Montessori Preschool's Advice on Fun Ways to Teach Critical Thinking

The first Montessori school was started by Maria Montessori in 1907. She'd had previous success working with special needs children, but this was her chance to make her teaching philosophy mainstream.

Though Montessori schools didn't replace the current education systems, they did catch on. Today there are thousands of Montessori schools all over the world. You can even find a Montessori preschool if you know where to look.

How do Montessori preschools work, though? How do they teach important skills such as critical thinking? We'll talk about some popular techniques in the paragraphs below.

1. Start Young

Education should start young and last our whole lives. There are always more things to learn and explore, and children are very aware of that.

A young child can ask over 70 questions per day, many of which show evidence of critical thinking. For instance, many of these questions consist of a single word-why?

The question of why demonstrates that they want to understand the world. They've figured out that there's an explanation for everything, but they don't know what it is yet.

Oftentimes, your child will ask a question you can't answer. It's okay to tell them that you don't know the answer. Children may look up to adults, but it's important for them to know that adults aren't perfect.

2. Teach, Don't Preach

It's important as a teacher in a Montessori preschool to understand that bias is everywhere. Bias isn't always wrong, but it's often one of multiple right answers.

One way to demonstrate this is to ask two students to build a tower from blocks. There's a good chance that each student will build it differently, if only slightly. Neither of the students is wrong, they just approached the problem in different ways.

When you do have to teach the children something they likely wouldn't figure out on their own, try to explain to them why you're using the method you are. Are there other methods? If not, why not?

3. Encourage Questions and Alternative Ideas

You're not the only person who should know about bias and perspective. Each person has their own way of doing things. The students should understand and respect that.

One of the best ways to explore perspective and bias is to encourage the students to ask questions. Their curiosity is legitimate and is at the root of all education.

The more questions a student asks, the more ideas they explore, and the more engaged they'll be. This will likely lead them to want to learn more.

Teaching Critical Thinking in a Montessori Preschool

A Montessori preschool is a great investment. The Montessori approach involves letting children explore the subjects they want to learn.

This style of school presents several different ways to encourage creative thinking. We've talked about some of them in the paragraphs above, but there are other ways. We encourage you to do more research on your own if you're interested.

If you want more information and advice on Montessori education please visit our site. Critical thinking isn't the only thing a child should learn. It's important to teach them empathy and compassion as well.