Born out of passion and love of children, The children’s house believes in giving every child the best possible childhood and foundation for life through the Montessori approach.

The first and longest established Montessori preschool in Malaysia, The children’s house (TCH) has grown from a single Montessori preschool in 1986 to 15 schools across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor today.

Our name and logo are a perfect reflection of who we are. The children’s house is not just a preschool, it is a home away from home, a trusted companion, and a steward in the learning journey of your child.

A new venture, a new gain

The children’s house was born out of the vision of Nan Civel, fondly known as Aunty Nan.  Having worked for ten years with Unilever Malaysia, Nan Civel decided to pursue her passion for Early Childhood Education in 1983. Inspired by Dr Maria Montessori, she embarked on a 3-year course of study and work programme in the Maria Montessori Training Organisation in England, United Kingdom, subsequently receiving her Diploma in Montessori Education. This gave her the confidence and motivation to open the first Montessori preschool in 5 Jalan Batai Barat in 1986.

Starting with a small team consisting of a young enthusiastic trainee teacher, an administrator, the family cook and her four-year-old son, Nan Civel managed to unpack, clean and organise the imported materials that came from Europe. “We then dropped 500 leaflets in the letterbox of the houses in the neighbourhood and waited nervously. The first set of parents who came to visit the school were from France. The second parents were from Sweden and they interrogated me for an hour, checked my credentials, knowledge and experience. I was relieved when they finally decided to entrust us with their children,” says Nan Civel.

As the first preschool in Malaysia to apply the complete and comprehensive Montessori Method of education, Montessori not only changed the life of Aunty Nan, but also made a positive difference in the early childhood education landscape in Malaysia.

The co-founder of The children’s house, Nur Jiwawati Aris, also fondly known as Ji Aris has been managing the organisation for more than 30 years now. Initially responsible for the Financial and Business Development of The children’s house, she holds an American Bachelor’s Degree in International Business Management. Her interest in early childhood education began in 1988 when due to close collaboration with Nan Civel, she was also actively involved in operations and the enhancement of quality improvement of facilities and curriculum.

Her quest in keeping the heritage curriculum of Montessori dynamic and relevant is unfading as she believes that the nurturing of the powerful minds of the children must begin now as they have the potential to be the leaders of tomorrow.

With deep respect and love for the unique, magical minds of children, Aunty Nan and Ji Aris continue to keep abreast with new research and best practices improving and injecting new ideas for the betterment of the children.

Celebrating 35 years of The Children’s house

With every passing year, The children’s house has only gotten bigger and better than before, completing 35 years of excellence in early childhood education in the year 2021.

Working together as a family rooted in ethics and respect, we value a child’s development and well being the most.

In the words of our Founder, Nan Civel, “At The children’s house, children are the number one priority and the atmosphere is specially created to make children feel at home in a surrounding, scaled down to a child’s dimensions.”

We always ensure that our Montessori environment undergoes constant refurbishments and is meticulously designed to ensure that it is conducive and stimulating for the ever-changing needs of children in the 21st century and beyond.

Our teachers are our greatest treasure. They are warm, loving, nurturing and respectful of every child. Many of them have grown with us from the very beginning and are committed to providing the best learning experience for our children.

We believe in establishing caring, harmonious and long term relationships with our parents and colleagues.

Each growing moment in The children’s house fills our hearts with joy as we are reminded of why we continue to do what we love best; Children.

Maria Montessori and The children’s house

Known worldwide for establishing the Montessori method of education for young children in the 20th century, Dr. Maria Montessori devoted 45 years of her adult life to education. Even after a hundred years of its inception, the relevance of the Montessori approach makes it one of the most successful and sought after early years education pedagogies in the 21st century.

An anthropologist, psychologist, philosopher, educationist and doctor by profession, Montessori believed in the unique mind of the child that has real constructive energy and intellectual powers. Her books and lectures throughout this period described the nature and sensitivity of a child’s magical mind which she termed as The Absorbent Mind. She believed that there is a remarkable force in humans which is most powerful in the first phase of human life.

“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six,” she said. “For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed.”

