Reaching Your Child’s Academic Potential

Montessori Schools

Your child’s intellectual ability along with their social and emotional skills, are like muscles. They will develop according to how well the adults in their life apply effort through particular activities that start at a young age. For example, children that demonstrate an academic readiness and the ability to self-regulate by kindergarten are three times more likely to meet the standard reading levels by the third grade. Another way of looking at it is the average person can now expect to live until the age of seventy-five or eighty. You will spend the first twenty-five years of your life preparing for the last sixty years and if you don’t prepare yourself, you have the next sixty years to suffer the consequences. That is why it is so important for parents and teachers to help children reach their academic potential starting at a young age.

Right from the beginning, children have a natural desire to learn new skills. They want to figure out the answers to their questions as they are naturally curious about life, which is a huge motivation for them to seek out knowledge. But without an adult to guide them and give them insight about the world that surrounds them, it will be very difficult for your child to become successful in school as well as life. That is where parents and a Montessori education comes into play to greatly benefit your child.

With a Montessori education, reaching your child’s academic potential has never been easier. Your child will be surrounded by a carefully prepared environment that is designed to strike their curiosity and develop your child into a self-disciplined and self-motivated learner, which are two very important attributes to have in order to become successful. The Montessori teacher overlooks the classroom and takes advantage of key moments when your child is susceptible to acquire new knowledge. These moments are often referred to as “windows of opportunity”. For example, when your child is engaged with a Montessori-based tool or object, the teacher will take that opportunity to spend quality one-on-one time with your child to further explain the concept behind that particular tool. Your child is more likely to absorb that knowledge because it is something that they have chosen within the classroom to explore and discover. Playtime helps children learn to interact with others and practice the skills they have learned. These are the building blocks of your child’s character, language, academics, and having positive relationships.

Parents cannot rely solely on the school and teachers to help their child reach their academic potential. As a parent, you play a vital and key role on how your child views the world and how they should conduct themselves throughout life. Here is a list of some practical tips that will help prepare your child for future success academically and socially:

·         Read with your child for at least twenty minutes a day, every day

·         Talk to your child and always keep the lines of communication open

·         Give your child a list of expectations every time you correct a behaviour

·         Seek out a high-quality education al facility that meets the needs of your child

·         Limit the amount of time your child spends watching television or other screens

·         Give your child your utmost attention by putting away your mobile device

Now I know that this all looks good on paper and is easier said than done. But as a parent you need to stick with it, even if you are having a bad day or week. Children are resilient and their natural love for learning will allow them to catch up for any lost time. The sooner you start thinking about your child’s academic future and how you can make a difference, the better your child will succeed in life.

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Montessori Tutoring

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Every child has their own interests and strengths in their educational path. Whether your child needs some extra assistance in a specific subject area or you are simply looking to strengthen and build their knowledge, the Montessori tutoring program is an excellent approach. With a Montessori tutor, your child will develop a love for knowledge and enjoy discovering their learning environment. This unique tutoring experience allows a one-on-one learning environment with your child and the Montessori tutor, which will give your child the full benefit of their tutoring session and allow the tutor to focus on their individual learning requirements. The Montessori tutoring approach is a wonderful method of nurturing a child’s natural desire for knowledge.

A Montessori tutor will help to build your child’s confidence in all aspects of life. The Montessori tutoring approach ensures your child will grow socially, academically, and emotionally, by giving them a nurturing atmosphere. Your child’s overall confidence will grow every time they acquire new knowledge, which will encourage your child to continue down their educational path and keep learning new skills. An enthusiastic child that is eager and wanting to learn more has unlimited potential and the possibility of affecting other children with their infectious attitude towards learning. All children are born with the innate desire for knowledge and it is up to us, the adults, to nurture their desire and take advantage of every opportunity to teach them a new skill. The Montessori approach will focus on teaching your child to develop into a self-motivated and self-disciplined student.

Give your child a head start in their educational future with a Montessori tutor. A focused Montessori tutoring session will help your child grow and improve upon their knowledge in a specific academic area as well as increase how well they understand the particular subject matter. No matter what academic stage your child is currently in or what type of educational training they need, a Montessori tutor will help your child grow intellectually and nurture their unique interests and passions. As a parent, we all want the best for our children and the Montessori tutoring approach will give them a solid academic foundation. This solid foundation will ultimately lead to their future success not only in school but life as well.

The Montessori tutoring approach is tailored to suit the needs of the individual child. Since every child learns things differently, it is impossible to apply a standardized approach to learning. With a Montessori tutor, your child will guide them along their educational path and acquire their knowledge by discovering the materials in the carefully prepared learning environment. This type of learning environment consists of a series of meticulously placed items and the opportunity for spontaneous activities within set boundaries. Your child will have the chance to explore their learning environment and they will also play a key role in the upkeep of the classroom. Teaching a child these crucial organizational skills at a young age will help them to understand why it is so important in their daily life as well as teach them how to be an active participant in society. A Montessori tutor will help you develop your child into a wholesome individual.

