Language

A child matching dinosaur figurines to nomenclature cards

Language Acquisition

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Enriching a child’s vocabulary fosters the ability to clearly communicate and express oneself. Children’s brains are primed to learn language from before birth to age six, the most critical period for language acquisition, when language can be learned effortlessly. Language in the Montessori classroom is taught in many different ways, such as through storytelling, songs and poems, encouraging self expression, identifying and matching objects to nomenclature cards, and labeling photo representations on nomenclature cards.

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Child under 3 signing cookie

Sign Language

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The children learn to use sign language to aid in their communication. The child in the above photo is imitating a sign for “cookie” depicted by a photo on one side of a card and the corresponding sign on the other. Sign Language practice helps promote self-expression, movement and hand-eye coordination.

Please click on “Sign Language” to see more photos of children signing.

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Children learning sign language at circle time

Sign Language

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In the Under 2 program, we practice sign language in our everyday interactions. The teachers use sign language to communicate with the children and vice versa. Sign language empowers the children with one another and provides ways to express their feelings, wants and needs.

Please click on “Sign Language” to see examples of children in our classroom signing the words “more”, “please”, and “thank you”.

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Casa child tracing sandpaper letter

Intelligence and the Hand

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Maria Montessori introduced a hands on approach to education because she believed that the development of the hand plays an important role in the developing of the mind.

Please click on “Intelligence and the Hand” to see photos of other examples of intelligence and the hand as well as a quote from Maria Montessori.

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'The Eleventh Hour' book

East Casa Solves a Mystery!

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We read an exciting book by Graeme Base called “The Eleventh Hour”. Our Casa children found clues and solved the mystery. We won’t spoil it for you but It was definitely someone we did not suspect!

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