Children's House

Dr. Maria Montessori designed the Children’s House to be a sacred space for children from 3-6 years old.  The room contains materials and furniture that is child-sized. The environment is made with natural materials and supports the child’s concentration. The Children’s House allows the children to move and work freely at tables or rugs on the floor.
 
There are six core curriculum areas in the Children’s House: Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, Art, and Cultural. The Montessori Guide teaches the child an individual lesson with a set of materials from one of the curriculum areas. The child receives multiple lessons a week from multiple areas and may return to the materials whenever they choose. Freedom of choice allows children to remain engaged and motivated in the Children’s House. A guide matches the child to the material in the Children’s House through observation and understanding of the child’s interest. Children work independently and develop at their own pace.
 
The materials, designed by Maria Montessori, are concrete and self-teaching. They are designed to best fit the needs of the children of this age and allow them to correct themselves while they work with the material. They allow the children to develop order, concentration, coordination (fine and gross motor), and independence. Each material prepares for later concepts so that the children move from one activity to the next, mastering each new challenge with ease. Through independent discovery, the children become confident in their own abilities because the environment naturally encourages them to persevere, achieve manageable goals and correct their own mistakes.
 
The Children’s House is a multi-age group of children from three to six years old. The children learn to rely on and teach one another in the diverse environment. Children are taught Grace and Courtesy lessons to support their appropriate social development. Children learn how to interact with one another and adults in the environment.

Christ the King School currently has three Children's Houses (ages 3-6). To request more information or if you'd like to put your child on the waiting list for next year, please contact  the office.

Have you ever noticed your young child remembering information without much repetition? Have you seen them observing those around them? Have you noticed your child wanting to partake in activities you do at home?
 
Through observation, Dr. Maria Montessori noticed the young child’s ability to absorb information effortlessly begins during the early months of a child’s third year of life. She called these important windows of time of natural learning, sensitive periods. An authentic Montessori early childhood environment, or a Children’s House, is made to support the young child’s sensitive periods of learning. The materials in the Children’s House are made to meet the needs of all the children and build upon themselves as the children learn at their own pace through the beautiful sequence of material. The activities of the first years lay an important foundation for future learning throughout a child’s academic career. A three-year cycle in the Montessori environment is truly beautiful for the development for the children of all ages. It allows children to rely on one another for their development. The young child is dependent on the older child. They help one another carry large objects, or remind them of classroom expectations. The older child then grows in confidence when being asked to help. It is natural for the children to rely on one another. Through these meaningful relationships they form confidence and independence in their learning. Often parents are amazed, as their child seems to spontaneously explode in reading, writing, and math in their final year of the Children’s House. This explosion is really the work of two years in the early childhood environment. If a child starts and remains in the Children’s House community for three years they are sure to experience the full extension of the materials and have an extraordinary learning experience.
 
If you have more questions on whether your young child is ready to join the Children’s House Community, contact us!

• Montessori at Home