Calgary Preschool & Montessori Blog

Practical ideas for Montessori learning, child development and kindergarten readiness, plus guidance for Calgary families choosing a preschool.

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Does My Child Really Need To Attend Preschool?

Does My Child Really Need To Attend Preschool?

August 2, 2022
Preschool is not mandatory in Alberta. Preschool education is typically designed for children aged 3-5 and because it is not compulsory, programming is not standardized and options range from childcare-focussed models and play-based learning to a more structured curriculum. For these reaso
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What Is The Parents' Role In Montessori Education?

What Is The Parents' Role In Montessori Education?

July 20, 2022
If you have chosen a Montessori education for your child you probably did a lot of research into the different curriculums and philosophies offered by preschools in your area. Your decision to choose a Montessori program is very personal. Ideally, it is because Montessori seemed like a goo
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How Kindergarten Students Benefit From A Montessori Mixed-Age Classroom

How Kindergarten Students Benefit From A Montessori Mixed-Age Classroom

July 11, 2022
In most traditional classroom settings children are grouped together by age and grade. The entire class is led through a structured and scheduled curriculum based on a pre-determined pace of the average student. This is a very typical way for teachers to manage education in a normal kinder
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How To Prepare Your Child For Montessori Preschool This Fall

How To Prepare Your Child For Montessori Preschool This Fall

July 2, 2022
Summer has just begun. It feels like the time to be living footloose and carefree. Nobody wants to think about the coming school year. But if you have a child starting Montessori preschool this fall, it is a good idea to take some time over the summer to prepare your little one for the new
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Keep a Montessori Frame Of Mind All Summer Long

Keep a Montessori Frame Of Mind All Summer Long

May 24, 2022
The old adage goes: No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks! It is an out-dated chant, but the truth is that summer is here and children are transitioning away from a structured learning environment into stretched-out days of hot weather and free time. Many pare
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How To Help Your Child Prepare For The End Of The School Year

How To Help Your Child Prepare For The End Of The School Year

May 15, 2022
School is almost out for the summer! As adults, we look back nostalgically at those last days of school before summer break. The sports days, the outdoor gym classes, the anticipation of hot days playing outside, riding bikes, running through the sprinkler once school was over for the year
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National Child And Youth Mental Health Day: How To Talk To Your Preschooler About Mental Health

National Child And Youth Mental Health Day: How To Talk To Your Preschooler About Mental Health

April 28, 2022
May 7 is National Child And Youth Mental Health Day, an opportunity to build and strengthen connections between young people and the adults who love and care for them. Careful conversations can have a meaningful impact on the mental health and wellness of our children. Mental health is a b
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The Importance Of Movement In The Montessori Classroom

The Importance Of Movement In The Montessori Classroom

April 14, 2022
In a traditional classroom, movement is often very structured and controlled. Children are expected to sit and concentrate for periods of time and movement often requires permission; “May I go to the washroom?” or “Can I get a new book from the library?”. The social
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How A Montessori Preschool Prepares Your Child For A Traditional Kindergarten Program

How A Montessori Preschool Prepares Your Child For A Traditional Kindergarten Program

April 6, 2022
Families come into the Calgary Montessori community in a variety of ways. Some are well-versed in the Montessori philosophy and seek out preschool programs that follow the Montessori Method, others are drawn to a preschool program in their community that happens to follow a Montessori curr
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How A Mixed Age Preschool Classroom Can Benefit Your Child

How A Mixed Age Preschool Classroom Can Benefit Your Child

March 27, 2022
Unlike other preschools, Montessori preschools have mixed age classrooms combining ages 3 through 6. Instead of dividing by age, Montessori integrates children at different stages of development into common classes so that children have the ability to interact with one another regardless o
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Talking To Your Child About Major World News Events

Talking To Your Child About Major World News Events

March 25, 2022
The past few years have been challenging for Canadian families: political firestorms, literal wildfires and other natural disasters, climate change, rising prices and economic hardship, not to mention a global pandemic. And now the world is on edge again watching a war unfold in Europe. As
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It's National Craft Month! Here Are Some Of Our Favourite Montessori-Inspired Crafts!

It's National Craft Month! Here Are Some Of Our Favourite Montessori-Inspired Crafts!

March 4, 2022
Arts and crafts are more than just a fun way to pass the time, they offer your child a chance to build fundamental skills. Crafts help develop abstract skills such as creativity and expression, but they also help develop visual-spatial skills, motor function development, an understanding o
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Is My Child Ready For Preschool?