After years of extensive study and observation, she documented a unique teaching approach called scientific pedagogy which was supported by teaching materials that were meticulously designed to fit a child’s hands.

Beginning of a revolution in Early Childhood Education

On 6th January 1907, Dr. Montessori established the first classroom for 60 underprivileged children aged between 2 to 6 years old in a poor area of Rome, known as Casa Dei Bambini (Children’s House). It was here that she decided to launch her scientific pedagogy and the prepared environment was carefully adapted to children’s size and abilities.

She replaced the heavy furniture with lighter and moveable tables, chairs, shelves and cupboards, and placed pictures on the walls. The teaching materials were arranged on the shelves in an orderly way, classified into different areas – Practical Life, Sensorial, Number Work, Language and Culture, beginning from simple tasks to complex activities. She believed that “The things the child sees, the child touches, the child feels, the child hears and the child solves are not just remembered, but they form part of their soul.”

The materials were presented systematically and children were given free access to do them as they please while she observed closely how they responded to the prepared environment. Eventually, the children’s behaviour changed from timid and wild as they were before to sociable and communicative. The young children progressed brilliantly and the news of Montessori’s education approach started spreading rapidly throughout Italy.

In 1909, Dr. Montessori conducted the first training session in her educational approach for 100 students. This was followed by the establishment of several Montessori schools, societies and training programmes all over the world. Over 100 years, the Montessori method has enabled the holistic development of children across the world moulding them into independent, compassionate and responsible members of society.

Turning over a new leaf – The Montessori Way

The Montessori philosophy and education not only touched the lives of hundreds and thousands of children but also reshaped the life of Nan Civel, the founder of The children’s house in Malaysia.

“One day, a thin leaflet was tossed to me by a friend who was a writer and was tired of my endless pondering. Significantly, 33 years to date, this small gesture changed my life forever. It was my first introduction to Montessori Philosophy and education. My life was completely transformed.”

Aunty Nan fondly recalls how she spent countless hours listening to lectures, manipulating those precious materials, preparing thick teaching folders, writing essays, sitting for tests and gruelling examinations in rooms of a majestic Victorian building in a leafy suburb of Hampstead, London.

This gave her the confidence to establish the first The children’s house in 5 Jalan Batai Barat in 1986. With a small team of a young teacher trainee, an administrator, a family cook and her 4-year-old son; imported materials from Europe and five children from Malaysia, Sweden, France, Denmark and England, The children’s house completely revolutionised the early childhood education landscape of Malaysia.

With more than three decades of rich experience in preschool education and 15 centres across Malaysia, Aunty Nan continues to be humbled and enthralled by scientific observations and focused research on Early childhood education from around the world. Having faced an acute shortage of qualified teachers with Montessori Diplomas in 1990, Aunty Nan subsequently established The Teacher’s House and developed comprehensive in-house training to enable educators to successfully facilitate the optimal learning and development of the children under their care.

The children’s house – A constant in every change

The iconic red and white preschools of The children’s house have made their way into the hearts and minds of thousands of parents and children across Malaysia ever since its establishment in 1986. We value lifelong relationships and believe in establishing love and harmony amongst children, parents and educators.

Programmes at The children’s house nurture children to be well-rounded individuals who excel socially, emotionally, and intellectually. Spacious indoor and outdoor learning spaces, coupled with Montessori learning materials allow the stimulation of children’s senses. Our teachers are warm, loving, nurturing and respectful of every child. They are ever mindful of the need to help the children achieve their goals.

The school’s community deeply values respect – respect for teachers, parents, friends, nature and each other. The very thought of going back to The children’s house every day fills the children with absolute joy and excitement. The reason is that every area of the preschool has been specially designed to keep a child’s interests in mind.

“At The children’s house, children are the number one priority and the atmosphere is specially created to make children feel at home in a surrounding scaled down to a child’s dimensions.”
~Aunty Nan

The classrooms are spacious and often built to incorporate natural lighting so that the children do not feel restricted in a traditional closed structure. In addition to that, all the furniture and learning materials have been scaled down to fit a child. This means child-sized and child-friendly furniture to ensure the safety of our children while allowing them to enjoy learning comfortably and confidently.

