What to expect from your child's first week in a Montessori classroom

Your child's first week in a Montessori classroom will probably look quieter and shorter than you expect. Many schools start new children with short days, and much of what a new child does that week is watch.

Every school runs its first week a little differently, so read your school's welcome letter and phase-in schedule first.

Short days and a slow start

Most Montessori schools phase new children in. A child might stay for an hour or two on the first day, then a little longer each day after that. Some schools start a few new children at a time so the guide can give each one attention. Others ask a parent to stay in the room for part of the first visit.

Plan your week around the schedule. If pickup is at 10:30 on Monday, be there at 10:25. If you work, arrange cover for the whole phase-in period, including a day or two of spare time in case the school extends it for your child.

What your child will do in the classroom

In a Montessori classroom, the adult is called a guide. The room itself is called the prepared environment: low shelves, child-sized furniture, and materials set out in order so children can choose work on their own.

During the first week, the guide focuses on helping your child feel at home in that room. Expect your child to:

• Learn where to hang their coat, where to put their shoes and where the bathroom is.
• Watch other children work. A new child may spend most of a morning standing near a table, looking at what an older child is doing. Guides expect this and let the child watch for as long as they need.
• Receive a few short lessons in practical life, such as carrying a chair, rolling a rug, pouring water from one small jug into another, or washing hands.
• Practice grace and courtesy, such as how to greet someone, how to wait for a turn, and how to ask for help.
• Eat snack with others and help clean up afterward.

Montessori work happens with materials that stay on the shelf, so very little comes home in a backpack. When you ask "What did you do today?" you may hear "Nothing" or "I played." Try specific questions instead: "Who did you sit with at snack?" or "What was on the shelf by the window?"

Some children are thrilled the first day and tearful by Thursday, once they realize school happens every day. Others cling at first and settle quickly.

Preparing your child in the week before

Pick the steps that fit your family.

Talk about school in plain terms. Tell your child the guide's name, what the room looks like if you've visited, and what will happen: "You'll hang up your coat, you'll find a work, and then you'll have snack. I'll come back after snack." Keep it short and repeat it a few times in the days before.

Practice the self-care your child will need. Children in a Montessori classroom take off their own coat, change their own shoes and open their own lunch containers. Spend a few minutes each day letting your child practice:

• Putting on and taking off shoes with velcro or easy fastenings.
• Hanging a coat on a low hook.
• Opening and closing the exact lunch box and water bottle they'll bring.
• Pulling pants up and down for the bathroom.

Label everything. Put your child's name on their coat, spare clothes, water bottle and lunch box. Pack a full change of clothes in a bag that your child can recognize.

Adjust the morning schedule. Wake your child at school time for several days before the first day.

Visit if you can. Many schools offer a short visit or an open house. Walk the outside of the building with your child, find the door you'll use and point out where you'll wait at pickup.

What to do during the week

Keep the rest of the week calm. Skip extra plans in the afternoons and expect an early bedtime.

Say goodbye briefly and leave when you said you would. Arrive on time for pickup, and greet your child with attention before you talk to other parents.

Write down questions as they come up and bring them to the guide at the end of the week, or send them in one short message.

Read anything the school sends home that week. Guides often share what they've seen your child try, and those notes give you good material for the questions you ask at dinner.