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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What Qualities Make A Montessori School Authentic?

What Qualities Make A Montessori School Authentic?

September 22, 2022
Options for preschool education are abundant in Calgary. Because preschool is not mandatory in our province, preschool programming is privatized and not standardized. Options for children aged 3-5 range from “preschool” daycare and basic, informally introduced early childhood l
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How To Help Your Child Make Friends In Preschool

How To Help Your Child Make Friends In Preschool

September 7, 2022
Is your child beginning preschool this fall? What an exciting time! This is an opportunity for your child to begin exploring the world in a totally new environment. If all goes well, they will discover a love of learning, master new skills, and forge amazing friendships. But what happens i
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Exploring Fall The Montessori Way

Exploring Fall The Montessori Way

September 1, 2022
Of the four seasons, sometimes fall seems to “fall short”. Spring is lauded for its growth and new beginnings, summer is all lazy days, popsicles, and beach vacations, winter means Christmas and the most wonderful time of the year, and fall is sometimes seen as just dried-up le
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How Does The IPC® Complement The Montessori Curriculum?

How Does The IPC® Complement The Montessori Curriculum?

August 9, 2022
The International Preschool Curriculum (IPC®) aims to establish an international standard for preschool education that meets and exceeds some of the most recognized educational systems in the world. This curriculum was designed by a doctoral team of education experts after significant
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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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How To Have A Montessori-Inspired Summer Vacation

How To Have A Montessori-Inspired Summer Vacation

June 29, 2022
As parents, we work hard all year long with an eye on the ultimate prize… a family summer vacation! We dream of long hot days, a break from the everyday routine, meandering road trips, and memories our children will cherish for a lifetime. But like many of the best-laid plans, vacat
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Grey Matter Montessori Summer Camps Calgary: Spanish Camp

Grey Matter Montessori Summer Camps Calgary: Spanish Camp

June 7, 2022
Did you know that children who speak more than one language display increased creativity and enhanced mental agility? Grey Matter Montessori brings the joy of learning and the benefits of a second (or third or fourth) language to our student population with Explorar Mexico! Preschool campe
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Grey Matter Montessori Summer Camps Calgary: Chess Camp

Grey Matter Montessori Summer Camps Calgary: Chess Camp

June 1, 2022
Are you searching for ways to keep your child engaged and active this summer? Grey Matter Montessori preschool is excited to present Math and Chess Calgary Summer Camp as an opportunity for your child to conquer the challenges of Math and discover the strategic and magical game of Chess in
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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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World Environment Day: Learning About Our World The Montessori Way

World Environment Day: Learning About Our World The Montessori Way

May 5, 2022
June 5, 2022, is World Environment Day. This day of awareness is led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the theme is “Only One Earth” with a focus on “Living Sustainably In Harmony with Nature”. This is a big and heavy topic meant to draw attenti
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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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Exploring Spring The Montessori Way

Exploring Spring The Montessori Way

March 11, 2022
Calgary winters are long and just when you think the never-ending season is nearly over, we get another winter storm. But the wonderful thing about the month of March is that we can usually count on a few days where a beautiful arch appears in the western sky, the weather breaks, and our f
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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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Pink Shirt Day 2022: How To Empower Your Preschooler Against Bullying

Pink Shirt Day 2022: How To Empower Your Preschooler Against Bullying

February 25, 2022
Bullying is defined as a repeated, targeted, aggressive behaviour meant to hurt or intimidate another. It is a problem rampant in schools, and preschool is no exception. Even though the deliberate, intentional nature of bullying in older grades may not be present, your child could still ex
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Pink Shirt Day 2022: Strategies To Help Your Preschool Child Handle Bullying

Pink Shirt Day 2022: Strategies To Help Your Preschool Child Handle Bullying

February 18, 2022
Bullying can happen in every school environment, even preschool. The bullying tactics common in lower grades are different, but they can be equally hurtful, scary, and traumatic. Preschool children are just as capable of teasing and taunting, excluding and alienating, and even hitting, kic
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Pink Shirt Day 2022: How To Talk To Your Preschooler About Bullying

Pink Shirt Day 2022: How To Talk To Your Preschooler About Bullying

February 4, 2022
Bullying is a serious problem in childhood and it can start as early as preschool. It is important for parents to understand what bullying is and how to identify it so that you may teach your children about it. Teaching your preschooler about bullying will give them the understanding and v
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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.