With 35 years of success in early childhood education, The children’s house has proven that it is not just a Montessori pioneer in Malaysia, but a trusted companion in the growth and development of your child.

Parents wish for their children to develop into independent individuals. In their early years, it is common for children to rely on their parents to eat, bathe and move around. It is only as they grow older that independence can be nurtured with ample support, love, trust and guidance. However, this can be challenging for both parents and their children — teaching independence is no easy task, but learning to be independent can be a tough skill to master as well.

The Montessori Approach has been used for more than 100 years. Practised by many preschools and parents from all across the world, this method has proven itself to be a versatile curriculum, even successful in nurturing children with special needs and learning difficulties. One of Montessori’s approaches is to nurture children to be independent. Until today, independence is still a crucial factor in Montessori education and has remained as one of the most important elements for teachers to instil in children.

Benefits Of Nurturing Independence

According to the Australian Childhood Foundation, children from the age of two begin to aspire for more independence. It is from this age that parents should start to motivate their children to make independent choices in their life.

Independent children tend to obtain first-hand knowledge and gain experience faster. The Montessori Approach makes sure that children have ample time and space to discover the world around them on their own. This gives them the chance to expand their absorbent mind and take in their surroundings individually. As they explore on their own, children will effectively pick up new skills as they are given room to experience trial and error. Children learning to be independent may learn that a bottle cap needs to be twisted after trying various unsuccessful methods to open it. If parents open the bottles for them all the time, it takes a longer time for them to understand how the simple mechanics work.

Nurturing independence in children also boosts their self-esteem and confidence. Children cannot rely on their parents or teachers to seek joy all the time, which is why Montessori-trained teachers mainly act as guides who only interfere when necessary. This enhances their confidence and self-esteem, as they are aware that they are capable of doing certain things without the supervision of their parents. As they take healthy risks and learn from them, children also gain problem-solving skills that will contribute to better decision-making. Lynn Ponton, professor of psychiatry at the University of California says: “It’s a tool to define, develop and consolidate their identity. Healthy risk-taking is a big part of growth”.

Keeping Things Tidy

Some of the first steps towards encouraging independence are for children to tidy up after certain routines. The children’s house practises the Montessori Method while training children to be independent by allowing them to put away and wash dishes, keep their toys, wash their hands, and using the washroom on their own. Montessori schools are also equipped with child-sized equipment, so children can fully utilise the facilities without much help. The first few trials will require teachers’ guidance and supervision. However, as their independence becomes a habit, children will learn about the importance of doing certain things on their own and gradually improve as time goes by.

Freedom To Choose
In Montessori classrooms, children are given freedom, from being allowed to choose their own materials, activities to work on, and taking a break by themselves. Montessori teachers place materials and items that make up of children’s choices within their reach. This empowers them to practise independence in the classroom and feel accomplished when they can handle certain things on their own.

Parents can also train their children to make independent choices and allow them to experience the impact of their decisions. Let children make safe and simple choices such as asking if they want to bring their sports attire to school. If they choose not to, they will not be able to participate in the outdoor activities. Thus, the child will learn from this experience and consciously make better choices next time.

Independence In Socialising

Teachers in a Montessori preschool observe children’s interaction with one another. It is common for children to experience different phases as they attend preschool with their friends. On some days, a child may want to work alone, and on other days, they may seek a partner to work and play with.

Teachers and parents should refrain from controlling who a child interacts with, but to allow them to socialise with peers of their choice. This is because they are naturally aware of their needs, and are working towards achieving it at their own pace. Giving them freedom to socialise also shows respect to their choices.

Shape Confident Leaders Of Tomorrow

An article promoting independence by the Australian Childhood Foundation says: “It can be a common pitfall for busy parents to do things for children that children are capable of doing themselves”. Helping children foster independence is indeed a challenging task for parents and teachers. However, with the right method and materials to aid children to be self-reliant, they will be ready to take on challenges of adulthood in the future.

