PROGRAMS > Primary - 3(+/-) to 6 years
“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”
- Dr. Maria Montessori
Program Options
The Priamary Program is offered 5 days per week. The following options are available:
- Half-day: 8am to 12pm
- School-day: 8am to 3pm
- All-day: 7:30am to 6:00pm (care provided to All-day students for an additional 16 days during the academic year)
What You Might See in Our Primary Classroom
You might see a child building the Trinomial Cube with colorful blocks, unknowingly preparing for the algebraic thinking they will develop years later.
You may notice a child tracing Sandpaper Letters while saying each sound, laying the foundation for reading and writing through a hands-on, multisensory approach.
In our mixed-age classrooms, older children naturally guide and assist younger classmates, fostering leadership, confidence, and a strong sense of community.
You may also observe Grace and Courtesy lessons, where children practice kindness, respect, and thoughtful interactions that become part of their everyday lives.
The Sensitive Period is a Time of Remarkable Development
Ages three to six is the second phase of what Dr. Maria Montessori called the “sensitive period,” when children have an intense desire to learn skills that give them independence and an ability to live in the world. This is a time of enormous developmental leaps, when children are ready to expand their vocabulary, grasp math concepts, and develop habits for working with others.
The CMS classroom is equipped with research-based materials, and the curriculum is carefully designed for children to delight in a dynamic process of learning. It’s also a calm, structured space constructed to meet a child’s individual needs. Here, the child experiences a blend of freedom and discipline in a space specially prepared for his or her optimal development.
Learning Areas
Learning is thoughtfully designed to nurture the whole child and foster independence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning. Through hands-on materials and individualized lessons, children learn at their own pace across five interconnected areas of the classroom.
Practical Life
Practical Life activities help children develop independence, coordination, concentration, and confidence while learning to care for themselves, others, and their environment. Through meaningful tasks such as food preparation, cleaning, and caring for oneself and the environment, children build the skills needed for everyday life. Grace and Courtesy lessons support the development of respectful communication, kindness, and positive social relationships.
Sensorial
The Sensorial materials refine each of the child's senses and help them observe, compare, classify, and organize the world around them. By exploring qualities such as size, shape, color, texture, weight, sound, smell, and taste, children develop the foundation for later learning in all subject matters.
Language
Children develop spoken language, vocabulary, phonemic awareness, writing, and reading through a carefully sequenced, multisensory approach. Children progress naturally from oral language to writing and reading as their interest and readiness emerge, building confidence and a love of literacy.
Mathematics
Montessori mathematics introduces abstract concepts through beautiful, hands-on materials. Children develop a deep understanding of quantity, the decimal system, place value, and the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division before moving toward abstraction, creating a strong foundation for future mathematical thinking.
Cultural Studies
The Cultural curriculum inspires children to explore the world around them through geography, science, botany, zoology, art, music, and nature. Children develop an appreciation for diverse cultures, a respect for all living things, and a growing understanding of their place in the world through hands-on exploration, outdoor experiences, and meaningful connections to nature.
What Our Parents Say
"I came looking for a very specific environment for my oldest son. I knew more than the average parent about Montessori from my oldest daughter’s experiences in other Montessori schools as well as from my sister who is a trained Montessori teacher. I visited several Montessori schools and top area day care programs. All the schools listened to me explain my son’s “special needs” and gave me a tour of the school and discussed what they could do to support him (he was 3.5 y/o at the time).
Crabapple Montessori went a step further; they set up a meeting with me and the potential teacher. My main goal was to find a teacher and a classroom that was calming and quiet with a certain routine he could depend on. He not only adjusted and adapted to his teachers, he began to flourish! The difference for me was that his teachers LOVED him. I think they loved him as much as I did. There is simply no substitute for someone who cares as much or more about your child.
He is more than prepared for Elementary school and I could not be happier with what this school & staff have done for my son."
–TRISHA
