What is difference between sending a preschooler to a montessori and a normal preschool?

Question

i am a lot worried in deciding abt putting my 21/2 year old sonin a montessori.now he is going to normal preschool and he is enjoying there, even if he goes for two days a week.do i have to change him to montessori for sending him to school for 5 days a week.i know that montessori bring out the kids more academicaly well, but do they have fun there, do they do all kinds of arts and crafts stuff.or will montessori will be to much for 2 yr and 9 month old. can somebody help?

Answer 1

Visit the school and see what they do with the kids. You will be able to see if the kids are happy or stressed out. They are only kids once. You don't want to have them stressing out in school. Just make sure that you are happy with what they offer before making the change.

Answer 2

My son went to a regular preschool, my step son went to Montessori.  They are the same age.  At regular preschool, my son learned all of his letters & sounds, now that he is in kindergarten he is reading and actually doing some 1st grade work.  My stepson did not learn the alphabet at Montessori because "that isn't needed to learn to read, they don't need to know their letters".  The kid was 6 before he could say the alphabet (his mom wouldn't teach him either, so I had to teach him every other weekend!)".   He didn't learn how to play with others (he would always play by himself and they didn't believe in "forced socialization" (that is what they called it when I brought it up) and was actually kicked out of the school.  However, he did learn how to wash dishes & hammer in a nail, which, since he can barely say the alphabet will probably come in handy!  I am not a big fan of Montessori and their policies, but some people love them.

Answer 3

Children at that age are ready to start to learn.  Normal daycare is fine for playing and socializiation whereas Montessori begins to help children to develop skills at learning developement, reading, reasoning and mathematics.  It is amazing to see the difference between children who attend the different daycare settings.

Even ten years down the road the differences are still noticeable.  Montessori children can play by themselves and don't need toys with a specific task in order to play.  For example disney toys that have prearranged playing skills attached to them.  These children can think more freely and have far better imaginations. Hope this helps.  I sent two of mine to Montessori but because of my work hours my middle child went to regular day care and it was a vast difference.  It took me about six years to play catch up with him for school and he was in grade seven before we managed to work through his differences, with reading and math.

Answer 4

Montessori seems better to my view.  Read more at http://www.montessori.edu/.  In my experience kids who are "gifted" in some way will tend to do better.  That is not to slam other kids, I just mean that kids who are somehow further along than most of their peers may get a lot more out of Montessori  than "average" kids.

Answer 5

Google Maria Montessori.  She was one of the most innovative educators of her time.  Her influence spread well beyond the walls of her school.  If you want to send your kiddo to a Montessori school just make sure that it is ACTUALLY practicing Montessori and the teachers are Montessori certified.

Answer 6

Your child will be better off in a normal preschool. Please go to Yahoo to find out

about the Montessori school it may make you understand why a normal school

is better or maybe not. There are some things that are not right about the

Montessori method. Really check it out first.

Answer 7

i think  a montessori is a religious school as the other school is not,,they are better in  a montessori,,as the children are taught very well there,,,you can always ask parents that send there child to either one what there opinion is ,,go from there,,

Answer 8

It all depends on where the child is happy.  Some children don't do well in either scenario because of the personality and potential relationship with the teachers.

So, just take it for a test drive.  See if they will let you observe your kids for a day so that you can see if they are comfortable there.

I was a Montessori student.  I was taken out of public school, unable to read very well at six years old and by the time I was seven, I leaped to the 7th grade reading level because they gave me individual attention.

Answer 9

The Montessori school that my kids went to started at 3 years old.  They both stayed thru kindergarten and loved it.  They acquired very good social and academic skills.  

At their school they focused on the "whole" mind, not rushing the kids into reading at 3 or 4.  They focused on preparing the children's minds to understand their work, not just to get the the next level of accomplishment.

My daughters also began learning a foreign language at Montessori, which qualified them for a special language immersion program.  

So, they're both well on their way to being bilingual though still in elementary school, largely thanks to Montessori.