A unique cycle of learning

At the Courtyard Montessori Preschool we support Maria Montessori’s teaching on the importance of a mixed age range of children in our two 3-6 year old classrooms.  Children of these ages and stages of development can work side by side in the environment.

Our 2-3 year old classroom is a lovely calm and nurturing class, where children first develop their sense of well-being and belonging outside the home environment and away from family. The children here begin to develop a level of independence, caring for themselves through self-help skills they are introduced to. At the same time they begin to develop a greater awareness of how to interact with peers and teachers.  Children in all classes are free to progress at their own individual rhythm and pace within our non-competitive environment, while values and respect for others is at the heart of our preschool and modelled in our daily Grace and Courtesy lessons that are practiced in informal group situations.

Our Montessori approach is distinctive in so far as it provides a unique cycle of learning designed to take advantage of the child’s sensitive years when a child can absorb information from our enriched environment.  Our environment and programme takes advantage of this fact by allowing the child the freedom to select individual activities, which correspond to their own periods of interest and exploration.

Our environment is designed to put the child at ease by giving them freedom within an environment prepared with attractive Montessori materials within curriculum areas of Practical Life, Sensorial, Maths, Language, Environmental and Art.  Within any of these areas there are activities that vary from simple to complex so that each child can choose and work with activities in any area that fulfill their current interest and curiosity.