Independent children will also grow into individuals capable of looking after themselves physically and emotionally. Teachers and parents who guide children to be independent have given them the freedom to experience life and its lessons that follow, which shape them to be confident and responsible leaders of tomorrow. They will also be able to enhance their problem-solving skills and make better decisions in lessons learned from previous experiences.

Nurturing a child is important, but it’s no easy task, especially when it comes to lifelong learning. The children’s house, the leading Montessori preschool in Klang Valley with its humble beginnings, is committed to transform the process of children’s education that will shape their attitudes when they transition into adults to contribute to society and make a huge difference. For more than 30 years, The children’s house has expanded exponentially, with more than 10 schools throughout Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. With the Montessori method, The children’s house is set to go even further as Malaysia’s leading Montessori preschool.

How did the preschool prevail for more than 3 decades?

A Life-Changing Choice

Nan Civel was caught in an unfulfilling career and felt that she needed a shift in her life. It took her a single sheet of a leaflet to change her life forever. She discovered the existence of the Montessori Method and was determined to transform her life by bringing Dr Maria Montessori’s legacy to Malaysia to provide the best early years education to children. Walking on the path that Dr Montessori graciously paved for aspiring educators in early childhood, Nan knew that this was her true calling. She adopted a baby soon after, and as a wife, a mother, and educator moved forward with steely courage to set up the very first complete Montessori preschool in Malaysia, called The children’s house.

The Montessori Method

To be the longest-established Montessori preschool in Malaysia, The children’s house needed to have a curriculum that could be applicable for each unique child. The Montessori Method has a huge role in fueling The children’s house evergreen popularity among parents. One of the main elements that makes the method stand out is its focus on nurturing a child to be gracious, courteous, kind, and compassionate yet intellectually inclined at a young age. At The children’s house, children are taught basic self-care such as washing their hands before and after meals, table manners, teamwork, courtesy and compassion through simple and regular routines.

The unique teaching approach created by Dr Montessori is still effective to this day, and The children’s house has been using them ever since the establishment of its first school in Batai. The Montessori Method and its materials focus on Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Number Work and Culture—crucial elements that are needed in ensuring a well-rounded growth in each child.

The didactic materials are meticulously sized-down to fit into children’s hands, enabling them to fully explore their surroundings with their senses. Children imitate physical tasks in Practical Life, using tools like trays, jugs, bowls, spoons, tongs and dressing frames to develop their concentration, movement coordination, sense of order, and independence. Sensorial materials provided are made to refine a child’s senses, triggering them to learn and expand their vocabulary as they explore the world through their senses.

Language materials are made to help children gain better control over writing instruments and form letters of the alphabets using their stereognostic sense, enabling them to learn reading and writing better. Materials for Number Work provide an excellent opportunity for children to learn calculation and master complex terms like decimals, odd and even numbers. In Culture, children are exposed to a wide range of topics like biology, botany, zoology, geography and history along with the integration of music, arts and craft. The combined materials and subjects along with fun nature walks enable children to gain a better understanding of their environment and the world. Children are also free to choose which materials to work on at their own pace—this is how they truly and fully grow into well-rounded individuals.

Dedicated Teachers

The teachers of The children’s house are made up of individuals who share the same mindset as the school: to emphasise lifelong learning when educating children. Children and teachers share a unique bond at The children’s house, with each child fondly calling each teacher as ‘Aunty’. This teacher-child bond is a pride of the school as it takes a great deal of genuine passion for teaching children to achieve this.

Each teacher, or Aunty, possesses the traits of an ideal educator for early years education. The Aunties always navigate children towards the path of gaining independence. While keeping in mind the need for them to learn things on their own, teachers at The children’s house act as facilitators in lessons, giving children ample space and time to explore their surroundings on their own using Montessori materials. The Aunties are aware that they are the children’s role models in preschool and set the best example for them through their acts of kindness, mannerism and compassion. Aunties at The children’s house are qualified with a Diploma in Montessori or Early Childhood Education and have received training in the Montessori method. Some of them even have more than 10 years of experience teaching in The children’s house! Their wholehearted dedication in educating children has provided a strong pillar that supports the school’s long-lasting reputation as Malaysia’s best Montessori preschool.

