The Primrose School of Ken Caryl Review
How Primrose Differs from Montessori

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to early learning, and all of the different options for your little one may seem overwhelming. Early education and care providers must create a learning approach that sparks a sense of curiosity while supporting children as they grow, but what sets different methods apart?

What is Montessori?

A well-known approach to early childhood education is the Montessori Method. In the Montessori classroom, children use specifically-designed toys and materials to select their own activities and explore projects at their own pace in an arranged environment. Rather than leading organized class efforts, teachers introduce activities and then step back into an observatory role. Students are given freedom to work on chosen activities for longer periods of time, which helps promote concentration. This approach, along with mixed-age grouping in Montessori classrooms, allows children to learn from each other and through repetition.

What is the Primrose Approach?

The Primrose Balanced Learning® approach combines the best thinking of the most renowned early learning philosophies – including Montessori – with modern wisdom from the latest child development research to provide a comprehensive learning experience. Our approach focuses on helping children develop intellectual, creative, physical and social-emotional (or character and life) skills in authentic, age-appropriate ways tailored to each child. Skills and concepts are introduced through integrated experiences that account for different learning styles and interests. These learning experiences are often centered around a science or social studies content theme that is interesting to young children.  Concepts and skills are introduced and explored over multiple weeks in a variety of ways so that each child can master skills at his or her own pace through guidance and repetition.

What’s the Difference?

While Montessori offers a self-guided, exploratory approach to learning, our Balanced Learning approach balances purposeful play with nurturing guidance from teachers. Children follow a carefully-planned daily schedule, developing social skills and self-control through a healthy mix of intentional, planned learning experiences and imaginative play. In addition to children exploring and learning on their own, Primrose teachers intentionally introduce and scaffold new skills and concepts to help extend children’s thinking.

Primrose children are grouped into age-specific classrooms as our curriculum caters to different developmental stages. Our flexible approach incorporates various forms of instruction to help each child reach his or her full learning potential. The Montessori approach focuses on one subject at a time, but at Primrose, several different subjects may be integrated into each lesson. This carefully structured learning approach simulates real life and creates a sense of stability for children, which helps them feel comfortable and cultivates a love for learning.

Exploration is a key part of a child’s development, but guidance is also important. Just as its name implies, our exclusive, time-tested approach is based on multiple theories and philosophies, encouraging curiosity, creativity, confidence and compassion and ultimately preparing children for success in learning and life.

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