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The Montessori pedagogy was developed by Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor, at the beginning of the 20th century. 

Her careful observation of children from a wide variety of social backgrounds enabled her to identify the conditions that promote the proper development of children so that they become confident and fulfilled adults.

The foundation of the Montessori pedagogy is that the child is born with all the keys to success. The role of the adult is to create an environment that allows the child to express his or her natural willingness to learn and thus acquire skills.

We propose here a definition of this pedagogy in 3 main points.

"Teach me to do it myself" Maria Montessori.

1. An active learning: the child at the origin of his/her learning

The Montessori pedagogy is an active learning because it places the child in a situation of autonomy where he or she must, thanks to an adapted environment and the accompaniment of adults, build up his or her own knowledge.

While demonstrating natural self-discipline, the child is free to choose his or her own activities: the child is then much more receptive and integrates new knowledge more easily. The child evolves by being supported by the educator who, once he has presented the material and its use, has an attitude that is as withdrawn as possible to let the child learn from his experience. 

2. Respecting sensitive periods: the importance of the child's natural rhythm

One of the main principles of Maria Montessori's pedagogy is the respect of sensitive periods, that is to say the natural rhythm of each child.

As the child grows up, he or she forges his or her personality and goes through different phases during which he or she develops a very specific curiosity for certain things (order, bright colours...) and acquires specific skills. It is therefore important that learning takes place step by step and that the child is free to choose his activities so that his sensitive periods are respected.

3. Learning by doing: specific equipment in an adapted environment

Maria Montessori believes that the child must experiment in order to learn. She advocates the manipulation of objects that work with the senses while learning. The Montessori material is therefore made up of very colourful, sounding objects of various weights and sizes. 

This material must be placed at the child's disposal, at a height that allows him/her to grasp it. Indeed, the environment in which the child evolves must be adapted to its size and needs, always with the aim of promoting its freedom and autonomy. If the objects in the classroom are within reach and easy to handle, the child will be better able to show self-discipline and will put them away naturally.

The Montessori material is very important because it is by making mistakes in his experiments and manipulations that the child becomes familiar with the world around him and will be able, as he grows up, to approach abstract notions.