The Montessori method, and why it endures.
A century-old approach to education, grounded in a simple truth: children learn best by doing, in an environment prepared for them to explore.
Schedule a TourWhere it began
Who was Dr. Maria Montessori?
Montessori education is a method of teaching developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 1900s. Italy's first female physician, she went on to become a world-renowned educator and psychologist, devoting much of her life to research in early childhood development. She came to believe that the family and the school have an enormous impact on a child's earliest years.
Working as a physician with underprivileged children, and with children who had physical and intellectual disabilities, she found she could help them reach a far higher level of development than anyone expected — so much so that many went on to thrive in ordinary classrooms alongside their peers. From that work, she began designing the specially crafted materials that help a child develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually to their fullest potential.
How it works
Four ideas at the heart of every Montessori classroom
The prepared environment
Everything is child-sized and within reach, ordered so a child can choose meaningful work on their own.
Hands-on materials
Beautiful, self-correcting materials make abstract ideas concrete — a child learns by touching and doing.
Follow the child
Teachers observe each child and offer the next lesson when they are ready — never rushing, never holding back.
Multi-age classrooms
Younger children learn from older ones; older children deepen their knowledge by leading and helping.
A day, unhurried
What a Montessori morning looks like
Instead of a room of children all doing the same worksheet at the same time, you will see something quieter and more purposeful.
The work cycle
A long, uninterrupted block of time to choose work and see it through — the root of real concentration.
Freedom within limits
Children choose their work freely, within a calm structure of clear, respectful expectations.
Grace & courtesy
Kindness, patience, and care for others are taught as deliberately as reading and math.
The difference
Montessori vs. a traditional classroom
Why it endures
A method that has stood the test of time
More than a hundred years on, Dr. Montessori's discoveries are still in practice all over the world, in thousands of schools carrying her work forward. At Montessori of Brea, we have been part of that story for over 50 years — bringing an authentic Montessori education to children, one child at a time.
See the method in motion
Reading about Montessori is one thing. Watching it is another.
Schedule a tour and see a real Montessori classroom at Montessori of Brea.
Schedule a Touror call 714-529-0321