Choosing the right Montessori Preschool for your toddler or preschooler can be a real challenge!! There is an influx of schools that use the title ‘Montessori’ and the name alone does not mean that the school is authentically a Montessori Preschool or a Montessori Children’s Center.

However, if you are looking for a more authentic experience for your child and as a parent, your thought is to find a great ‘Montessori Daycare Near Me’ or ‘Montessori Preschool Near Me’ there are a few important factors that would be important to know

Teaching Belief– The Montessori Preschool that you choose should be aligned to your beliefs and values. Research on the educational vision and focus that the school has. A school that encourages Holistic Development and focuses not only on academics, but life skills and overall development is the education that you might want for your child.

Teachers’ Interaction and Qualifications– Montessori Preschool teachers are typically wonderful at communicating with the little ones. Notice how they speak and watch; do they pause and listen to what the child has to say? Do they get to the level of the child and speak with respect? One should avoid schools where teachers use punishments or labels. Check the qualifications and training done by the teachers, the specific Montessori courses and training done by the teachers ensures the school truly follows the philosophy and gives the children the experiences they truly deserve.

School accreditations & affiliations: An affiliation is provided to schools after an application and submission process. A Montessori Preschool & Children’s Center should be affiliated to a reputed Montesssori organisation such as the Indian Montessori Training Center (IMTC) or Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). Practises with AMI tend to be a wider network and provide a greater variety of trainings. For accreditations, schools must go through a rigorous process of scrutiny over an extended period of time to receive an accreditation. The accreditations require visits to the school and on-going re-evaluations to ensure the school stays on track. Check that the school has an accreditation, from a well reputed organisation, in addition to its Montessori Preschool affiliation.

Environment- When you are looking at a Montessori Preschool or Daycare the layout of the school, safety, security, and hygiene factors will play an important part in helping you make the right choice. An environment that is clutter-free, clean, bright, and cheerful will be one that your child will thrive in. Montessori Center classrooms should be inviting, organised, and not overstimulating. There should be a well prepared environment with Montessori materials for all domains and age groups.

Location– Ask yourself – Is this Montessori School Near Me or Montessori Daycare Near Me? How far will I need to drive to drop or pick up my child, will it be convenient? Do they offer transport? What would happen in an emergency?

Parent Instinct– This is the most important when it comes to Montessori Daycare, ask yourself, do you get a good feeling, is there a sense of positivity around? When you look around the Children’s Center do you see happy children and peaceful adults? Do you feel comfortable and safe leaving your child in the environment?

Reach out to the Children’s Center of your choice, meet with the admission counsellor and try and understand the school better.

Twenty months ago, if someone had told us that our kids would be learning from home in their
formative years – away from a dedicated learning environment that caters to their multi-sensory
learning needs, we would have deemed it nearly impossible and yet, here we are: in 2021, on
the cusp of what experts deem to be the beginning of an indeterminable era of learning and
growing, from home – proving to us, more than in any other point in time, the necessity for
education to be holistic and of course, adaptable.

With research in as early as publications in the beginning of this century suggesting that the
human brain develops the vast majority of its neurons, and is at its most receptive to learning,
between birth and three years of age (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000), the intake of new information
is critical to the formation of active neural pathways in these years. It is bearing these
multifaceted learning needs of our young learners in mind, that Kai Early Years adopts a unique
dual curriculum for our learners: combining the flexible “Help me help myself” ideology of the
Montessori System, with internationally acclaimed academic rigor from the International
Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. Adapting itself to the current crisis Kai has molded itself
to become one of the Best Online Preschools in Bangalore, as regarded by many parents.

One of the most common questions we get from parents and care-givers when it comes to the
curriculum and structure at Kai happens to be: “So how does this work?”. While we usually
encourage our parents and learners to come experience a day at Kai with us, with the pandemic
going on, we thought it imperative to throw some light on how things work when our little
learners learn from home. For now, we ask parents to attend our virtual trial classes to
experience our acclaimed Preschool Online Classes in Bangalore.

From hands-on learning kits that bring together material that help our learners explore the world
of textures, how things work and enable the multi-sensory form of learning they deserve, the
past year at Kai stands in testimony to ways in which we can make learning effective, no matter
where it is from. Together as a team we work on the Online Preschool experiences and
engagements, encompassing Art and Craft, Numeracy and Literacy, Celebrations over a virtual
platform and undeniable bonds, formed over the time spent together – when we talk about
thriving together at Kai, we take what we mean, seriously.

