A montessori educator communicating with two young children with a Montessori approach

Communicating with young children the Montessori way

Part 1

Communicating the Montessori way involves more than words and tone. It involves attitude, body language and actions responsive to the children and their needs. The following list gives some of the important ways of communicating the Montessori way in Great Minds early Childhood Center:

1. Prepare the environment

The carefully prepared Montessori environment in Great Minds ECC tells the child they can move and explore easily and safely. It also communicates that it contains attractive things that interest and challenge the child, motivating them to move and explore and rewarding their natural curiosity. The following are a few examples of how we prepare the environment at Great Minds Early Childhood Center:

  • Build in control of error that challenges the children to learn to control their movements. For example, chairs move easily if jostled.
  • Make the children feel welcome and competent to make choices for their own comfort. For example furniture is child-size and in a variety of shape and sizes.
  • Ground the children in what is real before introducing them to fantasy. At Great Minds ECC teachers offer real or realistic looking objects for them to work with.
  • Keep use of plastic materials to a minimum. Young children learn by using all their senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. Plastic, being odorless and generally hard and smooth in texture, does not offer the range of sensory stimulation provided by natural objects. Instead, as often as possible, present a variety of real objects appealing to all five senses. Some examples are unusual vegetable and fruits, aromatic herbs, fabrics, child size musical instruments, objects from nature.

2. Use Proactive Guidance Strategies

Proactive guidance refers to communication strategies that many Montessori teachers have found effective because the goal is to guide not to force children in positive ways as they develop. Instead of deciding how the child will develop, teachers at Great Minds Early Childhood Center act as guides for children. Using proactive guidance strategies rather than praise or punishment, the teachers communicate to the children when they are not acting suitably, compliment them when they are and show them that there are many alternatives to unsuitable behavior. These are some examples of ways the teachers at Great Minds ECC recommend to parents and use themselves to communicate what is suitable behavior to young children:  

  • Let the children know that you notice and appreciate their suitable behaviour. When the child behaves suitably, use positive interaction, a communication strategy consisting of quiet, simple statements or physical responses that let a child know that she has been noticed and acknowledged. Positive interaction does not involve cheering and clapping or reward and punishment. The reinforcement can be as simple as a smile or a quiet observation, such as “ I see you put that mat aways James” or “ Amid you are turning those pages very carefully” or “ Ben I hear how quietly you closed that door”.
  • Communicate to the children that cooperative behavior, not competition, is the norm. Do not encourage children to run races or to be the first in line.
  • Make every effort not to reward unsuitable behavior with direct attention. For example, try not to react immediately when a child screams in anger or throws herself on the floor in a rage. Instead, acknowledge the behaviour and help the child identify the feelings behind it : “ I hear than you are feeling angry” or “ I see that you are crying. Are you feeling sad?” Then calmly look for opportunities to direct the child to more suitable behavior.
  • Show the children that playing cooperatively can be fun. Develop a repertoire of constructive cooperative games and play them regularly with children.
  • Intervene gently, quietly and only when necessary. Unless there is a danger, wait before intervening and give children time to solve their own problems. If possible prevent unsuitable behaviors by gently and quietly distracting or directing. Another proactive guidance strategy, referred to as gluing, involves keeping a child who is restless or disturbing others close by for a short period of time until is ready again to work and move independently.
  • Give a direct choice by offering the child the opportunity to choose between two equally attractive and positive actions or objects. This way of communicating shows the child that you have confidence in her ability to make choices and gives her experience in expressing preferences. E.g. “ Do you want to read a book or draw a picture?”
  • Slow down. Moving slowly and carefully both slows the caregiver to the pace of the child, who tend to look at and examine everything, and models careful and safe movement for everyone in the childcare environment. Carrying items carefully, one at a time, in both hands is a great way to communicate careful and safe movement.
  • Speak and listen with respect. Speaking and listening with respect is an important part of communicating with children. Some of the ways Great Minds ECC teachers use and also recommend to the caregivers are to show respect to children include speaking slowly and quietly, bending down to the child’s level, using proper and not “baby talk” words, listening without interruption and always asking for permission to take or move something the child is handling.
  • Use non-verbal signal for quiet and stopping. Most Montessori teachers  work out non verbal signals for quiet and for stopping to communicate quickly with children. For example in the outdoor play area 2 year old Ahmed picks up a sharp stick from a small tree and runs with it. His teacher claps her hands loudly twice. Because the teacher has presented lessons showing that two loud claps always mean “stop now” Ahmed stops.

