Montessori International Academy

Isn’t Montessori only for preschool?

Montessori developed a full program through middle school, and there are thousands of Montessori elementary programs around the world. The Montessori elementary approach offers incomparable opportunities to develop collaboration, problem-solving, and project management skills. The Montessori elementary materials offer advanced math concepts such as extracting square and cube roots by hand, as well as detailed language analysis work which prepares your child to read and write with enthusiasm and discernment.

When is the best age to send my child to your school?

Children of all ages benefit from Montessori learning specially designed for their level. No matter when your child starts, their teachers will precisely target your child’s language development in both English and Japanese. At age 2, toddlers are ready to explore outside of the home, where they learn to concentrate on a task, regulate their emotions, use the toilet independently, and communicate their needs to others. At age 3, they are ready for the exciting adventure of Montessori preschool, where they develop the ability to concentrate on increasingly complex tasks, preparing them for acad

Isn’t it hard to transfer to a non-Montessori school after? Shouldn’t they transfer out early to get used to traditional school?

The short answer is, “More Montessori is better.” Montessori children consistently excel when they transfer to another school. It may take a few weeks or months to adapt, then they settle in as they learn to navigate their new environment. The Montessori approach develops all the foundational executive functioning skills (concentration, problem-solving, planning, organizing, impulse-control) and provides an incomparable foundation in academics. The longer your child stays in Montessori, the more leadership and collaboration skills they develop, and the more attuned they become to positive soci

How is a Montessori school different from other private or public schools?

In a Montessori classroom, you’ll see children focused deeply on a task, sometimes moving freely around the room, laughing and excited about choosing their next work. You’ll see teachers working with a single child or with small groups, sharing lessons exactly at each child’s level. You’ll see older children developing leadership skills as mentors, role models, and collaborative learners, and you’ll see younger children inspired by the older children’s work. Research shows that the joyful Montessori experience works – that it provides social, emotional, and academic opportunities that gi

What is an “authentic” Montessori school?

An authentic Montessori school follows Maria Montessori’s original methodology, and therefore sees the results Montessori herself observed: peaceful and happy children who see themselves as capable individuals and who learn – joyfully – much more than they do in typical schools. Montessori, Italy’s first female medical doctor and engineer, used her scientific training to develop her comprehensive method based on meticulous observations and a lifetime of work with children. She designed a training and accreditation system to ensure that teachers could learn to follow her method clos

How can my child benefit from learning two languages?

The benefits of bilingualism go well beyond simply being able to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Bilingual children also demonstrate better planning, problem-solving, and decision-making skills; are more flexible and adaptable; show improved concentration and focus; and have better language skills all-around. Though bilingual children may take longer to reach early milestones in speaking, reading, and writing, they typically catch up with and surpass their monolingual peers by age 9, demonstrating enhanced cognitive abilities and advanced executive function skill

How do Montessori International Academy students compare academically with their peers at other schools?

The biggest concern in shifting to a typical school format after Montessori is that your child may be bored. Montessori children consistently excel in life and in academics. Research shows that authentic Montessori programming does exactly what Montessori wanted it to do: it prepares children for life! After leaving a Montessori program, children adjust in a few months, then adapt to the different method, drawing on the skills they’ve developed in Montessori: leadership, problem-solving, focus, planning, and more; as well as a strong academic foundation, typically well above their grade level.