“Kai has been the best decision we’ve made for Mridul since we moved to Bangalore two years
ago. They’ve been so sensitive and so engaging – I was initially worried about what’s going to
come of this year for Mridul but I am so happy that learning at Kai never stopped – and we get
regular feedback on Mridul’s growth and activities regularly, which is very assuring”. “We truly
feel they are the Best Online Preschools in Bangalore”
– Mridul Sharma’s Father.

The strength of learning at Kai can be attributed to more than just our curriculum: our facilitators
and teaching staff form the core of everything we do and the learners’ experience, making Kai a
warm, welcoming and safe environment for our learners to grow in. Dedicated to making our
skill-based learning models a holistic experience for the children, even while we are currently an
online preschool in Bangalore, our facilitators enable each of our learners to have the edge of
international quality education from their first encounter in the world of structured learning.

“Kiara has been so happy in the past year, waking up every day with a smile despite learning
online. Through last year, while other kids of her age in our social circles faced their own
obstacles like getting bored or getting tired of being at home every day and getting cranky as a
result – Kiara has never once had an issue even remotely close to this and I have to thank the
teachers and team at Kai for this.” – shared Kiara’s mother with us, a few weeks ago when
sharing her experience of being part of our Preschool Online Classes in Bangalore.

If you are looking to seek an enriching learning experience for a young learner at a leading
Preschool in Bangalore, do reach out to us at Kai and we would be happy to arrange a visit or a
trial learning period for you and child with us. To know more about the structure and admission
form, click here.

The whole idea behind this simple strategy of positive reinforcement is a very simple one; children respond better to praise rather than to criticism or correction. If parents acknowledge and highlight all that children do correctly- clean up, finish their vegetables, play quietly, or finish their chores on time, children will do more of these things as they love the good feelings that come with positive reinforcement.

Initially, positive reinforcement could come in various forms such as applause, stickers, treats, and many more little ways however, research indicates that the most effective form of reinforcement is intrinsic and we should strive to get our children to be internally motivated and do things that give them joy and satisfaction, rather than working just for the external rewards.
A Montessori philosophy aids children in becoming more self-reliant, building on their own potential and confidence. This helps them become independent lifelong learners. With this focus on independence, it’s important then for the motivation to come from within themselves. In an IB curriculum where the development of the skills or Approaches to learning is an integral part, it’s these skills that support a student’s sense of agency encouraging them to see their learning as an active dynamic process that helps them become self-regulated learners.

Children do positive things all the time, it’s just that the misbehavior becomes more noticed as it’s louder or more distracting, whereas the positive behavior is often quiet, passive and softer. It’s important for parents to look for these precious moments and commend their children when they notice them doing something special or demonstrating good behavior.

The most effective form of praise is to praise the effort more than the outcome – the process rather than the result. For example, you could say- “I am really proud of the way you are picking up your toys” as they are collecting them rather than wait for them to clear all and finish the task

One strategy that often seems to work to reduce poor behavior is to first offer 3-4 sentences that the child is doing positively before you address the one not-so-appropriate behavior that you wish to highlight. If the ‘ unpleasant behavior’ is not dangerous or harmful to the child- something like whining or crying, you could choose to ignore it for a bit. It is often likely to stop once they realize they are not getting the attention they wished for.

‘Be the change you wish to see’ – Role model positive behavior at all times. your child is always watching you, even when you think they are not paying attention. They see how you react in stressful situations or unpleasant experiences. They watch how you treat other people. They soak in everything in their environment like little sponges, and this is what shapes their behavior and character.

The more you reinforce the positive, the easier it is to notice these opportunities, and then it snowballs and you see more of the good behavior. This focus on the positive has a dramatic impact on the overall behavior and mood swings of children (and parents.)

An important and indispensable part of any culture is music and dance. One can find music present in many aspects of our lives – theatre, television, movies, worship, holidays, drives, celebrations, and any ceremony. Nothing is complete without music and movement.

At home, music is usually part of the family culture – part of the everyday experiences. From birth, parents instinctively use music to calm and soothe their infants, to express love and to engage and interact with their children.

Most children love a blend of music, movement, rhythm and dance; this combination allows them to express themselves joyfully. Incorporating the same in Early education helps children with social interactions and language development. Both music and movement work to stimulate different areas in the brain and research has discovered the important impact they have on the mind of a child. These activities also have long-term benefits for a wide range of cognitive functions.