“…my daughter wakes up every day and can’t wait to go to school. She loves her aunties, her friends and the great environment she can explore.”  -Parent

Supportive Parents

Dr Maria Montessori, the founder of the Montessori Method, believes that parents, educators and caregivers all play a huge role in stimulating healthy brain growth for children. Having lasted for more than 3 decades is indeed an impressive achievement for a preschool, and for The children’s house, this milestone is also due to the parents’ endless support and faith in the school’s core values. Parents understand and support the Montessori Method to be used as the school’s curriculum, as they have seen for themselves the positive impact that it brings to their children.

“…she feeds herself and chomped up all food that was given to her at school. She could identify 96% of all her body parts, sing a handful of songs and managed its lyrics.” -3 Batai Parent

Parents are also actively involved in the school’s event and celebrations, accompanying their children in fun activities and games. The children’s house believe that parental support creates a circle of love, harmony and mutual respect. When parents experience a celebration with their children at school, making crafts and trinkets together, it also boosts a child’s self-esteem and confidence. The parents have absolute faith in the school’s ability to nurture children into lifelong learners, knowing that each time their child goes to school, they are in the best hands that are capable of cultivating confident, courteous, independent and respectful individuals.

Some of the parents are even alumni of The children’s house. Dominique is the first child in the very first preschool at The children’s house, who is now a chiropractor with his own clinic in France. His fond memories at The children’s house have stayed with him until this day.

“I loved the red school bag and carried it everywhere! Now I cannot describe the bliss of being a father.”

Celebrating Life With Children

“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.”  –Maria Montessori

At The children’s house, children come together as one as they work together, play together, learn together and explore their little worlds together. It is the job of teachers and support from parents that unite The children’s house community together as one. From a humble preschool that expanded to more than 10 branches, The children’s house has come a long way, producing individuals who are set to bring great contributions to society through high-quality early years education—and the school will continue growing as Malaysia’s leading Montessori preschool while celebrating life with children.

You want the best for your child, but the endless parenting research puts you in a deeper concern. You are unsure of which advice to follow. This is especially true when it is time to prepare your toddler for the next stage of life. The idea of preschool sounds great, but you cannot help but to doubt the necessity of it. Well, guess what? Sending him to preschool earlier provides life-changing benefits that help in his development.

Promotes Social Development

The first six years of life are crucial for critical learning. A child develops rapidly in his first six years of life, hence, making it crucial for children to gain a firm basis in one the most fundamental elements in life – social skills. Sending your child to preschool earlier means he has the opportunity to grow socially as he interacts with his peers and teachers.

In an article from the Star online, Datuk Dr Chiam Heng Keng, founding president of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Council says: “The foundation needs to be laid. Critical learning happens within the first six years, so the window of opportunity is very small.”

When you put your child in preschool, he will be separated from his home and family to face new environments, look at new faces and interact with new people. As he mingles with his peers and talk to teachers, he will pick up essential communication skills, learn to read body language as well as practice empathy. This then contributes greatly to the social development of a child, especially if he or she is the only child at home.

Improves Progression to School

Children who attend preschool will experience a smooth transition to their next stages of education like kindergarten and school. Director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Dr W. Steven Barnett says: “Children who attend high-quality preschool enter kindergarten with better pre-reading skills, richer vocabularies, and stronger basic math skills than those who do not.”

Your child will experience a smoother progress in school because he had already learned the basics of reading, writing, and even numbers in preschool. Preschools are known to conduct teaching in enjoyable ways to promote effective learning among children. As your child joins fun activities with his peers in preschool, he is indirectly learning the basics of calculations and vocabulary that are seamlessly incorporated into lessons. As he carries forward the knowledge obtained from preschool to school, your child will be a little ace in class in no time!

In preschool, your child also gets to quench his thirst for answers as he asks his teachers interesting questions. You will find your child freely expressing his creativity when he transitions to school because he has been exposed to a creativity-triggering surrounding since his preschool days.

