Why My Kids and I Loved Montessori School of Iowa City {Sponsored Post}

When my daughter was 3 years old and had spent about two months at Montessori School of Iowa City, she said to me, “Mom, I think school is the wonderfulest place ever!”

I happen to think Montessori School of Iowa City is one of the “wonderfulest” schools ever, too. In fact, when my kids were there, I liked it so much that I spent a lot of time volunteering there and served as an officer on their board of directors for two years. During that time, I got to know the faculty and I got an insider look at why and how they do what they do. I was always impressed.

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This school changed how I parent and what my expectations are for my kids. As a first time mom, I had no idea that kids could be so independent and do so much for themselves. I’m so glad that this school was part of our lives. It gave my kids such a positive environment and I learned so much about how to help them thrive! Since it was such a great experience for my family, I’d like to share a few reasons that you should think about choosing Montessori School of Iowa City for your child this year.

Montessori School of Iowa City teaches your child independence and life skills.

Did you know a 3-year-old can put on and zip their own coat? Or pour their own drinks and prepare their own snacks? As a first-time-mom, I sure didn’t. After my oldest started at Montessori, my eyes were opened to all that children can do if you just give them the opportunity and create an environment that lets them do it.

Today, my kitchen is set up so my four-year-old can reach her own plates, cups, and breakfast foods. My big kids have never had lunches packed by mom, not even in kindergarten. Why? Because in Montessori, they learned that they can do it themselves, and I learned that I should let them. It gives young children a sense of pride and builds their confidence to know that they can do things for themselves. So, if you want independent kids who have a can-do attitude, Montessori School of Iowa City is a great choice for you.

Montessori School of Iowa City gives your child an academic head start.

Thanks to Montessori (and some natural smarts), my kids have been at the head of their classes since they finished Montessori’s primary program and went on to a local elementary school. When they were at Montessori, they were reading at age 3, had opportunities to learn math, do science experiments, learn geography, and they even got to learn Spanish! One of the things that I love best about MSIC is that it lets kids move at their own pace. Whether your child breezes through concepts and is quickly on to the next thing or wants to spend a month repeating and mastering a concept they have the freedom to do that. That means that it’s just right for just about every child.

One of the things that is unique about Montessori School of Iowa City here in our community is that it gives kids a specially prepared learning environment filled with Montessori materials that make abstract concepts concrete. For example, using the “pink tower,” kids learn math foundations that will help them understand the progression from lines to squares to cubes, making it much easier to understand geometry in the future. Young children who lack the fine motor skills to write words or sentences can begin to spell and tell stories using the “moveable alphabet.” (Check out this Montessori inspired DIY moveable alphabet that I wrote about a few years ago.)

MSIC’s classrooms are full of these incredible materials that enable young children to do far more than you realized that they could do if you didn’t happen to grow up in a Montessori environment yourself. So, if you’d like your child to start 1st grade ahead of the curve, Montessori School of Iowa City’s primary program is a great choice for you.

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Montessori School of Iowa City helps kids develop social skills and great relationships with children and adults.

When my oldest first started at Montessori, he had never been away from home during the day. He was the kind of kid who would sob at drop-off and cling to my legs while I went off to cry in the parking lot and think about whether I should be abandoning my child. But, the teachers at Montessori were amazing. My oldest had the same teacher for all three of his primary years. She helped him become comfortable in this new setting and helped foster relationships between my shy little one and his classmates. Soon, instead of clinging to me at drop off, he was running to give hugs to his teacher and friends.

My daughter was the opposite, she bounced in on her first day of school, ready to play and have fun with all the other kids. But her teacher noticed that, maybe because she was always wanting to be friends and make others happy, she had a tendency to let the other kids always get their way. In a parent-teacher conference, the teacher told me my daughter was letting herself be railroaded by the other kids. Rather than letting this slide by since it wasn’t causing trouble for anyone but my daughter, throughout the year, the teachers worked with her on becoming more assertive.

My children’s two different experiences showed me that wherever your child falls in the world of social skills development, the teachers see your child for just who they are, notice their particular needs, and work to help them grow.

So, if you are looking for a place where your child can develop their social skills, make friends, and build a strong bond with their teachers, Montessori School of Iowa City is a great choice for you.

Lucky for you, Montessori School of Iowa City is now enrolling for fall. While I’ve talked all about their primary program because that’s what my family experienced and loved, there is even more going on at the school right now. They have a brand new pre-primary program for 2 year olds and they have an elementary school for 6-12 year olds.

If you’re ready to learn more, visit montessoriiowacity.org give them a call at 319-338-9650 to set up a tour. Making that call and choosing Montessori School of Iowa City was one of the best choices I’ve made for my kids in their early years. I hope you’ll love it just as much as we did!


This is a sponsored post. ICMB was compensated for sharing this piece. However, we love connecting our readers with people and organizations that are doing good in our community, and we think you will find this information helpful and informative! The opinions shared within this post are genuine. 


 

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Laura
Laura is a mom of three who works full-time from home as a Development Director for a children’s charity. Laura grew up in Maryland, spent her 20s living in Southern California and South Carolina, and has spent her 30s and now 40s in Iowa, moving to Iowa City in 2010. Laura loves dancing, reading, baking, and music. She and her husband Ryan started dating in college (gasp – over 20 years ago!) and they have been sharing life’s adventures ever since. Their biggest adventure is, of course, parenthood. With three kids, the action is non-stop - which is just the way Laura likes it.

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