Primary Program

Opening in Spring 2023. Enroll now to secure a spot!

ages 3 to 6 years

The years leading up to kindergarten are a special time for children. They learn and develop at accelerated rates. They explore their independence and build upon important foundations for a thriving future. It’s during these early years that they discover a lifelong love of learning.

What will your child learn in the Primary Program?

At Aubrey Montessori School, we encourage each child to take ownership of their education. This self-directed approach to learning is at the heart of the Montessori Method. It encourages the child’s self-sufficiency and grows their confidence. It also deepens their critical thinking and builds their socio-emotional skills.

The curricular areas within our Primary Program include:

Practical Life

Children learn and practice life skills they’ll use each day, such as getting dressed, setting the table, and preparing snacks. They also learn social manners, being helpful, resolving conflicts, and listening without interrupting. Skills learned here promote the child’s gross- and fine-motor coordination as well as their independence.

Language

Within the Primary Program, children learn vocabulary, how to read, and how to write. They use hands-on materials to learn letter sounds and how to combine those sounds to create words. The children then begin building sentences and discover how to use a pencil. It’s then that the children learn to read (which often happens spontaneously).

Sensorial

Children learn through their senses. They then use those senses to develop and further refine their skills. Our sensorial activities help children describe, classify, and order their experiences. This lays the foundations necessary for other subjects, such as math and language.

Math

In our Primary classrooms, children learn math concepts through hands-on activities. They identify numbers and match them to their respective quantities. They also explore numbering patterns and practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Children in our program don’t just memorize concepts. They explore and understand the meaning behind the concepts.

Cultural

The cultural component of a Montessori education is diverse. Children engage in a range of subjects, such as history, science, geography, music, and art. In our program, children also become learners of their community and the world. They explore what makes people and places similar as well as different. This creates a deeper appreciation of diversity and greater respect for all people and living things.

What are the Primary classrooms like?

Our rooms don’t look like traditional classrooms. You won’t find desks or a teacher giving a lesson to the whole class. Instead, you’ll see children working by themselves or in small groups. They may be seated at tables or on floor mats happily working on an activity.

We especially designed the classrooms with this age group in mind. Each classroom includes low sinks, child-sized tables and chairs, easily accessible shelves, and kitchen utensils designed for small hands.

All the learning materials are out and available on open shelves. Classrooms are outfitted with cozy spaces that allow the child to read quietly or have private reflection time.

Our goal is to create a welcoming space that is organized and attractive. Teachers will guide students to keep their environment tidy and clean. This helps your child learn how to clean up after themselves and understand how to care for what’s around them.

What’s the environment like?

Our focus is on strengthening your child’s independence, confidence, and love of learning. When it comes to their environment, we do this in three main ways:

1. The Community

Children within the Primary Program will stay in the same classroom for the full three years. This routine provides stability for the child and allows them to feel safe.

Their classroom community is made up of two important groups: the teacher and their peers.

In a Montessori classroom, our trained teachers are the guides. They observe each child every day and identify their interests and abilities. They turn those observations into individualized learning plans that help the child flourish.

Teachers introduce new lessons and greater levels of difficulty when it’s appropriate for the child. Along the way, the teacher provides the child with any necessary encouragement, time, and resources. The child drives their learning and makes choices that promote their own growth and success.

Throughout the three years, children will learn how to interact with their peers, help one another, and peacefully resolve conflict. Older students often serve as role models for younger children. This reinforces the older child’s own learning and strengthens their confidence and self-esteem. It also allows them to demonstrate a growing sense of responsibility.

2. Learning Tools & Resources

One of our key Montessori principles is the belief that children are capable of educating themselves.

This is why our materials are designed to teach one skill at a time. They are also self-correcting. This means that the child can identify if they completed an activity correctly. If they did not, they can try again – all without intervention from their teacher. This approach encourages critical thinking, develops self-sufficiency, and builds confidence within the child.

3. A Structured Learning Cycle

The Primary Program introduces an environment of structure and encourages the child to work at their own pace. Children will experience longer, uninterrupted blocks of work time.

This cycle provides the child stability within a routine, promotes their freedom of choice, and strengthens their concentration and coordination.

Within these blocks of work time, your child will:

Choose an activity
Work on it for as long as they are interested
Clean up their activity and return any materials to their proper place
Make another choice and repeat the cycle