Montessori Childrens House
of the west coast

Enrolling Your Child in School

Posted on Friday, September 26, 2008

Frequently parents ask us why it is important to enroll young children in a school setting, – isn’t being at home enough?  Developmentally, at about the age of three, children begin to need a more expanded social environment, a social environment that is broader than the home and sometimes a play group. 3 year olds will often let you know that need by acting out, often in not so subtle ways.  Children, who were a few months ago, satisfied to play alone at home, will now fuss and act bored with their toys.  Building a community outside of the family is important for a child’s sense of self and the development of social skills.  Here in the Children’s House children make friends and learn valuable social skills; learning to be part of a larger community.  Even though young children may demonstrate “parallel play” and not develop strong one-on-one friendships right away, the expanded social environment of the school allows the child to gain a better understanding of himself through his interactions with others and also the world around him. 

Children also begin to become extremely curious about the world outside the home.  Children are constantly asking “what” in an effort to label things (development of language and vocabulary) in the environment.  The Montessori environment brings the outside world to the child.  The outside world, the world of adults, is often big and imposing, scary at times.  In the Children’s House the environment is constructed physically to their size and developmentally appropriate so that they can explore tools and concepts in a safe and orderly way.  This process builds independence and a strong sense of self.  The interaction with this structured learning environment also helps them organize confusing information and helps build budding conceptual understanding of the world around them.

The child’s world begins first with the nuclear family then expands out to the small play group, the school, the neighborhood, the city and then the world at large, allowing them to become secure and confident citizens of the world.