In an authentic Montessori program, the child, environment and teacher create a learning triangle. Dr. Maria Montessori and researchers since have found that when children work in such environments – ones where the parameters are clear and where teachers respect children’s developmental differences and interests – there is a sense of trust, which allows deep concentration and learning to take place.

At Battery Park Montessori, we pay close attention to how we foster these skills in our children. We often discuss the nature of the materials and how we could present them so to maximize a child’s stamina and concentration for we recognize that skills such as attention and sustained focus are paramount to a child’s learning.

The teaching and learning of languages is also towards that end. Learning more than one language, particularly during a child’s sensitive period to sounds, has a profound effect on the plasticity of a child’s brain. The back and forth between sounds promotes the categorization of those sounds within the brain and enhances mental flexibility. Like a muscle, the more one “toggles” back and forth between languages, the stronger the muscle gets. These repeated opportunities for practice allows for both language and executive function skills to become sharper. To learn more about how we maintain the integrity of the Montessori program with our languages, please see our Trilingual Montessori Language Program.