Self-Motivation in Preschool Age Montessori Students
Children are born with a desire to learn, a need to explore, and an innate curiosity of the world around them. That’s what makes children so special and why they come up with so many wonderful questions about the world they are observing. Children have a strong intrinsic motivation that drives their early development – and Montessori education provides a school environment built around the child’s innate curiosity, and their needs and wants.
The Montessori environment is created specifically for a child to succeed, and encourages independence, coordination, concentration, and order which help to develop focus, attention span, and increases their desire to learn. It helps them become independent, develop their own potential, build confidence, and become a lifelong learner.
As a Montessori teacher, I encourage my students to love learning, and as they discover their intrinsic motivation they will achieve a love for learning, which will, in turn, allow them to be lifelong learners. Rather than feeling pressured to perform for their parents or their teachers, this love for learning comes from within themselves, and becomes a form of self-motivation that will last them a lifetime.
Montessori education fosters a child’s natural desire to learn, and as a Montessori teacher, I try to guide the child, rather than instruct them. I help each student find activities that meet their interests, needs and developmental level. Allowing a child to be free from external expectations, allows them to set their own goals and aspirations.
The Montessori learning environment is prepared to allow your child to succeed the moment they enter it. Everything is in its rightful place, clean, neat and organized. There are no distractions in the environment – everything is organized and prepared purposefully. The materials are beautiful and inspire the child to touch and interact with them.
The Montessori method isn’t about forcing a child to learn things they aren’t ready for or simply aren’t interested in. Instead, it takes your child where they are, learns their interests, and guides them on their own educational path. The skills in Montessori are foundational, step-by-step, and build on each other. Teachers observe the child and present new materials when the child has mastered the existing material and are ready for the next step.
In a Montessori environment, children can check their own work is motivated to correct any mistakes they have made. The child determines for themselves if their work is right or wrong, which allows their intrinsic motivation to continue guiding them. Teachers acknowledges what the child has achieved, but the focus is on the process of growth and learning, not the end result.
Learning is an engaging process, and can sometimes be difficult. When a child struggles to master a skill, we gently remind them of that and urge them to keep trying. However, unlike traditional education, we’re less focused on achieving a specific end result, and focused more on an immersive learning process that encourages children to experiment, explore, and never give up.