Read Part 2 here .

Great Minds ECC Team

Ready to Enrol?

Our school admission is open year round, and we welcome students from 1 year old up to 6 years old (FS2 or KG1). All students are accepted as long as the environment is suitable and meets their individual needs. Still not sure? Contact us to book a free school tour.
Enrol Now!
A nursery student holding a world map in a montessori environment

Early Childhood Center vs School

Montessori Early Childhood Center vs EYFS at School In Dubai, once your child is around three, a real choice comes into view. Do you enrol them in the FS1 or FS2 of a larger school following the British EYFS framework, or do you choose a dedicated Montessori early childhood center? Both serve children well and both are popular routes here, but they are very different environments. Here we look at what each offers, and why a Montessori early childhood center could be the strongest possible start. What EYFS In a School Offers  The Early Years Foundation Stage is the respected British framework, and in the UAE it is usually delivered as FS1 and FS2 inside a primary or through-school. That setting brings genuine advantages such as a clear, often guaranteed pathway into primary. Children have access to a larger school’s facilities and specialist teachers, and their progress is tracked against well-defined milestones with regular reporting. For a family already set on a particular British school, starting in its early years class can secure a place. The trade-off is one of scale. A school is designed around older children, and the early years are one part of a much larger institution. Group sizes tend to be bigger (up to 28), the day more timetabled and adult-led, and the emphasis can lean early toward academic school-readiness. What Montessori Early Childhood Centers Offer A Montessori early childhood center exists for one purpose: the early years. Nothing about it is scaled for older children. The rooms, the routines, the pace, and the materials are all built around how very young children learn. Through movement, repetition, and hands-on discovery rather than sitting and formal instruction. The setting is calmer and more home-like, with smaller groups and more individual attention. Unhurried work cycles follow each child’s own rhythm, and the focus is the whole child in these formative years. Independence, concentration, confidence, and social-emotional growth, not academic benchmarks alone. Why Early Years Deserves a Dedicated Space The years from birth to six are a distinct developmental window, what Maria Montessori called the “absorbent mind.” Children this age are building the foundations of everything that follows: how to concentrate, how to do things for themselves, how to get along with others. A space designed entirely for them can offer the pace, scale, and freedom that a busy school timetable often cannot. Smaller and calmer means a gentler first experience of learning away from home, and more room for a child to grow at their own speed. But What About The Pathway To School This is the question most parents ask, and it is a fair one. The reassuring answer is that Montessori children are known for arriving at primary school confident, independent, focused, and socially capable often ahead on exactly the qualities that make the move into any curriculum, EYFS included, a smooth one. A Montessori Early Childhood Center is the foundation before school. Why Great Minds ECC  Great Minds Early Childhood Center is a dedicated Montessori center for the early years. Everything in it from the materials on the shelves to the shape of the day exists to give young children the richest possible start, so that when they move on to the school of your choice, they arrive curious, capable, and ready.   Montessori Early Childhood Center EYFS within a school Setting Dedicated to the early years, calm and home-like An early years class inside a larger school Groups Smaller, with individual attention Larger and more structured Daily rhythm Unhurried, child-led work cycles Timetabled and more adult-led Learning style Hands-on, self-directed discovery Guided play toward set milestones Focus The whole child, independence and confidence School-readiness and academic benchmarks Pathway Prepares children to enter any school ready Direct, often guaranteed, into its own primary BOOK A TOUR

Read More »
Child playing with Playdough, assisted by montessori teacher

KHDA School Cut Off Age In Dubai

If you have a child heading toward Nursery or Foundation Stage in Dubai, you may have already seen the news: the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has updated the age cut-off date used to place children in FS1 and FS2, starting with the 2026-27 academic year.

Read More »