It’s important for parents to build a rich environment to foster musical exposure in children. This will widen their aptitude for music while building strong bonds with the family who can spend quality time over music and dance.

Here are some more benefits of music and movement:

Improve fine motor skills and coordination- Not only does it improve auditory skills, learning musical instruments helps improve hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, gross motor balance and spatial sense, rhythm and beat synchronization and organization.

Language Development- Research shows that the same parts of the brain involved in learning a language are used in learning music. Singing, learning new songs, learning an instrument helps in comprehension and processing information. It additionally helps children in focussing and
memorizing.

Develops Fundamental Math Skills- Reading music notes is something that fascinates anyone who thinks- ‘How does one find a relation to the musical notes and the actual instrument? But to a child who can read music, those dots actually deliver rich amounts of information about which key to press or which string to string. This is Math can be correlated to patterns and numbers.

Discipline and Hard work- The value of discipline and hard work is experienced greatly by children especially when they are learning music- the daily practices, the schedules and efforts show the child the benefits of the same. For older children, once they are part of a choir, band or ensemble, the
teamwork and dedication that is required are phenomenal. This collaboration with the greater community gives an overall positive feeling when everyone works towards a common goal.

Music and movement also build self-esteem and confidence- When children see the results of their hard work when they see their skills building up, it’s empowering for them to realize the extent of their effort. The degree of their achievement lies in the amount of effort they have put in. This is enough to build their own confidence and esteem, along with the fact that performing solo or even in a group requires a large amount of confidence and courage.

Music and movement can enliven and enrich the lives of all, from the pure pleasure of listening, to gaining social skills or building language. One can enjoy the same no matter what the setting at home, school, or even at public places.

Executive Functions are the skills we use to analyze a task, break them down into smaller steps and follow the steps till we get the task done. These cognitive skills help us to manage our time effectively, learn facts, understand what we read, solve problems and help us to organize our thoughts.  Though these skills are present from an early age, they can be taught and built up explicitly. It works if we start first by underlining our child’s strengths-good memory, clear focus, interest in activities, flexible, reflective, etc. Once we know these we can look at building the skills the child does not have. 

Some strategies for the development of Executive Functioning 

Organization- We can teach them how to develop and organize systems and routines. Collaborate with your child and show them the advantages of using organizers, calendars, flow charts, checklists, etc. Follow through with the one that works best for you and your child. Create consequences or rules to remind them of the agreed-upon plan, if they are unable to follow the same. 

Plan/Prioritize- Help children learn the process of planning, they should learn to identify their goals and understand ways to achieve them. Break down tasks into smaller parts and guide them to focus on one part at a time. You could use leading questions such as-’How, Why, When, What, Where which would help them think about the tasks some more.

Time Management- Post routines in the form of graphics or checklists, this will help the child get consistency and structure. These will help your child understand time management as well as responsibility. 

Control Emotions- Always maintain a positive attitude and relationship, one that is open and respectful. When parents stay connected and invite children in problem-solving or decision-making, it works effectively to teach the children how to deal with situations. 

Flexibility- Support flexible thinking, focus on solutions and not on the problem. Discuss with and help your child see the different approaches to solve a problem. Encourage them to be flexible in their actions which helps to fix problems. 

Skill- Building- It’s important for children to have skills that can be effective in problem-solving situations- naming the problem, brainstorming, self-management, reasoning to name a few. Encourage them to take responsibility and teach them the value of these skills 

Persistence- Goal-driven perseverance can be an opportunity for success. Encourage their efforts and constantly show them the cause-effect relationship. They understand that their actions can have different effects and perseverance is an important value to follow. 

Executive function skills are malleable in Early Childhood. They help in establishing positive relationships with others as they contribute to every person’s behavior. 

Many researchers over the years have studied the brain of bilingual and multilingual children and they have found that these children have greater cognitive development than children who speak only one language. These differences give several advantages to children who speak more than one language.

Boosts Brain Power- The brain develops more densely giving it an advantage with skills and abilities for the children. Many findings have suggested that the structure of the brain is altered by the experience of acquiring a second language, especially in the early years. 

Better Problem-solving abilities– Children who speak more than one language learn to negotiate and find different approaches to solve a problem. The children have the ability to think non-verbally as well as abstractly. 

