In California, transitional kindergarten (TK) was designed to be a bridge between preschool and Kindergarten. If a child turns five years of age between September 2 and December 2, he or she can join TK as Year I of a two-year K program in any free public school. However, if the child’s birthday is December 3, he or she can’t. The child is held back simply based on chronological age! Sadly, this birthdate designation has little to do with a child’s academic, social or emotional development.

Dr. Maria Montessori spent her life observing and interpreting children’s behaviors. 

Her approach to education focused on teaching each child as an individual, thereby creating unparalleled Montessori benefits.

The Montessori Method philosophy she created believes that every child has a specific set of inherent skills that teachers can find and focus on creating an independent and successful adult.

The 2020 pandemic has thrown our lives all out of whack. Parents are running on empty. Many families are juggling work and life balance while struggling to patch together child care-- leaving parents with less time and motivation for self-care. 

As parents, we play a bigger role in how things turn out and have more influence on the resilience, confidence, and assuredness of our children's psychological wellness during stressful situations. 

As we near the start of the holiday break at LMS, we ask that you continue employing your social commitment to our school and community while at home with your family. To begin, please follow these low-risk Montessori school holiday tips:

EQ is every bit as important as IQ

Emotional Intelligence, also known as Emotional Quotient (EQ), is based on the concept that parents and children can build strengths in more than just academic categories. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) on the other hand is a measure of a person’s reasoning ability to gauge how well someone can use information and logic to answer questions or make predictions. 

At Lifetime Montessori School and thousands of others, once in a while parents are called in to discuss their child’s aggressive behaviors. In an instant, parents may feel embarrassed, guilty, or judged by administrators as we work towards handling discipline issues and creating childhood independence in their children.

Sadly, the concern the school sees is often denied or disbelieved by parents.

As young toddlers begin to learn independence, here are some hygiene tips for parents to implement. 

Basics

Let’s start with the basics by educating our children about hygiene. Explain good and bad habits with them and why we must begin and maintain good hygiene habits. Praise and encourage them when they follow these basics. And get them into the habit of sustaining good hygiene going forward by making hygiene fun.

Parents Describe Their Feelings While Juggling Jobs, Kids, and School

Sheltering-in-place is helping me learn more about my family and children. The main thing I’ve learned: no matter what it took to get through the day—I’ve given my best.

This time has been so challenging, so hard.

Yes, perhaps in the same way that athletic academies are good for gifted athletes

Frequently, our teachers are asked 'is Montessori school good for a gifted child?’ The short answer is ‘yes,’ but it goes deeper than that.

This upcoming September, many public school system districts will give each entering kindergarten student their iPad. It’s an interesting development to think that a five-year-old can log into a website to learn. But the real problem is how a five-year-old thinks—not if he can operate a computer. Let’s explore how technology and the Montessori classroom work.