When to admit your child into Montessori School?

Now that you understand the concept of Montessori Education at a high level, you must be wondering whether you can admit your child into Montessori Schools, and if yes, what is the right age to admit the kid into Montessori Schools isn’t it?. This part is dedicated to answering this question and other related questions of yours.

As per Dr. Maria Montessori’s philosophy, most Montessori schools are equipped to support the children’s learning from birth to middle/secondary school. Having said that, most parents wouldn’t be sending their child during his/her infancy stages. But, most of the Montessori schools start their admissions around 1.5/2.5 years of age, depending on the individual school.

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The toddler environment within the Montessori schools is designed to keep their curious minds busy by engaging all their senses. The Montessori method takes the playtime of toddlers to a totally different level by combining it with various learnings. Children here tend to learn while playing.

In this toddler environment, the activities provided to the children will guide them to participate and complete them instead of sitting to the side as bystanders. This will improve their sense of accomplishment and independence in the children.

In Montessori schools, learning is easy and playful. The children who were admitted into the Montessori schools at an early age would definitely show a good grasp even on abstract subjects like Geography and Geometry by the time they enter into the Elementary classrooms.

The additional advantage of Montessori schools is that they provide the platform to develop and improve the social and soft skills of the children in addition to their academics. This is a primary concern of most parents, as soft skills are becoming more and more important in the ever-changing competitive world outside the schools.

Right time of Admission into Montessori Schools

That is the primary reason why most of the Montessori schools open their admissions at a younger age (around 1.5 years of age) and wouldn’t be opening their admissions to older kids. Very few schools open their admissions only till kindergarten. Older children entering the Montessori schools would do well in this new situation, but again it primarily depends on their previous educational experiences and the way they have been raised at home.

So it’s best to admit the child as early as possible so that the child will enjoy the learning process and wouldn’t rob them of their childhood joy and wonder. At the same time, the Montessori schools provide a solid foundation to the children.

Montessori School, Right Age to admit, Montessori Methods, Early Childhood Education, Alternative Education

The research repeatedly proved that Montessori kids perform better in academic and behavioral tests. Also, the best part is that they become good humans who can see the world through other eyes and empathize. Isn’t this the trait we want to inculcate in our kids?

The article below has been published in a Science journal based on extensive research, which proves the above points.

Author’s Note:

Dear Reader, this is the second part of the eight-part Montessori Method and its philosophy Series and is about when to admit your child into Montessori School. Please stay tuned for further updates on the same topic. You will get to read about the tips and tricks to identify the right Montessori school for your child in the next part.

I dedicate this post to my mentor, guru @Sunitha Subramaniam for introducing me to the Montessori World on this Teacher’s day.

Suhasini, IP, is the Author of the book “Practical Tips for Kids Mental Health.” As a certified kids and parents life coach, she helps/guides you toward a happy family life for your kids. She firmly believes that “Emotionally Happy Kids of today are the Mentally Strong and Happy Citizens of tomorrow.” Let’s make the world a happy and beautiful place for our kids to thrive.

108 Comments

  1. The Montessori way of education is explained really well in this blog. I do hope parents everywhere read and understand that this is a perfect way for kids to grow!

    1. Thanks a lot Brindha for your encouraging words

    2. This is truly an important topic to discuss, especially for new parents, I am gonna share this post with my brother & sister in law who are in doubt whether to send her daughter in school or not

      1. Thank you Priyal that you find this series interesting.

  2. Your post is really helpful, I was looking for this information for my kid. Thanks for coming up with this topic. Very well written.

    1. An informative post on Montessori schools. I’m following your series to equip myself with the required knowledge.

      #MyFriendAlexa
      #AditiReads
      aditikapur.com

      1. thanks for sharing such informative post on the school. looking forward for more articles

      2. Thank you Gunjan. Sure, I am planning to address at least few of the questions that plagued me when I first admitted my kid into Montessori school

      3. Thank you Aditi. I hope this series would be of some use to you

    2. Thank you Rashi. Hope you find this series useful

  3. This is a fantastic post with a wealth of important details! Personally, I prefer the Emilio Reggia or TLI methods to Montessori but Montessori has undoubtedly been a path-breaker in early child education.

    1. Thank you Noor. Yes, I also followed Emilio Reggia for a while. But after my kid has taken into Montessori and got adjusted very easily, my interest in Montessori methods grew and am still learning this philosophy.

  4. This would be an extremely helpful resource for parents of young children researching about early schooling. You’ve explained the need and the requirements quite clearly. Happy Alexa blogging!

    1. Thank you Kala. All the best for your Blog too

  5. Montessori schools play a vital role in building up wholesome personalities. Good introduction here. All the best for the coming parts.

    1. Thank you Tom. Yes, Montessori methods really help the kid identify his own strengths and weaknesses and gives him the chance to learn from mistakes

  6. Many confusions alies in parent’s mind about when to send kids to montessori,your post has sorted all the queries,you have given all the info in very well and detailed manner.Wonderful?

