Montessori environment 3-6 years: the 5 fundamental learning areas

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TheMontessori ambiance, also known as the prepared environment, is a central element of Montessori pedagogy. It's about creating a setting designed to support each child's natural development. For example, a 3-6 year-old environment encourages autonomy, concentration and the acquisition of skills. It is structured around five learning areas, which we invite you to discover. 

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The Montessori atmosphere, a child-friendly environment

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The 3 main Montessori environments

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In Montessori pedagogy, each age group benefits from a specific environment adapted to its developmental needs.

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• From 0 to 3 years, we have the atmosphere of the Montessori Nido and the Communauté enfantine. These environments offer a gentle, secure space equipped with uncluttered materials, ideal for young children exploring the world through their first movements and interactions.
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• Ages 3 to 6The Montessori atmosphere focuses on the child's development in an environment where he or she can explore the world around them. five learning areas fundamental : 
  
  • practical life ; 
  • sensory life ; 
  • mathematics ; 
  • language ; 
  • discovering the world.
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• From ages 6 to 12, the atmosphere becomes more abstract. Materials and activities encourage critical thinking, collaboration and in-depth exploration of subjects such as science, history and geography.
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Objectives common to all Montessori environments

All these environments share common principles. Indeed, a prepared environment is a space specially designed to meet the needs of children in a given age range. It is based on the following fundamental principles:
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1. Supporting autonomy: everything is designed so that children can act on their own, without needing an adult at every stage.
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2. Encourage freedom within a structured framework: children are free to move around and choose their activities, but within the limits of order and respect for others.
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3. Stimulate natural learning: the environment reflects concrete realities (activities of daily life, exploring the world, etc.) while contributing to progressive abstraction. The latter is much more present in the Montessori 6-12 environment than for 3-6 year-olds.
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The characteristics of a prepared environment

Each Montessori environment is based on the following principles: 

• Accessibility: the equipment is positioned at child height so that children can use it independently.
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• Order and aesthetics: the space is clear, orderly and harmonious. It helps children to concentrate. It fosters an atmosphere of calm and respect.
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• Adaptation: activities and tools evolve according to each child's needs and interests.
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In the 3-6 years environment, the space is organized around 5 learning areas. Children explore them throughout their 3 years in this well-prepared environment. 

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The practical living area: developing independence and motor skills

The practical life area is often the first step in the Montessori journey for children aged 3 to 6. Inspired by everyday gestures, this area offers activities that help children learn to become independent while perfecting their fine motor skills and concentration.
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Some examples of practical life activities
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• Pouring liquids: transferring water from one pitcher to another is a simple activity, but one that teaches hand-eye coordination.
  
  
• Transferring objects with tongs or spoons: these exercises, presented on small trays, develop children's fine motor skills. Watch the children as they do these activities, and you'll see the concentration many of them display.
  
  
• Buttoning and unbuttoning: use dressing frames to practice buttoning, zipping and knotting.
  
  
• Sweeping and cleaning: using shovels and sweepers, shining shoes, cleaning a mirror or the table - all activities that encourage children to contribute to the upkeep of their environment.
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The educational benefits of the practical life area

These activities anchor children in reality and develop essential qualities such as autonomy, order and concentration. They also lay the foundations for their ability to undertake more complex tasks in other areas. On the subject of the benefits of practical life for children, you can listen to the episode of the podcast Les Adultes de Demain with Olivia Licoys.
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The sensory area: fine-tuning the five senses to better understand the world

Sensory life is an essential area in a Montessori environment for 3-6 year olds. It aims to refine children's five senses: sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste. Using specially designed materials, children learn to observe, compare and classify information from their environment. The discovery of the senses begins in the nido, where children are offered objects of different materials, sometimes with sound. 

Some examples of sensory equipment

• Cylindrical blocks: help to differentiate sizes and dimensions.
  
  
• The brown stairs and the pink tower: a series of cobblestones, then cubes of increasing or decreasing size, to help children understand notions of size. It's also an opportunity for children to become aware of the volume occupied by a cube measuring 1 cm on a side, compared with a cube measuring 10 cm on a side. From the age of 3, children live in their own bodies and perceive differences in size.
  
  
• Red bars: used to teach length concepts, these are a necessary step before moving on to the red and blue area bars.
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• Sound boxes: prepare the ear to hear the phonemes in words. Pair boxes that produce the same sound.
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• Scent boxes: the idea here is to match boxes that give off the same scent. They help develop the sense of smell.
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• Stereognostic bags: find identical objects by touching them, without seeing them.

