Practical Life
Real work for little hands
Pouring, sifting and preparing food: purposeful everyday tasks children love, rich with things to touch, smell and see.
Builds: concentration · coordination · independence
Ages 3–6
Primary Program: Preschool, Pre-K & Kindergarten
The heart of Montessori: a three-year cycle where children master early reading, math, science and culture through self-directed, hands-on work.
- Ages 3–6
- 3-year cycle
- 7:1 child–teacher ratio
- AMS-aligned
How it works
One classroom, three years
Children join the Primary Program at age 3 and stay in the same classroom through the preschool, pre-K and kindergarten years. In their third, kindergarten year, they become the classroom’s leaders and role models, helping younger friends and taking on more advanced work.
Each day includes a long, uninterrupted work period of about three hours. Children choose their own work, settle into deep concentration and discover how good it feels to finish what they start.
In the Primary classroom
- Montessori math with golden beads
- Phonics and early reading materials
- Geography, botany and science trays
- Grace & Courtesy lessons
- A 7:1 child–teacher ratio and an AMS-aligned curriculum
What children learn
Learning through the senses, across every subject
A look at the work children choose every day.
Sensorial
Refining every sense
The Pink Tower and Knobbed Cylinders let children see and feel differences in size, weight and dimension, quietly laying the groundwork for math.
Builds: visual discrimination · order · fine-motor control
Language
From sounds to words
Children match objects to their beginning sounds and build words with the Moveable Alphabet, so reading and writing grow from sound and touch.
Builds: phonics · vocabulary · early reading & writing
Mathematics
Numbers you can hold
Number Rods, bead boards and golden beads turn quantity into something children can see, touch and count, moving step by step from concrete to abstract.
Builds: number sense · counting · logical thinking
Culture & Science
Wonder about the world
Raising butterflies, matching flags to their countries, and exploring globes, maps and botany nurture curiosity about living things, places and people.
Builds: observation · global awareness · curiosity
Grace & Courtesy
Kindness, practiced daily
Lessons in greeting, waiting, helping and working through disagreements, practiced together in a mixed-age community.
Builds: empathy · patience · leadership
Questions parents ask
Good to know
Yes. The Primary Program is a three-year cycle covering the preschool, pre-K and kindergarten years for children ages 3–6.
Reading grows from sound and touch. Children match small objects to their beginning sounds, build words like cat and rat with the Moveable Alphabet, and move from building words to reading them, each at their own pace.
Children choose their work from open shelves (math, language, practical life, sensorial or culture) and stay with it as long as they are absorbed. Guides observe, give short individual lessons and introduce new materials when a child is ready.
Younger children learn by watching older friends, and older children deepen what they know by helping. It also lets each child move ahead, or take more time, without leaving their class.
See it for yourself
Book a free 30-minute tour with Ms. Saritha. Visit the classroom, ask your questions and see where your child would spend the day.