Preschool Program
What is Montessori for the 0-6 Year Old?
Families exploring Montessori education often have numerous questions, and we understand the importance of providing the right information to help you make informed decisions for your child and family.
Central Coast Montessori offers a strong educational foundation to support and guide your child’s development. We appreciate your consideration of our Early Years program for your child. We offer Parent and Child classes from 3 months of age, to assist in preparing to enter our Preschool community starting at age 3 when your child will embark on a unique, enriching journey through the Montessori approach.
As part of what is known in Montessori education as Cycle 1, our Early Years Preschool program focuses on the distinct needs of children aged 3 to 6.
What Makes Montessori Learning Different from Play-Based Programs?
Our educators act as Guides in the children's learning journeys, helping them to develop skills, follow their interests, and realise their individual potential.
Children in our Early Years move from chaos to order, from distraction to focus through purposeful activities within the prepared environment. This transformation occurs through engaging, repeated experiences that captivate their attention and imagination. They learn effortlessly as part of the process.
Education here is individualised, allowing each child to progress at their own pace under the guidance of trained Montessori professionals, all within an environment that promotes curiosity and active engagement. Literacy is a particular strength: more than 80% of our Preschool children are reading before they enter Primary, with many also confidently writing. These outcomes reflect the depth and consistency of the Montessori approach to language, which combines phonetic awareness, tactile learning materials, and an environment rich in spoken and written language.
At Central Coast Montessori, we also include plenty of nature, outdoor play, and immersive experiences on our beautiful acreage campus.
What Do Children Learn?
The journey of the 3 to 6-year-old child is one of ‘self-construction’. Utilising the Montessori philosophy and specially designed materials, we support each child's capacity to absorb knowledge and foster their growth.
Our Cycle 1 program encompasses four core areas:
-
Practical Life
-
Sensorial
-
Language
-
Mathematics
-
Cultural
The pre-primary environment connects the child to the world. We provide globes, maps, songs, landforms, and diverse cultural materials that promote the child's growth as an individual, fostering an appreciation for the broader context of their world.
The Practical Life component bridges the child’s home life with the classroom experience. A child's innate desire for order and independence is expressed through various activities and materials that promote fine motor skills and foundational learning necessary for more advanced work.
The Practical Life materials engage children in focused movements that encourage concentration, self-paced work, and the completion of tasks, leading to feelings of accomplishment and confidence. This area covers four primary aspects: Control of Movement, Care of Person, Care of Environment, and Grace and Courtesy.
Practical Life
From an early age, children naturally seek to create order and engage in sorting, arranging, and classifying their experiences. The sensorial component of our program plays a vital role in developing their perception and understanding of the world. Our sensorial materials offer children opportunities to explore and identify differences and similarities among various objects.
As they advance, children learn to categorise objects based on measurable attributes, progressing from basic concepts to more complex distinctions. Each piece of sensorial equipment isolates a specific quality perceived through the senses, such as colour, shape, size, texture, temperature, volume, pitch, weight, and taste. By using precise vocabulary like loud/soft, long/short, rough/smooth, and terms for shapes, children enhance their sensorial experiences, making their world more meaningful.
Sensorial
Maria Montessori believed reading, writing, and language should not be taught separately. In our pre-primary setting, children are immersed in their natural language development through a structured program that includes songs, games, and stories.
Preparation for writing begins with Practical Life and Sensorial activities that enhance fine motor skills and sound recognition. Children learn alphabet symbols alongside spoken language, trace sandpaper letters to feel sounds, and use movable alphabets to create words and stories. Creativity flourishes as they explore language intricacies, allowing them to read independently and open a gateway to literature.
Language
.jpg)
Mathematics is a lens through which we can understand and express measurable relationships. Children’s exposure to mathematical concepts begins with sensorial experiences that help them recognise variations in distance, dimension, and sequence.
In our Montessori framework, concepts like geometry, algebra, and arithmetic are interlinked, reflecting real-life connections. Using tangible materials, children learn to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, gradually grasping abstract mathematical ideas with enthusiasm and ease. For example, the golden bead material illustrates the numerical, geometric, and dimensional
Mathematics
In the Preschool, the Cultural Area introduces children to geography, history, nature, and science. These experiences help them understand their place in the wider world and nurture a sense of wonder about how things connect.
Geography materials support children in exploring continents, countries, and landforms, giving them a concrete sense of belonging in the world. History activities help children grasp the concept of change — through observing the seasons, studying the weather, and marking the days on the calendar, they begin to understand the cycles of time.
Birthdays are celebrated with a beautiful Montessori tradition: the child carries the globe in a walk around a representation of the sun, marking each year of their journey through life.
Cultural
