Is Montessori good, or is Montessori bad? What’s the big fuss about? These are questions I get asked all the time as a former Montessori teacher AND Montessori student. I was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden which is where I went to school and also worked as an adult. I’m here to tell you everything I know about Montessori – the positive, the negative, and whether or not YOUR child should go to a Montessori preschool, kindergarten or school. Let’s dive right into it!

What is Montessori education?

Before we get all East Coast-West Coast on this, let’s start by looking at what Montessori actually is. 

The Montessori approach was created by Maria Montessori in the early 1900s. It started as a way to teach those who were considered to be ‘unteachable’ at the time – mainly poor, disadvantaged or special needs children. 

A quote you continuously hear in a Montessori school is “help me to help myself”. This is the core belief of Montessori – independent learning (or auto-education). 

Today, a Montessori classroom is an open space with different play corners and learning material that is easily accessible to children (like puzzles, world maps and books). Children learn through exploring at their own pace. 

The standard Montessori classroom has 5 areas: 

• The language area (with books, alphabet learning and writing tools)
• The sensorial area (where kids learn about color, shape, texture, smell, sound, weight and temperature)
• The mathematics area (you’ll find your wooden toys like the number rods, and also measuring tapes) 
• The cultural studies area (kid’s learn a number of things in this area, like geography, history, art, botany… and much more. You’ll see a variety of things like globes, art supplies and instruments)
• The practical life area (this is where children learn life skills – like tying their shoes, cleaning and rolling mats)

Montessori teachers respect their students as their own individuals and promote a calm, quiet and adult-like way of communicating in the classroom.

For older kids, for example, it’s common for there to be a rotating schedule of chores where each child has a different role of maintaining the classroom each week, to promote a sense of responsibility.

The idea is that the environment acts as a source of learning itself: not only the learning materials, but also the freedom of choice inside the structured areas. 

Are you a visual learner? Watch this video!

Is Montessori good or bad?

We’ve arrived at the big question. What are the positives of Montessori, and what are the negatives? 

I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not going to give you a bulleted list of what’s good or bad with this approach. Why? Because each child is different. There is no universal way of learning, so I can’t tell you what’s good or bad. 

There’s only ‘more suitable’, and ‘less suitable’, so what I will do though is give you a list of which children thrive in Montessori and which children might not.

Signs that your child will thrive in a Montessori setting:

• Your ideology, home environment & way of communicating resembles the Montessori way (calm, adult-like & self-led).
• Your child is showing signs of independence & auto-education. For example, they’re starting to be okay playing by themselves, or rarely come to you for help when playing (or might even want you to leave them alone!).
• You can tell they’re more on the structured side and can focus easily. For example, your child likes sorting (or maybe even cleaning up) their toys and they can easily spend time focused on one activity.

If this is your child, then Montessori is a great option to explore. Whether you’re thinking about a Montessori daycare, preschool or school, you can definitely look into this approach, because it could be a perfect fit for your child.

Many parents also ask me, “Is Montessori good for ADHD?”. It can be! The structure, quiet and self-learning can be amazing for children with ADHD. Also, the peaceful and organised environment also generally prevents children from getting overstimulated and feeling controlled.

However, I can’t stress this enough – each child is different. If your little one has ADHD and is more of an active and interactive learner, Montessori might not be the way to go. The structure, quiet, and independence might be overwhelming for some little ones – I’ve seen this in practice many times. I recommend you investigating this by visiting an open house and seeing how your child responds.

When is this approach a bad fit?

Here are some signs that your child won’t thrive in a Montessori setting:

• The Montessori approach doesn’t align with your family’s lifestyle or your child’s preferences. They prefer to learn in a big, loud group where there’s lots of interaction. Or they like to have the adult act as a storyteller or guide in learning. 
• They’re not really interested in independence just yet. They prefer relying on people to play and learn because they think it’s more fun. They want to talk and touch, and enjoy a highly communicative and warm environment. 
• Structure and focus aren’t your child’s favourites. They prefer rotating between activities, or doing several activities at once. Quietly focusing on one thing at a time is boring to them.

What happens when Montessori is a bad fit? Absolutely nothing. There are so many amazing learning approaches out there, so there are always other options. I know Montessori is very trendy right now, but guess what’s more trendy? Aligning a child’s education with their true selves. That will never go out of style!

Montessori or not? Here is my personal & professional opinion

I think the Montessori approach can suit certain children wonderfully. But it can also be a nightmare for others. Try it first, and if it doesn’t suit your little one, it’s no big deal. Just try something else!

For example, I loved it as a child. I’m a highly independent introvert, so not having to interact much and planning my own learning was incredible for me. I still remember it today, we used to study while listening to classical music in the classroom (sometimes my teacher would play the piano herself) and we would all quietly do our own activities. These are memories I still cherish to this day. 

But it can also be a bad & stressful experience to have to be quiet and have your learning rely entirely on yourself, in a quiet and self-led environment. I saw this in a lot of my classmates, but especially as a Montessori teacher – many parents want their kids to go to a Montessori school, but it’s not a good fit for their little one. 

So their child is bored, sad, and frustrated all day long because it simply doesn’t suit their personality and learning style. And guess what, they don’t end up learning much either. So why push it on them? 

Also, a final (but very important) note – the teachers of your daycare, preschool or school can make or break the entire experience. Montessori or not, the teachers make all the difference. So make sure you speak to them (and ideally observe them) and see if they interact & teach in a way that aligns with your values and your little one’s personality!

To sum up…

Is Montessori a good fit for your child? Well, every child is different. That’s why I urge you to choose something that will spark your little one’s motivation, creativity and happiness. I urge you go to different open houses (ideally with your little one) and see if they like the environment.

Also, talk to the teachers! They can make or break the entire experience.

Remember: the ultimate goal is to have your child learn. So try to stop worrying about the trends and start exploring options that will benefit your unique little one and meet them where they are.

Hopefully this article helped you gain insight on the Montessori approach and specifically helped you understand whether or not it’s right for your child.

If you have any questions, I’m more than happy to answer them in the comment section below or via email.

Until next time, 

Artemis