Develop an ear for languages- Children who learn a second language in their early years develop the correct pronunciation and fluency. They are native language speakers of the language learned and have a better command over the same. 

Higher academic achievement– Studies have shown that children who speak more than one language from childhood have a comparatively higher academic score in other domains as well. It also helps them in their later years when high school and college require all students to learn a second language

Increased Empathy- Bilingual children find it easier to understand different perspectives- they are better at ‘putting themselves in the shoes of others. They have an increased ability to understand how their peers feel and show higher levels of empathy. 

Promotes international-mindedness- Children have the opportunity to become more culturally aware and better understand and appreciate cultural differences. It allows them to be more open-minded to different ways of thinking and understanding. 

In our increasingly diverse society, people from different cultures and communities must have the tools to communicate effectively with each other. A world in which different cultures and languages are appreciated and understood is a better world for all. 

Personal, social and emotional development is the basis of every child’s development. It helps children develop a positive attitude about themselves and towards others. This in turn enables them to interact effectively with others.

Building self-confidence and self-awareness are some of the prime requirements in the development of children. Once they are confident to express themselves, to try new things, they will be more confident to speak, interact, and try to explore more and become risk-takers and lifelong learners. 

Children begin to grow as communicators and talk about their feelings, behavior and begin to understand consequences. This growth is all part of their all-round development which aids in making them secure and stable in society.

They start playing cooperatively, learn to take turns, share and consciously start making efforts to maintain relationships. They begin to build social interactions, show sensitivity to other’s needs and feelings, and start forming positive relationships with children and adults. 

At school, it is important, we make preschoolers feel secure in the setting. The mixed-age activities available to the children in a Montessori classroom are designed to allow children to build on their social interactions. When children work in this way, they increase their level of independence and realize how their actions benefit others. The learner profile and approaches to learning are important aspects of the IB curriculum that support the well-being and overall development of children. More on the learner profile can be found at www.ibo.org. 

During school time, we encourage the following and recommend parents to reiterate the same;- 

The human being is a united whole, but this unity has to be built up and formed by active experiences in the real world, to which it is led by the laws of nature.” –Dr Maria Montessori

The minute a child enters Preschool parents start worrying about the academic gains that the child should make. “When will Aaryan start writing?”, Does Ann know all the letters of the alphabet?”  “Can Vikram count from 1-100?” and a host of such concerns that teachers hear every day. While we agree, early education creates an important foundation for academic skills, many parents would be surprised to know that social skills are actually far more predictive of adult outcomes than early academics. So, while many parents and schools may feel the pressure to cut back on the play and social interaction in order to get more ‘hard skill’ instruction time, in reality, it’s those ‘soft skills’ that actually indicate long-term success 

A few competencies that we could foster in children are as below

Playing well with others- The importance of play is a well-known fact by now among all parents. It is an important catalyst for development in the early years. It is through play that children learn to negotiate, take turns, experiment and a host of many such skills. Structured activities like- dance classes, football practice or music and movement classes have their own value, the importance of engaging in unstructured play (supervised but not instructed by adults) can never be undermined.  

Problem-Solving- Parents and supervising adults are always tempted to leap in, at first sight, the minute they see the first signs of a fight among toddlers. It’s because we immediately want to make everything right for our children. We are able to solve every problem because we are so good at it, and we got that way only because we have had so much practice at problem-solving! So, the next time you see your child in a situation, invite them to take part in the problem-solving process. Discuss the situation with them, brainstorm solutions and try theirs rather than your solution. Give them opportunities to experience their abilities and intervene only when necessary. 

Label and recognize their feelings- Children who can empathize, perceive feelings and emotions are always at an advantage when getting along with others. You can hone and foster these skills in children by calling attention to the different emotions. Recognizing them, naming them and talking about the same can go a long way. Reading books and telling stories about emotions also help in developing an understanding of the same.

Being Helpful- This means that the children need to look beyond themselves and recognize the feelings of others. By noticing and complimenting your child when you notice helpful behaviors encourages and motivates them to do more of the same. Give your child simple opportunities to help within the family, role model helpful actions in front of them and encourage others around your child to showcase helpful behavior constantly.

Though competition and the fast-paced society of today gives one an impression that a child needs to be advanced academically as soon as possible, the reality of the 21st century is the development of ‘soft skills’ is what will serve the children better in the future- So simple processes of playing, engaging with others, interacting and building relationships should be in focus.

