The 5 Montessori Subjects
Practical Life Skills
Practical Life activities prepare the child to have necessary abilities to interact in their environment. Children learn how to complete real-life projects which result in better gross and fine motor skills, independence and concentration. When the children are able to perform these exercises, they develop self-respect and self-esteem.
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Some examples of these exercises include pouring, transferring, sorting, food preparation; personal hygiene such as hand washing and grooming; maintaining the environment, dusting, sweeping. The children also acquire social awareness that enables them to interact and cooperate with other children when they are working together in the classroom environment.
Sensorial Area
Sensorial activities focus on developing the child’s five senses. Exercises in this subject help a child to observe, compare and to make decisions. The child develops visual differentiation of height and size, and the ability to match a shape to its proper inlet. These activities also assist in laying the foundation for future Mathematics work.
Language
The children learn to read through a series of graded exercises and activities. In the first stage, they learn phonic sounds through various fun activities, recognizing and associating letters with phonic sounds. They then start blending of letters to form words, building of words, then eventually become a confident reader with the introduction to early grammar, comprehension and creative writing as the last stage for reading.
Mathematics
Montessori math teaches the most important concepts through hands-on work, movement and working in the group. The children learn how to recognize and count numbers. They become familiar with the decimal system and geometry. The child will develop a clear understanding of the 4 basic mathematics operations (Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing). They gradually progress on to the abstract level of mental calculations and problem sums to prepare them for formal schooling.
Cultural
Cultural activities focus on subjects such as history, geography, astronomy, art, music, and movement. Children learn about various cultures, their belonging and significance in the world. The Cultural materials and topics which the children manipulate and discuss in the classrooms develop their understanding of the world around them.