"Work" and Play in Montessori: Play Is a Child's Most Serious Training

One of the most common criticisms of Maria Montessori's philosophy is this: "Do the children only ever work with materials? Don't they play at all?"

The question comes from the different meanings adults give to the words "work" and "play". For us adults, work is a required, tiring activity with rules, while play is free time. For a child, however, the two are completely intertwined.

Is Play a Child's Work?

Maria Montessori had deep respect for what children do and called their activities "work". The remarkable focus a child shows while pouring water from one container to another, the seriousness on their face and the way they repeat the action again and again until they master it are not ordinary entertainment, but serious developmental training in which neural networks are formed.

The Appeal of the Real

To make children happy, adults give them battery-powered plastic ovens that make noises, pretend food or toys from fantasy worlds. Yet if you offer a toddler the choice between a toy oven and the chance to dust a table with a real cloth, you will see that the child almost always chooses the real thing.

Children want to be a real part of the society and culture they live in.

• Imagination is built on reality.
• When a child wets a real cloth and cleans the table, they experience physical laws, absorption and cause and effect at first hand.

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In Montessori pedagogy, "play is the work of the child" is more than a metaphor. Children are busy with the work of building themselves, and the enthusiasm they feel while doing it is pure happiness.

In Montessori schools, children do not just learn; they prepare for life with enthusiasm, joy and a deep sense of satisfaction.

Explore Further

If you would like to read about how Montessori education reaches beyond the classroom walls and the benefits of the outdoors, read our article "Learning Close to Nature: Montessori and Outdoor Discovery".

Read it here