Experts believe that reading to your child is one of the most important things you can do for your child.

Here are some ideas to help build literacy skills while keeping it fun for your child and you. 

Read Everyday- Try to read with your child every day at least for 15 minutes. Bedtime usually is an ideal time to read together. You could read to them in any language, it’s the love of reading that we are building on.

Cuddle, hold your child- Sit with your child on your lap or cuddle on the bed, let your child hold the book or help you turn the pages.

Voice Modulation- Read with fun in your voice, use your face, body and voice to make reading fun. Use different voices for different characters and settings.

Stop when needed- If your child loses interest or has trouble paying attention, just put the book away and don’t force them to read with you. Stop the reading and do something else that your child might enjoy at that time. You can read again the next day or a little later in the day. 

  Look at the pictures– Point to the pictures on each page and talk about them, they could describe the pictures and build on their vocabulary. 

Show them words- As you read, run your fingers along the bottom of the words, Soon your child will realize that ‘print conveys meaning’, they will see words are read and not pictures. 

Tell them how you enjoyed reading- Say how much this time means to you and it’s the favorite part of your day. Make them feel the joy of ‘story time’.

Fill your house with books- Surround your child with books, try to have as many books as you can for your child as well as for other members of the family. Pick up books from second-hand stores, garage sales or library book sales.

Let your child choose- Let your child pick out his or her own book for the nightly reading time. Make it fun and follow their interest, it’s one way to keep them connected to what is being read

Make books and reading special- Do things that will make books and reading special. Do activities that are related to stories, use books as rewards or surprises.

Show them all the parts of the book- The cover, illustrations, author and even the page numbers. Show them how we read from left to right and top to bottom. Show them the spaces between each word as well.  Teach them book handling skills from an early age. 

Make it interactive- Ask your child questions related to the story, discuss what’s happening, ask them to predict what will happen next or change the ending if they would like a twist in the story.  Encourage them to ask you questions during the story, make connections to the story and your child’s life. 

Read it again!- Your child may want to hear the story over and over again…and that’s great it shows you how much they love the book….repeat the books as often as your child asks, soon you can ask them to narrate the story by looking at the pictures. They can pretend to be ‘reading it to you’.

Encourage them- If they show interest in a particular topic or like a book of an author you can encourage them by getting more books on the same subject or by the author they liked, this will keep their interests in books soaring.

Take turns- Once they learn to read, you can take turns reading the pages of the books or the days.

The most important thing to remember is that reading should be an enjoyable experience. Create positive experiences and memories with books, this will ensure a lifelong love for reading.

 

Do you always let your child win? Even if you think it’s the right thing to do, letting them win may give them a sense of false success.  Your child would probably realize that very soon that you are trying to ‘be nice’, however, you will be surprised to see that your child wants the very challenge you are actually trying to avoid giving him. 

This may feel strange, but letting your child win all the time actually prevents them from growing. It is important for a child to find out that sometimes they will succeed and sometimes they may not. Learning to lose is something that children can learn in the Early years and knowing how to accept both results is a valuable life lesson. We let our children win all the time for fear of hurting their self-esteem, we don’t wish for them to feel bad about something. But we should work with them to show them how they can improve and work on themselves in order to succeed and win. 

When a child ‘learns to lose’ they gain the skills of overcoming barriers, dealing with conflict and problems and being prepared for the unexpected. They learn to rise and work harder to achieve what they are capable of rather than us making it easy and non-challenging for them. You definitely can give the child an advantage in any game you play as you both need to be on the same level, so competition is equal for your child. The difficulty level also needs to be age-appropriate to make it fair for your child to have the right opportunity to either win or lose. 

Another great life skill one can teach children when they ‘learn to lose’ is to actually enjoy the process, the playing, the thrill they get during the entire session rather than just focussing on the outcome. Teach them to enjoy the experience and not so much the result. Children learn integrity and not to fall apart when they lose, they can learn to control their anger as they grow older and acknowledge the victory of others. It teaches them not to look at it as a failure but as an opportunity to improve, mature and grow as needed. They are able to tolerate frustrations more easily and emerge strong from defeat. 

The application of this can be seen in real life, often things don’t go as expected and adults are unable to cope with that. A child who has learned to lose, sees errors, finds opportunities and grabs every chance they get to change things that are not going so well. 

 

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