The Montessori Philosophy

Sandton Montessori practices the educational framework created by Maria Montessori. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She received nominations in 1949, 1950, and 1951 in recognition of her work in education and her efforts to promote peace through the development of the child.

In our environment each child works to the best of their ability, seldom comparing themselves. Children learn, explore and progress at their own pace so that fast learners are not held back, and slower learners are not frustrated by their inability to keep up.

We structure your child’s learning environment into 5 partitioned learning areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Mathematics, Language and Cultural. In each area your child has the ability to explore and play with objects at their own pace. Our environment facilitates for their vocabulary skills, arithmetic ability and awareness of their environment to naturally be explored with their curiosity.

Book A Visit

Practical Life

Colorful tray with craft supplies including a small basket with clothespins, a purple bowl with white beans, and a tray with a beaded gummy biscuit and small colorful beads for decorating crafts.

Definition: Focuses on real-life skills to foster independence, concentration, and coordination.

Activities: Pouring, spooning, buttoning, sweeping, food preparation, and dressing frames etc.

Developmental Goals:

Motor Skills: Enhances fine motor control and hand-eye coordination.
Cognitive Skills: Builds order, focus, and sequencing.
Life Skills: Cultivates independence, responsibility, and care for the environment.

Colorful display of kitchen or craft items including a green wall with three metal bolts, a pink surface with a woven basket held by colorful clothespins, a blue surface with a purple bowl filled with white beans, and a purple bowl with a spoon.

Children's hands are preparing-colored paper with a hole puncher on a blue table.

Sensorial

Wooden shelf containing Montessori educational toys, including stacking blocks, puzzle pieces, and colored boxes.

Definition: Refines the senses to help children classify and understand the world around them.

Activities: Sorting by size, color, texture, sound; using Montessori materials like pink tower, knobbed cylinders, sound boxes etc.

Developmental Goals:

Sensory Discrimination: Improves ability to compare and contrast objects.
Cognitive Skills: Lays groundwork for abstract thinking, math, and language through pattern recognition and categorization.
Motor Skills: Develops precision through controlled hand movements.

Square wooden tray divided into four sections holding colorful game pieces: blue, yellow, red, and green.

Child playing with a toy stacking tower made of red and yellow cylindrical blocks, seated on a tiled floor with two empty wooden boxes nearby.

Mathematics

A wooden moveable game board with teal pegs and small teal beads used for playing a strategic game, on a wooden surface.

Definition: Builds a concrete foundation in number sense and logical thinking through hands-on materials.

Activities: Counting beads, number rods, spindle boxes, golden beads for decimal system, operations with manipulatives etc.

Developmental Goals:

Cognitive Skills: Develops logical reasoning, problem-solving, and understanding of abstract concepts.
Motor Skills: Engages fine motor control through manipulation of math tools.

A bead stringing station with numbered hooks holding colorful beads on a wooden stand.

Child writing math answers on a worksheet with a blue dry erase marker, with LEGO pieces on a wooden table.

Language

Colorful educational materials on a wooden table including flashcards with lowercase letters, picture cards of a sun, cat, fan, and dog, and matching words.

Definition: Develops listening, speaking, writing, and reading skills through a phonetic and tactile approach.

Activities: Sandpaper letters, movable alphabet, object-to-picture matching, storytelling, early reading and writing exercises etc.

Developmental Goals:

Cognitive Skills: Enhances vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and expressive language.
Motor Skills: Develops writing coordination through tracing and pencil control.
Communication: Fosters confidence in verbal and written expression.

Educational bulletin board showing the alphabet with letters, pictures, and words starting with 'A' and 'F'. The letter 'A' features an ant illustration, and words like 'apples' and 'anteater'. The letter 'F' features a flamingo illustration, and words like 'flag' and 'fin'.

A wooden surface with toy turtles, a turtle shell, and an open book with information about turtles.

Cultural

Educational set with flashcards displaying a red flower with yellow stamens, miniature plastic model of an octopus, a small plastic flower, and a diagram of a leaf structure. The flashcards are labeled "flower."

Definition: Introduces children to geography, science, botany, zoology, history, art, and music to develop awareness of the world.

Activities: Puzzle maps, science experiments, timelines, cultural celebrations, music and art exploration etc.

Developmental Goals:

Cognitive Skills: Encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and a global perspective.
Social Awareness: Builds respect for diversity and community.
Motor Skills: Reinforced through hands-on exploration and creative expression.