Preprimary and Primary FAQs
The following are answers to questions frequently asked of Sea Pines Montessori Academy staff. You’ll find more specific information throughout the SPMA web site and by attending an SPMA Open House or Campus Tour.
QUESTIONS FOR CHILDREN 18 months through Age 6 (Kindergarten)
Q: Why is it recommended that children start young with the Montessori Method?
A: A basic definition of Montessori is a system of education to meet your child’s needs. During the first six years of life, learning takes place at an incredible pace. During that time, the human intelligence itself is being formed. Montessori observed that the child passes through a series of sensitive periods, intervals of intense fascination for learning certain skills.
It is easier for a child to perfect a particular skill during the corresponding sensitive period than at any other time in his life. The Montessori Teacher (traditionally called Directress) is a trained observer who understands and assists the needs of the child during these periods of development. The Montessori classroom, at any age, is uniquely set up to meet all of the child’s developmental needs: social/emotional, physical, and intellectual.
Q: How is a Montessori preschool different from other preschools?
A: In a Montessori classroom, children learn through multi-sensory teaching materials that are specially designed to teach specific concepts. The learning is active, individualized and small group oriented rather than predominantly teacher-centered class lessons. Children are able to work at their own pace rather than conforming to the progress of the whole group or class. Children are encouraged to learn how to make good decisions and can select their “work” according to individual interests.
Independence is fostered by a classroom specifically designed to encourage initiative and completion. Respect for others, the environment, and for authority is cultivated as well as self-confidence and self-respect. Social development takes place within a multi-age “community” where children learn from one another and interact within a peaceful, thoughtful classroom atmosphere.
Q: Do you offer a Kindergarten program? If so, does it meet state standards and age requirements?
A: The Kindergarten year is usually the third year in the Primary classroom (3 to 6 classroom). The Kindergarten students are the children who have their 5th birthday on or before September 1st. Our Kindergarten students attend school for a full-day, 8:30-2:30 pm, and cover typical Kindergarten skills and a wide variety of other enrichment lessons.
Q: The Montessori Method seems to stress individuality. How will my child learn important social skills?
A: Social skills are practiced throughout the day as the children in the classroom interact with one another. In the beginning of the school year the teacher and multi-aged class as a whole discuss and establish what is known as ground rules. These ground rules are then the governing guidelines for encouraged behavior. The children discuss how the rules protect everyone which paves a way for positive interactions between children. Lessons on good manners and courtesy are also presented. The Montessori classroom is a delightful workshop of manners in practice!
Q: How do you handle children who are just learning English?
A: Generally, even our toddlers are just learning English! This age group is continually learning new vocabulary and growing in their expressive as well as their receptive language. Children who come from a different language background in their preschool years will have the opportunity to be immersed in the English language. We do have many teachers who are multi-lingual who can be of assistance to them if needed. Children are in a sensitive period for language during this time and will learn the English language fairly quickly. We expose all our students to foreign language instruction, usually Spanish, at every age level in the school.
Q: When do children have snack? What is offered and when?
A: Each day, the children are offered a healthy snack at some time during the morning. In the Primary Program, individual snack is snack chosen by the child on his own and group snack is snack with the whole class together, handed out by the teacher. The Preprimary Program generally offers group snack.
For individual snack, the snack is put out on the snack shelf and the children find time during the work period to go over to choose snack. They eat at the snack table close by. They are responsible to take a tray, choose a napkin, place their food on the tray and pour their own filtered water from the pitcher into their cup. They join a friend at a table to have their snack. The snack table seats two students and children must wait until a seat is available to be able to choose snack. They are limited to having one snack per morning.
For group snack, the children come to the ellipse (red line) to sit on the floor. The snack is passed out and everyone eats after everyone has been served. A short blessing of thanks takes place. Birthday snack is usually handled in this way when a class has a celebration. Parents may send in a healthy homemade snack as a birthday snack the day of their child’s party.
The school takes great effort to provide snacks that build healthy eating habits in the children. The school likes to provide fresh fruits, vegetables, and cheeses for the children. Care is taken to purchase breads and crackers that do not have partially or fully hydrogenated oils. We offer spreads like peanut butter or all-natural jelly. We carefully limit sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
Q: How will you help my child learn gross motor skills?
A: Gross motor skills develop as a child exercises large muscle coordination. Movement activities done in the classroom are directly related to encouraging gross motor control. Walking the line, jumping, hopping, galloping, and skipping are exercises done almost daily in the preschool classroom. All children enjoy daily recesses on age appropriate playgrounds.
Many Practical Life activities exercise the gross motor areas. Scrubbing a table using large circular motions while pressing down on the scrub brush is an excellent example of arm development occurring during a purposeful activity. The circular arm movements directly prepare the child for the later arm motion needed in cursive handwriting.
Q: How will you help my child learn fine motor skills?
A: The exercises of Practical Life and Sensorial provide excellent preparation of the hand to do small motor movements. Tonging, tweezing, and spooning are examples of exercising the fingers for readiness of handwriting and cutting. Knobbed puzzles and knobbed cylinder blocks in the sensorial area directly develop the three finger grip needed for holding a crayon or pencil later.
As children show strength in small motor control, they more easily move into coloring within the lines and specific instruction in handwriting skills. Montessori believed the natural time for a child to show interest and begin writing was between 3 ½ and 4 ½ years old.
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