In our preschool, children’s intellectual and motor development is stimulated largely by teaching aids designed in accordance with the Montessori concept. In working with children, we also use everyday objects that children often come into contact with in their surroundings.
Teaching aids in our preschool
In the selection of teaching materials and aids, we are guided by their impact on physical and intellectual development. We choose the ones that in our opinion will fulfill this task best, and at the same time meet with the greatest interest among children. All aids are arranged in such a way that every child can reach for them whenever they think they need them.
Development by working with everyday objects
Work and tasks constituting household duties are extremely liked by children. Mastering these activities not only facilitates their daily functioning, but also increases faith in their own capabilities and motivates them to be active.
Simple tasks such as screwing screws, wiping the table, pouring water into a vessel improve planning and motor coordination. Fine motor skills, much needed in, for example, learning to write, are developed by practicing dressing, buttoning, lacing shoes or threading beads.
Montessori teaching materials and aids
Montessori aids are designed to stimulate all the senses of a small person, thanks to which children learn spatial thinking, perception of shapes, colors, smells and flavors with interest and pleasure. We also successfully use Montessori materials to develop children’s language and mathematical skills. Here are some examples of Montessori teaching aids:
- Pink tower – is a collection of single-colored blocks, differing in size. They can be compared to each other in terms of size, arranged in various ways (vertically and horizontally), children can build a tower, stairs or floors or, for example, mark the center of the structure;
- Brown stairs – like the pink tower, it’s a set of one-colored blocks that differ in width and length;
- Colored signs – used for learning colors;
- Murmur cans – 12 cans in red and blue, filled with various loose materials. Great help in practicing recognition and comparison of sounds, concentration and auditory memory;
- Flavor bottles – teaching children to recognize flavors – bitter, salty, sour and sweet;
- Fragrance containers – 6 pairs of containers filled with various fragrances. The task of children is to find 2 containers with the same smell. Excellent help in learning smells.
In addition to sensory materials, we also use Montessori aids to master language and mathematics, including rough letters and rough numbers, a movable alphabet, golden pearls, abacus, and metal frames.
All materials have a very simple structure, are made of pleasant, often natural materials and are arranged in a logical way. They help children to easily understand the intricate world of words and numbers.