration. This makes for a more well-rounded education that supplements traditional academic subjects.

The Value of Understanding

Another major benefit of a kindergarten Montessori class is the fact that more value is placed on actual understanding, rather than rote memorization and mere regurgitation of information. Students are allowed to experiment with a number of hands-on approaches to learning; investigate the problems they encounter and work to identify possible solutions; and explore how different subject areas are related. All of this is doable within the framework of the Montessori philosophy, even in a kindergarten class. 

The Student as Individual

Unfortunately, traditional schools don't always recognize and treat younger students as individuals. Instead, students are considered to be just one member of a large group. As such, their personal needs are sometimes ignored or dismissed. Conversely, everything in a Montessori kindergarten class—from the lesson plans to the activities to the environment of the classroom itself—is designed with students' individual interests and abilities in mind. Rather than being forced to accomplish a task associated with an arbitrary age, students are allowed to develop at their own pace. This means that students who want to advance more quickly through the material can do just that, while other students who need additional practice mastering a concept don't need to fret about failing to "keep up" with the rest of the class. Because students are treated as unique individuals, they are given a greater sense of ownership in their education.