Builds Confidence

Preschool is a place where your child learns about self-esteem, effective communication, responsibility and leadership. All these are fundamental in nurturing your child to be a confident individual. Activities in preschool involve children learning how to be independent. They scoop food, set tables, water plants, arrange materials and learn to clean up.

When children succeed in completing a task, they gain confidence and self-esteem, knowing that they can also do things on their own without help from adults. It is important for a child to learn to be independent, and in a way, a process of separation from his parents as this greatly affects children’s decision-making and problem-solving skills as they grow older. Independence is best to be nurtured when a child is young so that he will make it a lifelong habit that eventually readies him for the demands of adulthood, says Dr Jim Taylor, an American specialist in parenting psychology.

Children are such curious and creative individuals. Each mind is unique and expressive, making it fundamental that you allow them a safe and healthy environment where they get to develop as well-rounded individuals. A little goes a long way, so put your child in preschool earlier and witness the positive difference your action can make.

Deciding on a preschool takes some effort as there are many preschools to choose from offering a variety of curriculums claiming to be the best. And after all the research and school visits there then lies the question: “What if my child cannot fit in? What if he won’t stop crying? What if he hates his teacher?”

Consider this, what if you can send your child to a leading, longest-established Montessori preschool in Malaysia that has been trusted by parents for more than two decades?

The children’s house is opening its doors this April in Bukit Jalil City especially for working parents looking for a preschool in the area. What’s more bring your child with you to experience the fun-filled, nurturing and beneficial environment of a true Montessori preschool at its Grand Opening on 20 April (Saturday) from 10am to 2pm!

New Experiences in New Environments

At TCH Bukit Jalil City’s Grand Opening, your child will get the chance to explore new environments of a preschool. This way, they wouldn’t feel out-of-place or anxious when it is time to leave them under the care of the Aunties. The Bukit Jalil City preschool offers a bright and exciting environment that forms a great learning ground for children. Your child will be surrounded by other children of the same age, which provides a great opportunity for your child to experience a play group environment where he can interact with his peers. This contributes greatly to the social development of your child, especially if he or she is the only child in the family.

Let Your Child Experience A Montessori Education

The Montessori Education is different from other approaches. As the first school in Malaysia to adopt and incorporate this method in its classes, TCH has successfully created an environment that is conducive to learning that inspires a child to develop a love for learning.

By bringing your child to the Grand Opening at Bukit Jalil City, he or she will be immersed in fun-filled activities that incorporate didactic materials that support the Montessori core values like Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Number Work and Culture. Your child will be intrigued to explore the world on his own as he is free to choose from various materials to work with. Here in TCH Bukit Jalil City, teachers are just facilitators who step in to guide your child where necessary as the Montessori method believes in letting a child express their unique, magical minds by learning and developing interests on their own.

Witness Montessori Educators Interact With Children

Children can meet the staff at TCH Bukit Jalil City and interact with them, familiarising themselves with the presence of trusted teachers and forming a bond that helps in the child’s future development in class. Gain assurance that your child is in good hands as you watch the Aunties interact with every child with care and passion at the Grand Opening. A nurturing teacher-child relationship is crucial to promote strong bonds, warmth and positivity between educators and children, according to a research by Hamre BK and Pianta RC in 2001 on early teacher-child relationships and the trajectory of children’s school outcomes. Witness how every educator of the preschool is confident in handling children as all of them have received Montessori training. Besides, the low children-teacher ratio means your child’s development is properly monitored.

RSVP Now

TCH Bukit Jalil City will be looking forward to meeting you and your child at its Grand Opening. RSVP now and be prepared to be fully immersed in learning, the Montessori way! You will also be able to  enjoy more than RM1,000 in benefits when you enrol your child on the day!

Parents of Bukit Jalil rejoice! The children’s house is extending its welcome to you and your child! Situated in the heart of Bukit Jalil City, the centre’s strategic location is ideal for busy working parents in the vicinity of Bukit Jalil to send their children to a trusted preschool. The children’s house has absolute confidence in providing your child the best early years education.

