The Montessori Children’s House (Montessori Nursery) is a mixed-age environment specifically designed to help children between the ages of 2½ to 6 years to develop at their own pace, choosing their own activities from the Montessori materials displayed in an ordered and accessible way.
We have Children’s Houses (Montessori Nursery) at all five of our school sites:
Abbey Road (NW6)
Bayswater (W2)
Hampstead (NW3)
Crouch End (N19)
Notting Hill (W11 – Mandarin Bilingual School)
At the Children’s House (Montessori Nursery) each child develops at his or her own pace, in the prepared Montessori environment with the specially designed Montessori materials. Children are encouraged not to compare themselves with others but to do their very best every day. There will be an atmosphere of calm as children concentrate on what they are doing for surprisingly long periods of time.
Children work individually or in groups, with hands-on activities designed to help them develop physically, socially and intellectually. Each activity is complete in itself; and also prepares for later activities so that the children move from one activity to the next, mastering each new challenge with ease. Children explore and find things out for themselves. They become confident in their own abilities because the environment naturally encourages them to persevere and correct their own mistakes.
Classes in the school always maintain a mixed age group. Older children gain in confidence and reinforce their knowledge through helping those younger than themselves, and the younger children learn through watching the older ones. The mixed age group builds awareness of others in a community.
Areas of Learning in the Children’s House (Montessori Nursery)
Practical Life
Young children have a strong urge to become independent. Practical Life activities help them to perfect the skills they need in daily life. Whilst learning essential life skills, the children are also developing hand-eye co-ordination and the capacity to focus their attention for the entirety of an activity. Successful completion of such tasks gives children a real sense of their own achievement, and this builds their self-confidence.
Sensorial Exploration
Children are vividly aware of the world, constantly exploring it and taking in impressions through all their senses. The sensorial materials encourage children to order and classify the physical properties of the world they live in. These activities stimulate and develop the senses, refining children’s powers of observation, perception, exploration and communication.
Mathematics
Montessori mathematics materials enable even a very young child to achieve a natural appreciation of mathematical concepts through his or her own efforts. This avoids the mental blocks which so often occur in children faced with purely abstract concepts. Specially designed equipment helps children to grasp concrete ideas along with sensory experience of numbers, quantities and mathematical operations. Gradually children can move confidently to complete abstract mathematical problems. Many Montessori
educated children leave the Children’s House with a genuine love of numbers and mathematics.
Language
In the Children’s House children learn to express themselves. The freedom offered to the children creates many opportunities for them to communicate with their peers and the adults. We emphasise the development of vocabulary based on real experiences and the early preparation required for reading and writing. Advanced activities take the child well beyond the basic skills into reading and writing for
interpretation, creativity and pleasure.
Cultural Exploration of the World Around
The Montessori approach covers a wide range of subjects which reflect the broad interests of young children. The Montessori environment stimulates these interests and extends knowledge and understanding of art and crafts, geography, history, music and science and the natural world. Cultures from around the world are explored and celebrated.
