Parents frequently ask me if their child is ready to for kindergarten in a Montessori school. Montessori kindergarten readiness looks slightly different than readiness for a more traditional kindergarten program.
Has your child been attending a Montessori preschool or primary program for a full school year?
If your child has had at least one successful preschool year in a Montessori school, chances are your child is ready to begin Montessori kindergarten. Traditional Montessori classroom consist of mixed-age groups; classes include children from 3-6 years old. If your child has already had at least one school year of Montessori experience, she/he will already be well acquainted with the routines and expectations of being a member of a Montessori classroom. Your child will have had plenty of experience with the Montessori materials and may even remain in the same classroom with the same teacher, although this can vary from school to school and year to year. For a student who has already been in a Montessori classroom, transitioning from preschool to Kindergarten is an exciting time as she/he will now be a leader in the classroom and may have special privileges reserved exclusively for kindergarteners.
Has your child has been in a daycare, different type of preschool, or been at home?
Different Montessori schools have different policies about accepting children without Montessori experience into their kindergarten program. If the school you were interested in does accept new kindergarteners without Montessori experience, here is what many Montessori educators look for in terms of readiness:
- Does your child separate from you easily?
- Does your child engage well in large group lessons? Small groups?
- Does your child thrive in environments where there is some choice in the activities in which she/he engages?
- Does your child cooperate well with other children within a group setting?
- Does your child respond well to direct instruction?
- Does your child have some basic academic knowledge? - i.e. the ability to count objects up to ten, correctly identify several numbers, correctly identify several letters, correctly identify colors, and a few basic shapes?
If the answer is, "yes," to most of these questions, your child will probably be ready for a Montessori kindergarten program. Every child is unique, and children develop at different rates. There are no absolutes in determining your child's readiness for kindergarten. Work with your child's school and teacher to make the best choice for your child.