    1. Thank you Archana for your encouraging words. I am still learning this Montessori method. There is still a long way to go!!

  7. This is a very informative post. Ill be surely going through your previous post for more information & will be waiting for further updates on this topic as well.

    1. Thank you for visiting my blog and appreciate your comments

  8. This is really helpful for parents planning to get their kids to Montessori. Great post

      1. I love your blog. I sent my son to school at 21 months for a month. But his learning started way before at home itself. I try to adapt the Montessori way to learning at home too. Hoping to get more ideas from your blog.

      2. Thanks a lot Urvashi for your kind words

  9. Your article is very informative. I do agree that if a child is put in school at 1.5 to 2 years that would go a long way in developing his/hers soft skills which are very important in today’s world. Many parents do not realize this and even try to do home schooling which leaves the child bereft of important character development and they grow into vulnerable citizens.

    1. Thank you Jay! Yes you got the correct points.Softskills are much needed in the current world

  10. This is interesting as I am also writing on Education this Alexa season. You have given some very valid points for parents seeking admissions.

    1. Wow, thats really wonderful. Would visit your blog shortly. Thanks for your encouraging words

      1. Montessori is a great way of education but I regret saying that we do not have any school with this pattern in our vicinity. Yiu have mentioned great insights of montessori education

      2. I know that problem Supriya, lot of places don’t have the Montessori schools

  11. This is a very useful post for parents with small kids, I agree yo your advice the younger we admit them, the better

    1. Thank you Roma for your kind words

  12. This was a thorough research and really helped me find my answers regarding, why’s and when’s of montessori schooling

    1. Thank you Vashi…I am just sharing my research on Montessori as I have faced a lot of issues with my kids schooling

  13. I as a child never had the benefit of pre school education and always was skeptical about it. Thanks for dispelling many myths!

    1. Even I did that mistake with my kid, but was able to correct it only after he joined kindergarten Rohit.

  14. You know I was criticized a lot when I started my kids school (Partially Montessori) when they were 1.5. People didnt want to understand that they were twins and hyperactive. They were spending time doing jst nothing and i wanted to direct their mind in the right direction. Anyway we went ahead and then everyone was surprised at their developments

    1. Haan, I can completely understand. Even now, am going through lot of criticism from my extended family about the type and quality of education this method provides to the kid.

  15. My son did his pre primary classes from Montessori whereas I couldn’t send my daughter to one. There was a marked difference in teaching and learning process. I’m sure your series will greatly help young parents.

    1. Yes, Sonia, people who experienced true Montessori once would always talk the positives about that experience. Thanks for your encouraging words

  16. My son did his pre primary classes from Montessori but somehow I couldn’t send my daughter to one. There was a marked difference in their learning teaching process. Your series will really help young parents.

  17. I do agree to some points you shared Suha, if not all.

    One of the problem I found in Indian Montessori is that the keyword “Montessori” is free to use by any school setup. There is no legal policies on this.So, getting a pakka Montessori school which actually encourage kids is rare.This might not happen in metros but do happen in tier 1 and 2 cities. Especially when education is taken as a booming business today. Secondly, I love how Montessori kids are encouraged to be creative and thoughtful but the current education system is not supportive of thought as they move to upper classes.

    Please do shed some light on my concerns shared in future posts Suha. How would a Montessori child cope up with the rote-learning practiced in formal education system of this country? Eager to know this. Please do excuse me if I brought out my thoughts loudly

    1. You are just taking my list of topics one after the other here Pragnya. Infact I along with my kid suffered in so-called Montessori school in Chennai during his Pre-kg year. Later moved to different methods and then finally hit upon a real Montessori school by fluke you can say. Now am very happy and contented with my kids progress.

      1. Now am so eager to read your experiences and opinions on your posts. Do tag me on social media when you post them. ??? Apologies for taking your next topics??

      2. Sure…will definitely do…No need for any apologies. That infact shows your concern about the current problems in our Educational system

      3. It was such a informative post.I will surely keep these pointers in mind.
        #myfriendalexa
        #manseereads

      4. Thank you Mansee for dropping by

  18. Being a pre school teacher myself, I know how children learn and am aware of their milestones. A big fan of Dr. Maria Montessori and her methods of teaching.

    1. Thanks a lot Annu. Your appreciation means a lot to me as you are the person in the field handling the kids

  19. A really informative and helpful post for parents! Montessori methods have known to be really helpful. Though I feel if possible children should start going to schools after they are 2.5 but adopting these methods to teach them is really helpful.

    1. Thanks a lot Arushi. Yes, we can do these activities at home too.

  20. I would say, to start around 3 is perfectly fine provided there is ample thrust on early child development activities at home. A very helpful and relevant post!

