The goal of Future Steps Preschool in Bryanston is to prepare your child for Primary school. Each child is treated as an individual and encouraged to grow at his or hers own pace.
The Montessori classroom is divided into 5 areas and we feel it is important and necessary for our parents to know what they are, and why each area is relevant to your child’s learning experience.
The aim of practical life is to prepare the child for the real world. Practical life equips the child with the necessary life skills to handle everyday activities. Real life activities help children work well and adjust to their environment. Through the use of practical life equipment the child develops freedom, obedience and respect for other people and the environment.
A child learns through their senses: “There is nothing in the intellect that wasn’t first in the senses”. A young child is exposed to many sensory impressions: Visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory and tactile in the sensorial environment.
With maths, we work from a concrete base, gradually taking the child step by step towards abstract concepts.
The main purpose of language is to communicate our thoughts and needs. The child’s environment must be rich in opportunities for the development of speech, both receptive skills (listening, reading, understanding, and remembering) and expressive skills (verbalising, writing)
Through using the cultural materials the child will gain a greater understanding and knowledge of the world around them. The cultural work will aid the child in classifying, categorizing and making sense of their world and their place in it.
Through the medium of art the child is able to interpret the world around them. The child needs to experience art to feel the satisfaction of his/her own creativity.
Music is joy. A young child reacts spontaneously to music. In the classroom, music and movement are valued for the roles they play in developing creativity, imagination and language.
It is in the outdoor environment that one’s connection with nature is nourished, and it is an ideal place for children to socialize freely and develop imaginative play.
“Adults admire their environment; they can remember it and think about it; but a child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul” – Montessori, M
