All Work And No Play At Montessori?
A very old proverb says that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy (and Jill a dull girl). So how come Montessori early childhood learning centres state the children are working all the time? The spaces in the classrooms are considered work areas rather than play areas. What happened to play?
According to Maria Montessori, for a child, play is work. Even though from the perspective of educational theory, a child might be discovering some important mathematical and physical concepts that turn abstract concepts into concrete ideas via a range of sensory pathways, from the child’s point of view, they’re simply having fun with some interestingly shaped blocks. This is the whole idea of the various sensorial materials used in a Montessori classroom, such as the cylinders and the pink tower. Children are naturally curious and want to find out about the world around them and how it works, as any parent who’s spent an afternoon answering odd questions will know.
Montessori Teachers are always looking for opportunities to reinforce learning concepts, even during free time. Every interaction can become an opportunity to extend a child’s knowledge and skill levels.
What’s more, because a child at a Montessori centre can decide for him or herself what “work” they’re going to do, it doesn’t feel like work to the child. While the teacher certainly will direct the child onto activities they may be ready for and will demonstrate how a particular activity should be done (within reason – with a lot of the materials, much learning is done through using the imagination), the teacher doesn’t tell the child what to do when. Because their learning/work/play is self-directed, it isn’t a chore and so children will concentrate on the activity for longer, which is one of the key parts of Montessori learning.
The only thing that might feel like work for a child is the responsibility of putting the equipment away properly after using it. However, courtesy, responsibility and order are all parts of being a good citizen, which is an important part of Montessori education.
