FAQ 2
This page will answer questions commonly asked by students and parents:
Can I use Montessori at home? Using Montessori principles at home can help create a happy and relaxed home life. As the adult, you can try looking at your home through the eyes of your child. Can you find ways for your young child to help in meal preparation, share responsibility for taking care of her things, garden with you, choose her own clothes, get her own snacks?
Do Montessori teachers allow children to be creative. Montessori classrooms encourage creativity by helping children develop the skills they need to express themselves. For example, as they develop hand-eye coordination through guided use of metal inset materials, children also begin to express themselves by creating beautiful drawings and paintings.
Do children have opportunities for pretend play in Montessori classrooms? Montessori offered many kinds of play things along side the materials of instruction in her first Children's House, but she found the children had no interest in pretending when they were allowed to do real things. We do see pretend play in Montessori classrooms, but more often children are attracted to the Montessori materials of instruction as they become accustomed to concentrating for long periods of time on their work.