The Importance of Creating Independence in the Montessori Classroom and at Home
When most people think of preschool or kindergarten aged children, they think of vulnerable and dependent young people. It is astonishing to many parents how capable, independent and responsible their three or four year old children can be, once given the opportunity to display these qualities.
All parents love their children and want to nurture them by giving them lots of love, attention, affection, and assistance. However, sometimes by doing too much for a child, we take away their ability to learn efficiently. A child has dozens of opportunities each day to become independent and by doing so, he learns how to think and problem solve for himself, which creates intelligence, cognitive development, and coordination.
Maria Montessori believed that children develop most efficiently and effectively when given the opportunities to create independence in the Montessori classroom according to their sensitive periods. For instance, children typically go through a sensitive period for order between 18 months to 2.5 years. This means that the child during this stage, will have a strong desire for order, repetition, and consistency in his or her environment. Often times when a child will have what people call “tantrums,” he is displaying the need for order in his environment. With order and consistency, also comes independence and personal achievement.
The sensitive period for refinement and coordination of movement is from 2.5 to 4.5 years. During this sensitive period, it is important that the child is given the opportunity to learn to control his own movements. This can be achieved in such exercises as pouring his own water, washing his own hands, opening his own containers, dressing himself/pulling up and down pants, taking out/ cleaning up work activities or toys, watering the plants, washing off dishes, folding laundry, etc.
By allowing the young child to become independent, he or she will develop fine and gross motor skills, build coordination, and refine his mind for future thought processes, academia, and problem solving techniques. Empowering children to develop independence will also build confidence, self esteem, and increase grace and courtesy.
At Wild Roots Preschool and Childcare, we understand that children have a strong desire for order, consistency, and independence. We try to empower children to chose for themselves whenever possible, have natural consequences, and achieve independent milestones, while also giving them love and encouragement.
Welcome to Wild Roots Preschool and Child Care Center
Wild Roots Preschool and Childcare in Temecula Ca, has been open for 3 beautiful months now and is revolutionizing early education! This new holistic early learning center, that first began as an in home day care, is growing in size and popularity. Due to its innovative curriculum and all encompassing style to early education, this preschool/kindergarten has gained the attention of many parents as well as the education community and holistic community of Temecula and its surrounding areas.
The school opened its doors in February 2013, serving ages 18 months to 6 years of age. The community style school, which consists of 3 classrooms, a music room, and a beautiful natural playground, is nurturing all aspects of the young child’s development.
Wild Roots Preschool offers a unique program, which is inspired by and encompasses the rich learning experiences of the three greatest European styles of education– The Montessori Method, Reggio Emilia Approach, and Waldorf Education.
The children at Wild Roots Preschool have daily exposure to all activities which are impressionable to a child at the age of what Maria Montessori called the absorbent mind.
In each of the classrooms, the children are given Montessori lessons, which focus on the development of each child on an individual level, while guiding the children through Language, Mathematics, Sensorial, and Practical Life activities. Through this Montessori work, children’s minds become refined, their manners become gracious, and their independence grows.
The children also have daily exposure to creative art, science, and play-based small group learning, inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach through various projects and spontaneous activities. These activities are based on the children’s interests, the season, the weather, the mood/affect of the children, or a long term project idea.
For imaginative play, the classrooms offer a Waldorf inspired play area where children are offered natural wooden toys and structures to inspire their natural imagination. In this area, the children choose to play peacefully with or without friends.
Wild Roots Preschool and Child Care Center believes that all children should have exposure to music in any form possible. The music program currently offers group music classes for two age groups, private piano lessons, and voice ensemble classes. Performances are scattered throughout the the year.
The staff at Wild Roots Preschool is growing in order to accommodate increasing enrollment. The teachers, assistants, and director alike are extremely passionate and dedicated professionals who have the like-minded admiration for holistic early education. They strive for excellence and personal growth through stimulating reading, sharing of ideas, attending workshops, furthering education, and observation of various programs.