Creating a caring classroom community is a pillar of Montessori education that is built through collaborative learning and encouraging lasting friendships. A beautiful example of this classroom camaraderie is the unique way we celebrate birthdays in a Montessori setting.
Montessori birthdays are collaborative celebrations. Students may bring several personal items representing the child's growth or interests like photographs, a drawing, a special toy, or anything significant for the student.
The Montessori class gathers in a circle, often to hear more about every year of the child’s life, whether told through words, photos, or with the help of a parent and the child. Every classroom has a slightly different way they do it, but they ask the child to take their “walk around the sun.”
Teachers place a representation for the sun at the center of the circle to symbolize the Earth's journey around the sun. The birthday child often holds a globe representing their place in the universe, as they walk a circle around the sun for every year of their life. This walk around the sun helps the child visually and physically experience the concept of a year passing and a new year beginning.
As the child walks, the teacher or classmates may talk about milestones, accomplishments, or unique qualities of the child for each year they have been alive. The celebration ends with a fun group activity or a simple birthday snack.
Montessori education strongly emphasizes hands-on learning, and the Birthday Circle is no exception. By taking the time to celebrate each student in this special way, children learn how to better appreciate each other's individuality and this celebration goes far to helping form lasting relationships and a greater understanding of the passage of time.
The Montessori in a Minute Series
The Montessori In A Minute series regularly explores the unique benefits of Montessori philosophy, its fundamental materials, and areas of the classroom. For all parents at Hudson Montessori School (Jersey City, New Jersey), the school hosts Parent Education Nights every year to teach parents about the Montessori method and how the students learn curriculum components using a Montessori framework.
Contact us to learn more about Hudson Montessori School's interdisciplinary, theme-based learning approach to education, the Montessori philosophy and methodology, or how the school fosters the love of learning for children aged 2 to eighth grade.
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