Articles for Parents

Approach to Maths

The educational charity Every Child a Chance Trust has commissioned a report prepared by KPMG, which says that 30,000 children leave primary school each year unable to do simple calculations. Furthermore, the research said that there was a significant link between poor numeracy and antisocial behaviour.

Can Learning Be Enhanced By Movement?

In the early spring of 2009, several news reports proclaimed about the innovation of the ‘stand-up desk’, the desk that allows school children to stand while they work. The desks were the idea of a teacher who had observed that one boy preferred to ‘shift his weight from one foot to the other as he figured out his fractions.

What you should know about your Child

Long before modern day research ‘discovered’ that active movement (as opposed to the passive movement of being pushed in a pram, being placed in a cot or playpen, or in a baby-walker) has a significant positive impact on the basic developmental processes the child experiences, Maria Montessori had grasped the importance of that very same relationship.

Montessori and the EYFS

The introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) has created an opportunity for a new relationship between the Montessori movement in the UK and those academics, policy makers and local authority professionals involved in the care and education of young children.

Synthetic Phonics - A New Approach?

The recent claims that ‘synthetic phonics’ hold the key to transforming literacy levels in the UK is far from news to those familiar with the approach to language found in a Montessori Children’s House. Sarah Emerson looks at what is meant by this term and how far the Montessori Approach goes to fulfilling the recommendations of the recent research into literacy.

Supporting Bilingual Children

This is an excerpt from a lecture given by Irene Fafalios at the Montessori Society AGM in London in 2007. Irene explains the different forms that bilingualism takes in today’s multicultural society and how as teachers and parents we can support children who speak more than one language.

Do Young Children Need Computers?

We’ve all faced the seduction of the educational software advert that promises to transform our children into technically savvy adults. ‘At Leapfrog we believe that kids don’t just grow up, they think up..with Clickstart, you’re practicing computer skills, numbers, letters, shapes, the stuff you’re going to need for preschool.’

Sadhana: Reflections from the 26th International Montessori Congress

A reflection by Kristin McAlister Young on the word "Sadhana", the topic for the 26th International Montessori Conference in Chennai, India.