Is My Child Ready For Preschool?

January 14, 2022
Children are all unique and develop along different timelines. What one child shows at 2 years old may be what others show at 3 or even 4. This is why there is not one specific age to enroll your child in preschool. To know if they are prepared to go to a child education institute such as
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Setting New Year's Resolutions With Your Preschooler

Setting New Year's Resolutions With Your Preschooler

January 7, 2022
It’s a brand new year and that means it’s time to set some new goals for 2022! Creating New Year’s resolutions are a great way to teach your children about goal setting, determination, and personal improvement. Since children have short attention spans, it will be up to y
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Inspire Your Preschooler's Creativity With These Tips

Inspire Your Preschooler's Creativity With These Tips

December 22, 2021
Creativity is innate in children but it can become stifled as they age and are taught to act and think in more structured ways. Creativity needs to be encouraged for the sake of your child’s enjoyment and so they can feel more self confident, motivated, and better at problem solving.
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The Effects Of Colour On The Learning Environment

The Effects Of Colour On The Learning Environment

December 10, 2021
Children interact with the world via their senses. That is how they learn and often how they communicate, since they cannot read or write yet. As parents and teachers attempt to teach children, it is important to try to keep the colours in the child’s environment ones that will foste
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12 Days Of Montessori Christmas: Montessori Inspired Activities For Your Preschooler

12 Days Of Montessori Christmas: Montessori Inspired Activities For Your Preschooler

December 3, 2021
Christmas is fast approaching and that means time at home during the cold Calgary winters. If you’re familiar with the Montessori method, you’ll appreciate these Montessori inspired activities that get your child engaging their senses, incorporating movement, and practicing mot
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Setting Your Child Up for School Success with Extracurricular Activities

Setting Your Child Up for School Success with Extracurricular Activities

October 7, 2021
If you were lucky enough to participate in teams, groups, or clubs outside of school when you were young, you have come to understand the amazing feelings of accomplishment and the sense of community offered by extracurricular activities. Some of us may still be involved with the pastimes
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Meet Grey Matter Montessori’s Community Partners

Meet Grey Matter Montessori’s Community Partners

September 24, 2021
As we kick off the 2021-2022 school year we look forward to a year filled with learning, growth and exciting opportunities to explore our community and the larger world around us. Grey Matter has thoughtfully designed a comprehensive curriculum centred on the Montessori Method and Internat
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Tips To Build a Strong Foundation for Early Learning

Tips To Build a Strong Foundation for Early Learning

September 9, 2021
Your baby is no longer a baby! It is exciting to watch our children grow and learn, and although we sometimes want to keep them little forever, we also celebrate every accomplishment and milestone they achieve. And all of a sudden, one day, your toddler is of preschool age and ready to beg
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4 Ways To Motivate Your Child To Learn

4 Ways To Motivate Your Child To Learn

September 2, 2021
Encouraging your child to find the motivation to learn in a positive way is important to build habits that will last throughout their entire educational journey. There is a difference between motivating your child to learn and forcing them to. Forcing your child to learn will make them res
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The Benefits of School Uniforms

The Benefits of School Uniforms

September 2, 2021
There are arguments to be made for both sides of the school uniform debate. At Grey Matter Montessori  we believe in the benefits of school uniforms to promote a space of uninterrupted learning and to create a strong school culture. Our standard uniform is a Grey Matter Montessori pol
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The Importance Of Sensory Play For Development

The Importance Of Sensory Play For Development

August 12, 2021
A child’s very first development is defined by a sensory interaction with their new world; the sound of their mother’s voice, a soothing pat on their back, gripping the fingers of their siblings. Dr. Maria Montessori believed that a child’s sensory experiences begin at bi
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The Right Questions to Ask During a Montessori Tour

The Right Questions to Ask During a Montessori Tour

August 5, 2021
As the lazy, hazy days of summer draw to a close, school is right around the corner. If you are the parent of a preschooler, this may be the first time you are investigating the educational opportunities for your child. As the launching pad for their entire educational experience, preschoo
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Discover the Grey Matter Montessori Difference

Explore our Calgary Montessori preschool and daycare locations and discover why families across NW and NE Calgary trust Grey Matter Montessori for nurturing care, academic excellence, and meaningful early childhood education. 
Call us at 587-707-4739 or fill out the form below.