Children’s House Classroom Culture

A Montessori classroom is designed and organized with purpose and intention to be an optimal environment for a child to grow their curiosity and confidence. House plants that the students help to care for, pictures hung on the wall, an area to have snack and wash dishes, an open environment with options to work on tables or on the floor all create a home like feel inside our classrooms.

Students are able to move throughout the classroom and choose work that interests them. This freedom is not a lack of structure in the classroom. The freedom and independence that Montessori students are given is often referred to as “freedom within limits.” These limits include things like: the expectations of how to choose a material (after the child has had a lesson on it), how to use a material, how to take care of the materials and environment, how to be respectful of others space, how to behave in the classroom (walking feet and inside voice), and how to self-advocate.

The three year cycle and mixed age classroom is an important element of the Montessori classroom. It gives our students the opportunity to learn cooperation and leadership. We often think of our 3 year olds as our watchers: eager to learn by observing what their older peers are engaged with. Our four year olds are typically our “doers”, ready to start engaging with the full range of materials available in the classroom. And our kindergartners are seen as our leaders. This leadership year is a pivotal year that rounds out their three years of work and development.