Attending both Montessori and Traditional?

[Lollzzl]

Hi everyone,

My son turns 2 in June and will start Montessori, but it closes mid-July for the summer holidays. During the holidays, he’ll go to a traditional nursery with holiday provision.

From September, I’m planning two mornings in Montessori alongside two mornings in the traditional nursery, with Fridays off. So he will attend two mornings in the traditional nursery all year, plus two additional mornings in Montessori during term time. This is a proper Montessori school, not just Montessori-inspired.

I’m a bit worried this might be too much for a just-turned 2-year-old, especially as he’s currently used to grabbing toys and free play, mixing and mucking in.

That said, I really value the Montessori approach, as I think it will help him develop boundaries, focus, and respect for others. I’m sure he’ll adapt quickly, but I’m wondering: would starting Montessori, stopping for the summer, and then mixing the two settings from September be super confusing for him?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

As always it depends on the kid. But it sounds to much to me. You don't even know how well he'll take to 1 place let alone 2 changing eack week. Is he verbal yet? So he can let you know what happens there?

I think it's too much. I like the Montessori approach too but there's not enough difference between Montessori and traditional settings at this age to make the confusion and chopping and changing worthwhile for your child.

For complicated reasons I had to use a mixture of nursery and childminder for a while starting when my daughter was 2. By the time she was 3 she had developed a strong preference for nursery (nothing wrong with the childminder, she just liked the other setting more) and wasn't afraid to make her dissatisfaction clear whenever it was childminder day, which made those days stressful all round. So if this is an ongoing arrangement you may also soon have the same problem - your child will soon have an opinion!