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Meeting Intellectual Needs

Montessori Schools

Play is an essential activity to promote healthy development for our children. Research has shown us that 75% of your child’s brain development occurs after birth, so the activities that engage your child both influence and stimulate the pattern of connections made within their brain cells. This important process helps your child to develop their fine motor skills, socialization, language, personal awareness, creativity, emotional well-being, and their learning and problem solving abilities. The most important role that play can have is to help your child become active, make their own choices, and practice activities to master a new skill. Your child will gain experience in a wide variety of content that includes art, language, music, science, math, and social relationships, which are all important for your child to develop an integrated and complex brain. The Montessori Method believes that the essential dimensions of play include:

·         Creativity that is expanded by using social skills, problem solving skills, physical skills, and language skills

·         Helps your child to expand on new ideas

·         Includes enjoyable, voluntary, spontaneous, and purposeful activities

·         Helps your child to adapt socially

·         Helps your child to sort out emotional problems

The Montessori Method believes that play is the work of the child and toys are their tools. By using and playing with toys, your child will be able to learn about the world around them and also about themselves as well as others. Toys will teach your child to:

·         Use their vivid imagination

·         Learn to cooperated and work with others

·         Problem solve

·         Figure out how things work by manipulation

·         Pick up and expand new ideas

·         Build their muscle strength and control

·         Teach them to share

Unfortunately, the play experience of children today is often very different from that of older generations. With the ever expanding influence of electronic gadgets like TV, video games, the internet, smart-phones and tablets, children are spending far too much time being passively entertained by an electronic device. We need to recognize and understand that our children do not need to be entertained by an adult at all moments of the day. Your child actually needs to learn and practice to entertain themselves and in fact, they will learn more by doing so. Play should come from within a child’s own experiences and imagination.

Have you ever noticed that your child doesn’t have the vivid imagination that you did as a child?

Even the more modern toys of today are often too structured, with onboard computers and flashing lights that often dictate the play experience for your child. These types of toys will rob your child of unstructured play with other children as well as the importance of individual creative playtime. As parents, we need to understand and recognize that our children need an environment that stimulates their imagination and meets their individual needs.

A Montessori learning environment will meet your child’s intellectual needs. Since every child is different and they have their own unique interests, the Montessori classroom is designed to meet the needs of every child through various activities and materials. Your child will never feel bored or feel like they are a failure, as the carefully prepared classroom is based on proven Montessori materials that will engage your child and nurture their strengths and interests. A Montessori educational approach will bring out the best in your child.

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Academic Success and Montessori

Montessori

Research has shown that a method of teaching that primarily focuses on individual development rather than tests will produce more self-motivated and self-disciplined children. A group of psychologists in the United States have found that children who attend a Montessori school out-perform those children who are given a traditional standardized educational approach. The biggest differences between the two groups were seen in their behavioural and social skills.

Academic success and Montessori seem to go hand-in-hand. The Montessori learning environment discourages competitive methods of accomplishments such as tests and grades, and primarily focuses on the personal development and progress of the individual child. This type of learning environment encourages children to do their absolute best in all subject areas, without having the pressure of being below or above their classmates academically. A typical Montessori classroom has children of various ages collaborating together in a shared learning environment.

In this particular study, children aged three to twelve in the same school district were tested for academic capabilities, mental performance, and behavioural and social skills. Researchers found a considerable advantage for those attending a Montessori school in both age groups. One of the most remarkable differences is the positive social effects that a Montessori education provides the children. Not only were the five-year-old children better prepared for reading, writing, and arithmetic, they also featured higher test scores for their executive function. An executive function is seen as the ability to adjust and change complex problems, which is a valued indicator of future success not only in school but in life. The children that attend a Montessori school also displayed a bigger sense of community while at school.

Academic Success

·         Montessori children were considerably better prepared for elementary school at the end of their kindergarten year, outscoring others in math and reading skills.

·         Those students enrolled in a Montessori middle school report a considerably enhanced quality of understanding in their academic work. The Montessori students feel more strong, active, excited, sociable, happy, proud, and relaxed when compared to their non-Montessori peers. They seem to enjoy their studies more, have a greater interest in their work, and they desire academic knowledge more than the traditional students.

·         The Montessori students scored an average of 10-20 points higher on the California Achievement Test when compared to students in a traditional classroom.

·         Minority students that attend a Montessori program scored higher on mathematical and geometric concepts, self-concept, attention strategies, vocabulary recognition, and general intelligence.

Social Development

·         Montessori children demonstrated a greater social development in their kindergarten year for the areas of reasoning, fairness, and justice. By the end of their elementary program, Montessori children found more positive solutions to social challenges.

·         Montessori students show higher levels of self-confidence and better participation in social interaction.

Academic success is imminent with a Montessori educational approach. Your child’s interests will be nurtured and they will not only be allowed, but encouraged to follow their passions in life. This style of education will benefit your child as they will be happy and excited to learn about the things that strike their curiosity and that type of attitude will surely bring them success. Check out your local Montessori program to see for yourself just how well we perform.

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