"Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”

DR. MARIA MONTESSORI

All parents want their children to think critically—a highly touted 21st century skill.  Believe it or not, it develops and is fostered in Montessori's youngest child. Critical thinking and problem solving begins in our classroom by learning to think independently, not being told what to think, but to start to think and solve on your own. When a child in the Montessori environment asks a question the response is often a question in return. "Who do you know that could help you with that?"  "Where could you find that in our classroom?"  "What do you need to do first to make that happen?"  Giving the child questions to think about in order to answer her questions will help her think through the steps and actions of what she intends to accomplish. 

The control of error, built-in with each material, allows children to make mistakes without feeling inferior.  The time, space and trust of the children in our classrooms give the children the ability to work through problems, no matter the material, and come to their own solution or master the task at hand.  Gradually as the material becomes more complex, so does the child’s ability to think critically and problem solve.  Before long the children in the classroom begin accomplishing more, thinking deeply and solving difficulties, all on their own!