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The educational benefits of the sensory area

By manipulating these materials, children refine their sensory perceptions. These manipulations and explorations indirectly prepare them for more complex learning, such as mathematics or writing. This area also fosters wonder at the richness of the world around them.
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The mathematical area: making the abstract concrete

In a Montessori classroom, the math area is often one of the most impressive, as it transforms abstract concepts into concrete experiences. This approach helps children develop an intuitive understanding of numbers and operations from an early age.
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Some examples of mathematical material
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• The spindle box: to understand the concept of quantity, associate written numbers with a concrete representation and introduce the notion of 0.
  
  
• Rough numbers: discover the numbers 0 to 9 and prepare to write them.
  
  
• Red and blue number bars: to visualize quantities and learn to count.
  
  
• Bead staircase from 1 to 10 : continue learning numbers from 1 to 10 using beads.
  
  
• Seguin's tables: familiarize yourself with numbers beyond 10, especially tens from 10 to 99, by decomposing complex numbers to understand them better.
  
  
• The first decimal system tray: introduces children to the basics of the decimal system (units, tens, hundreds and thousands) using gold beads.

The educational benefits of the math area

Children develop mathematical logic while strengthening their ability to concentrate. This area also promotes a natural transition to more abstract concepts as they grow older.
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The language area: access to words and expression

Between the ages of 3 and 6, children go through a sensitive period when it comes to language. In Montessori classrooms, this sensitivity is nurtured by a variety of activities that accompany their development of oral, written and even reading language. Yes, children can learn to read naturally from kindergarten onwards.

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Special features of bilingual schools

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In a bilingual environment such as that offered by the international schools in the Esclaibes International Schools network, English-speaking and French-speaking educators work together to enrich children's vocabulary. They introduce them to two languages from an early age.

In our bilingual Montessori schools, children share their week between a French-speaking Montessori 3-6 year old atmosphere and an English-speaking Montessori 3-6 year old atmosphere. This organization provides an ideal setting for children to help them become bilingual.
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Some examples of oral and written language activities
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• Rough letters: discover the shape and sound of letters by tracing their outlines.
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• Vocabulary pockets or nomenclature cards: they invite you to classify images and words to reinforce memory and enrich the lexicon.
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• Writing activities: an introduction to writing as a gesture, but also as an encoding, takes place with tracings in the sand, on slates and silent dictations with movable letters.
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The educational benefits of the language area

This area is also home to the traditional farm with its miniature animals. In addition to the individual activities provided, language development takes place during gatherings around the circle: nursery rhymes, stories, rituals, philosophy workshops, collective presentations of concepts, etc. It is also reinforced during dual interactions with the adult or among peers. It is also reinforced during dual interactions with the adult or between peers. Over the course of the school day, children develop their ability to express themselves, listen and understand. 

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The world discovery area: awakening curiosity and exploration

The world discovery area is dedicated to the exploration of natural sciences, geography and culture. It enables children to better understand their environment and develop a respect for nature and other cultures.

Some examples of materials for discovering the world
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• Geography: children use a smooth, rough globe to understand that the Earth is covered primarily by water. Then the colored globe introduces the continents, also worked on through the puzzle, their fauna, etc.
  Other puzzles specific to France, for example, introduce the notion of regions and departments.
  The different countries are discovered with their flags, and at Esclaibes International Schools, through celebrations such as Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, the Indian Festival of Lights (Diwali), Chinese New Year, etc.
  
  
• Botany: children observe plants, care for them and learn the parts of a flower, thanks in particular to dedicated puzzles. The same goes for fauna, with the 5 Montessori zoology puzzles.
  
  
• Science: individual or group workshops to conduct simple experiments on water, air, light, magnets...

The educational benefits of the world discovery area

It's a common misconception that a 4-5 year-old is not in a position to be interested in the names of continents or countries. However, you only have to watch a 3-6 year-old evolve in the area of world discovery to be convinced of the contrary. 

This area fosters wonder and stimulates children's natural curiosity. It helps them build a coherent, enriching vision of the world.

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The five areas of a Montessori 3-6 classroom are much more than learning spaces. They are springboards for autonomy, discovery and personal development. Each child can develop at his or her own pace, guided by his or her own interests, natural curiosity, peers and teacher. 

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If you'd like to find out more about this pedagogy or discover our Montessori teams and classes, please don't hesitate to contact us.

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