A Typical Day in our Primary Program
Children in a Montessori environment practice so many skills and learn new and wonderful things each day, that it’s a bit daunting to write it all down. Below, we have an outline of a typical day in our Montessori classroom. We hope you find it helpful.
8:30am: Arrival
We open the door to greet the students as they arrive. Ms. Persy stands at the door to greet the students and parents. The child greets the teacher with a “Good morning” and a smile and then hangs up his/her jacket inside the classroom. This morning greeting reinforces our practice of Grace and Courtesy and allows the students to have a predictable and enjoyable start of the day.
Ms. Gloria sits on the blue carpet and greets the students one by one and encourages them to find their name tag in the circle and be seated. Ms. Gloria reads a story until all the students have arrived.
8:45am: Morning Gathering
Once the students have arrived, Ms. Persy begins the morning gathering with the “Buenos Dias” song. We review the days of the week, the calendar, the weather and our Grace and Courtesy. Group presentations are presented during the morning gathering. A special helper is chosen to help set the water bottles and snacks on the snack table.
9:00am-11:00am: Uninterrupted Work Cycle #1 & Snack
Ms. Persy invites the students, one at a time to choose work. Each day the children have the choice of which lessons to work on or observe. While the students work independently, Ms. Persy provides individual lessons while Ms. Gloria observes the children and helps with any issue that might arise during the morning.
All morning, the children can serve themselves the snack that they brought from home. After a child finishes his/her snack, the child cleans the area and moves onto the next project.
11:00am: Mid-day Gathering
Ms. Persy rings the bell. The students know it’s time to tidy up their activities and come sit on the blue carpet for circle time. During the gathering, we read books, sing songs and learn some Spanish words and songs. Two children at the time are sent to the restroom to wash their hands and get ready for lunch. A special helper set the water bottles on the cart. The children line up to go to the garden to eat lunch.
11:30am: Lunchtime
First dismissal of younger children occurs at 11:30am, and the other children enrolled for Little Lunches and the Full Day program stay for lunch. Lunch is a calm and enjoyable social time. The children learn how to place their placemat on the lunch table and place their lunch items and cloth napkin on the table. Eating lunch is a great way to reinforce the importance of Grace and Courtesy in the Montessori environment. After lunch, the children return their lunch items to their lunchbox, put their lunchboxes away and enjoy outdoor play time.
12:00pm: Outdoor Play
Children can climb on the climbing structure, run with friends, check on the marigolds, and play with additional outdoor toys chosen for the season. Outdoor play allows the children the opportunity to follow their imagination and play after their morning of focused and determined work.
1:30pm: Clean up, rest time, Uninterrupted Work Cycle #2 and Snack
The children help clean up and put the toys away. The children line up to go inside. The students rest for a few minutes. Ms. Persy invites the children, one at a time to choose work. This is our second work cycle. During this time, Ms. Persy gives individual and group lessons to the children.
In the afternoon, the children can serve themselves the snack that they brought from home. After a child finishes his/her snack, the child cleans the area and chooses work.
2:45pm: Clean-up and End of Day Gathering
Ms. Persy rings the bell. The children put their work away and gather around the blue carpet. The children choose their job for the day. A child vacuums the carpet, while another child sweeps the floor. A few children clean and wipe the tables, while another child takes out the trash. Once the room is tidy for the next day, the children go back to the blue carpet to wait to be picked up.
3:00pm: Dismissal
The children had another day filled with impressive efforts and enjoyment. The joy of working through challenges and finding successes is clear on their face when they say goodbye to their friends and teachers and leave the classroom to greet their parents.