5 Ways Montessori Curriculum and Traditional Preschool Curriculum Differ

Whenever two parents are engaging in a conversation about their two-year old’s education and the topic of school surfaces, the parent of the Montessori student will gushingly make the distinction known. Generally, parents will say “my two-year old’s school/preschool….”; not Montessori parents. Montessori parents are happy to know that their child is in a different environment than traditional preschool.

The question that we are now forced to ask is: What makes the Montessori’s curriculum and school so different?

The easiest answer is at the center of another question. Who is at the center of the lesson plan and activities?

Here are five ways that Montessori curriculum differs from traditional preschool curriculum.

• Montessori curriculum is child-centered and lead vs. teacher centered and lead.
  This means that the teachers will prepare the room with materials that each individual child is interested in and provides them with opportunities to learn what they desire. A traditional preschool may provide books about the animals that you can find at a zoo while Montessori will provide books about each animal’s lifestyle. Montessori educators carefully observe their students to see what subjects they are drawn to, to ensure they have proper materials to aid in their education as opposed to deciding what they want them to learn and presenting lessons in a way that is easiest for them to teach. Montessori curriculums and lesson focus on children self-teaching while teachers provide aid and guidance.
• Montessori curriculums have lessons that are hands on vs. teacher orated and student memorized.
  In many traditional preschools, students enter the classroom, given an assessment, and after a period of experiencing teacher lead lessons, they are assessed again to see what they’ve learned. For example: the teacher tells their student, “this is the color green” and shows them a few green items. By the end of the week, they believe the child should know the color. While in Montessori, the child will explore their environment. They may take notice of plant puzzle. While they are learning to put it together the teacher might say, “this is a pink flower and a green stem”. Later, this child will take notice of other green and pink items and label them as such. Then, they may naturally become interested with colors altogether that they see in their environment. This is how number one on this list is implemented. The teacher provided an opportunity and allowed the child to lead with their interest. This child learned by a hands-on approach by moving around in their environment instead of sitting in a traditional circle time and passively listening and being assessed.
• Montessori curriculum is collaborative vs. groupthink.
  Montessori classes are so unique due to there being a diverse age group and therefore interests. In traditional preschool classes, all the children are the same age and are presented with the same lesson, learning the same thing, at the same time, and in the same way. If it’s not grasped in a certain amount of time it is noted as the child is struggling versus the child just being disinterested. Instead, Montessori takes the approach to allow the children to learn what they are interested in, for however long they need until they are ready to move along. This holds space for collaboration between the teacher and child. It is also a great setting for the younger children in the class to be exposed to something they may not have been prior to seeing an older classmate engaged in a particular activity. Now, a younger child can collaborate with a peer and learn something that would normally be seen as “too challenging”.
• Montessori educators are guides/consultants vs. all-knowing authorities.
  ‍In Montessori School settings, from the first day, are preparing your children to be independent, innovative, and collaborative people. Environmental exploration is encouraged, and time limitations are not as strict. In traditional preschool settings, they move as a group. They are doing everything together and at once and if a child “struggles” to follow the group, they can often be seen as disobedient and an outlier.
• Montessori lessons and materials are respectable and focused vs. over-stimulating.
  ‍The focus of Montessori materials is that they are in tip top shape and of great quality so that while the child is doing their “work”, they are calling forth their self-respect and ensuring that they continue to respect their materials and environment. Also, the materials will be practical and not full of cartoonish branding, or overstimulating colors. This allows the child to focus on the proper use of the item and focus on the lesson that the item provides. This does not mean that the entire room and all the material will be void of color, but it will be much different in comparison to items you will see in a traditional preschool classroom. 

Each area of learning (math, reading, writing, etc.) that the child is interested will begin with concrete learning. The educators will aid them in fundamentals and correction but allows the child the freedom to learn what they want and when. If a child is interested in math, the teacher will help the with proper number recognition, rote counting, and value and increase challenging concepts as the child desires to learn. They will help your child to read by utilizing sensory materials for letter recognition and phonetic sound. With writing they will learn how to hold a pencil, how to use proper pressure, and how to make certain strokes so long as the child maintains interest. This is an important distinction because in many preschools they will not allow many concepts or types of work to be introduced because it is deemed not appropriate for certain ages.