    1. Yes you nailed the point correctly Ninu. But kids during the toddler level learn a lot by observing the other kids. If you have the flexibility and availability of the kids around the same age, then we can wait till they reach 3 yers age.

  21. This is such an informative post. How I wish I knew about this when i was searching for school admission for my son. Sharing this.

    1. Thanks a lot Judy. Will sure let you know about my future posts.

  22. I am a pre primary school principal and I agree with your post. Thanks for bringing this important issue to spotlight!

    1. Wow, you made my day Pallavi. I was just jotting down this series due to the various problems i faced in identifying the right school for my kid and the research I had done to arrive at the current school

  23. My child is a montessori child and her school here in Delhi incorporates these methods up to class 8th

    1. Wow, thats wonderful to know..your Kid must be enjoying the school a lot then

      1. A good Montessori depends on the quality of teachers training.Having a good teacher early in life is very important indeed.

      2. You nailed the correct point Amrita. I was going to discuss on this matter in my next post

  24. Kids nowadays enjoy going to school because of the multiple colourful activities ?

    1. Very true Leha. Thanks for dropping by

  25. A very detailed and informative post on Montessori education and when your child should be enrolled. #wordsmithkaurreads #BlogChatter #MyFriendAlexa

    1. Thanks a lot for your kind words Harjeet.

  26. An informative & well researched article for parents of young toddlers.
    The traditional education method is different from montessori, they are child directed and child centered, because of play based methods children learn better.

  27. This would surely be helpful for moms who are interested in admitting their child to Montessori.. very well explained … I really loved the detailing

    1. Thank you Menaka for stopping by

  28. This is indeed very useful to new parents who are at their wits end with their bundle of joy.

    1. Thanks a lot Anwesha for dropping by to my blog

  29. It is important to check the age of the child when you plan to sen your child to montessori. As we are the first school for them . A very informative post indeed.

    1. Thanks a lot Geethica for your encouraging words

  30. Insightful post on Montessori method of education. Looking forward for the series.

    1. Thank you Debidutta for visiting my blog

  31. Nicely written. We often have parents asking these queries about montestry schools and the age for it. This article is best for them

    1. Thank you Sabha for your kind words

  32. With more schools and nurseries focussing on Montessori, hoping for holistic development of kids. Informative detailed post.
    #Myfriendalexa #Blogchatter #momlearningwithbaby

    1. Thank you Kinshoo for your kind words

    2. Thank you Kinshoo for your kind words

  33. As my daughter is about to complete a year this question has been in my mind that what would be the right time to admit her. A lot of doubts cleared ?

    1. THank you Mahek for your support. Please stay tuned for more updates

  34. I was actually looking for details of Montessori education for my son.. this was very helpful.. thanks for this article

    1. Thank you Akansha. Sure, you would get more details in the future posts

  35. Thank you so much for explaining in detail. My daughter is just about the age to be admitted to playschool and thus helped me . #tmmreads #myfriendalexa

  36. Such a detailed information in this post.. very valuable for parents of toddlers…

    1. Thanks a lot for stopping by

  37. I feel sad for the kids these days. At the very tender age of 2 and 3, they already have to start going to school and somehow compete with kids their age. We didnt have to face this until we were 4 or 5.

    1. Hi Isha, agree with your view point, but that is again imposed by us as parents isn’t it? If we can provide the right environment for growth with in the house, we don’t have to send the kids to the school.

  38. The Montessori school near our home doesn’t start admission until 18 months. That’s such a hard age for kids, though. Separation anxiety peaks at around this age. I decided to do Montessori at home with my kids, then find a charter school with a learning system close to that of Montessori.

    1. Even for my kid I followed Montessori method at home and joined him into the school in Grade 1. As i didn’t get admission during his Kindergarten years and i didn’t want to leave him at 18 months.

  39. Great post on montessori education. Time to move from traditional methods now

  40. Thank you for sharing this! My daughter started at the age of 2 and loves school now at 4 1/2! I’m planning to start my son later this year at the same age!

    1. Wow that’s so glad to know. Thanks for dropping by and enjoying the post

  41. This is wonderful information for all parents. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Thank you for stopping by

  42. I am so curious about Montessori education! Seems like it has a lot of great benefits. Thanks for all the wisdom

    1. Thanks a lot for your kind words

  43. Interesting that it is proven children have higher academic and behavior performance. Thanks for this.

    1. Thank you Joy for dropping by!!

  44. I’ve got some friends who are really interested in Montessori. I’m definitely sharing this with them!

    1. Thanks a lot for your kind words Faith.

    1. Thank you for your visit and encouraging words

  45. Super helpful! If I don’t homeschool, I’m definitely sending my boys to a Montessori (a true Montessori) school for elementary.

    1. oh, thats really wonderful to know. They definitely would enjoy their childhood, but also will become learners for life!

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