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The Primary Child in the First Plane

After the transition process from the toddler environment to the primary environment has been completed, the child will continue their independent educational journey in the new primary environment. By interacting with materials and lessons provided by the guide, children in this environment develop and grow through the practice of processes. The child learns to place a value on the work and process of learning.

The primary program follows the traditional Montessori three-year cycle (ages 3-6). At a glance, the primary program spends the first two years developing and then building upon the foundations of the lessons and materials presented to the children. The third year (Elder, or Kindergarten) focuses on the mastery of those lessons and leadership in the classroom. 

While in their primary years, children learn through experience and a series of self-directed activities. Children are exposed to materials that address sensory learning, using their senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing to take in information from the materials in the environment.

As well as learning through sensorial processes, children practice learning through observing their peers and interacting with others. As they grow, the materials and lessons they receive grow as well. The guide addresses these growths and changes with lessons appropriate to every child’s individual learning needs.

During this time, children have what is called a “Sensitive Period” in Montessori pedagogy for the acquisition of language. This peaks in primary and begins to close by the end of the primary cycle. This is a time when the mind readily absorbs the skills that come with learning about language, when the mind is most open and receptive to building this skill. 

The Elder Year (Kindergarten)

Fundamental to Montessori education is the Three-Year Cycle. Over the three primary years, children have the opportunity to learn from each other, solidify knowledge through their own teaching and sharing, and develop leadership skills critical to their social development. The Elder program is intended as the capstone year, the final year of the primary Three-Year Cycle¹. The guide will determine when a child is ready to start the transition to becoming an Elder. 

Children in this program bring their own lunches to school, have outdoor playtime, and then continue their work in the afternoon with the Montessori materials in a smaller group setting where they have the opportunity for greater exploration and learning.

Our elders participate in special enrichments such as yoga, science Fridays, art, music, and nature discovery. They also join the elementary school every year for special events like our annual International Fair and Science Fair, presenting their own research that they have done.

  It is in the best interest of your child and essential to the program to allow your child to complete the three-year cycle. Once the Elder year is complete, your child will be ready to begin the next step in their educational journey, the elementary program.

As part of the preparation for the elementary program, Elders also have occasional etiquette lunches and participate as monthly reading buddies with the elementary students, giving them a chance to begin to bond with the children they will be classmates with. They also join the elementary classes for the Mileage Club during the spring.

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Primary Tuition

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1. Also known as kindergarten in traditional school settings. ↩︎