Here are some things you should know about The children’s house:

Longest-established Montessori Preschool in Malaysia

Yes, you’ve read it right. Enroling your child in TCH means your child is in the most trusted hands of Malaysia’s longest-established Montessori preschool. It all started when Nan Civel, or fondly known as Aunty Nan opened the first TCH preschool in Damansara Heights. Inspired by Dr Maria Montessori, Aunty Nan developed great respect for the unique and magical minds of children. As she delved deeper into Early Childhood Education research to gain greater observation of children’s minds and the Montessori method, The Teacher’s House, a centre that provides in-house training was established where professional and trusted educators are trained to facilitate in the optimal learning and development of children.

Co-founder, Nur Jiwawati Anis fell in love in Early Childhood Education and began to involve herself in improving the quality of children’s experience in TCH by injecting creativity-inspiring ideas into the elements of the Montessori method. Educators of TCH highly value teamwork by working together as a family instead of co-workers while sharing the same ethics and respect. The TCH community always puts children first to ensure their development and well-being are taken care of by establishing a harmonious relationship between parents and educators.

 Standing Out From Other Preschools

Other preschools in Malaysia may have featured the Montessori Method but none are as comprehensive as The children’s house. The children’s house is Malaysia’s first ever preschool to adopt and apply the all-inclusive Montessori Method of education and it has positively impacted the country’s early childhood education landscape.

Your child will be immersed in the Montessori Method that is further enhanced by dedicated staff who care deeply for the development of children under their care. The co-founder is personally involved in uplifting the quality of children’s learning experience. Nur Jiwawati Anis has been researching and applying new ways to make each class more exciting and informative for the children. Rest-assured that you child is attending a preschool recognised for its evergreen high-quality Montessori education throughout the country.

Benefits of the Montessori Method

The children’s house believes in the Montessori Method and the benefits that it would bring to children in the long term. TCH has all the didactic materials needed to support the 5 core values in the Montessori Method: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Number Work and Culture.

In Practical Life, children are engaged in home-like activities that require them to utilise common materials like trays, jugs, bowls, spoons, ladles, tongs and dressing frames. These allow children to imitate common physical tasks such as carrying, scooping and transferring, enabling them to develop greater focus at tasks, movement coordination, sense of order as well as independence.

Sensorial materials help a child make sense of the environment. Materials are made to be multisensory, sequential and self-correcting to refine the child’s senses. Using Montessori-based language materials, children are able to gain better control of the writing instrument to easily form the letters of the alphabets using stereognostic sense in which a child feels an object and recognises it based on the feeling.

Number Work materials effectively help children master complex concepts like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division including zero, odd and even numbers. Culture activities ensure children have a better understanding of the world. There are also activities in the school that involve nature walks and talks, helping children develop an appreciation towards nature and life forms.

This method makes a child happier as learning is done in a rich and fun-filled environment that motivates children to enjoy learning. Here in TCH, children are given the freedom to choose their own materials and work, whereas teachers are only facilitators who guide children when necessary. This method allows children to explore their interests in various fields, giving them time and space to learn and develop skills on their own.

 Montessori Method Around the World

There are Montessori schools around the world like the Cambridge Montessori School (USA), Toronto Montessori Schools (Canada), Perth Montessori School (Australia), Seisen International School (Japan) and Oxford Montessori Schools (England). This shows that the Montessori Method is globally recognised and practised as an effective teaching method for crucial stages of life.

TCH is proud to utilise the method in the most fundamental stage of life – preschool. The Montessori method nurtures children to be well-rounded individuals who are confident, responsible as well as well-mannered and intelligent, which explains why it has a large presence in Malaysia as well as Singapore.

Visit Us at Our Grand Opening!

All parents want the best for their children, and TCH is ready to provide the best form of education that will shape children into well-rounded individuals ready to be leaders of tomorrow. Witness for yourself the enriching early years education TCH can offer at its Grand Opening on 20^th April (Saturday) of its latest preschool at Bukit Jalil City from 10am to 2pm. Bring your little ones along and let them experience the Montessori education through fun-filled activities. It’s going to be awesome!

Montessori learning through The children’s house

Every child is unique and is filled with an enthusiasm to explore the world around them. Each day in a child’s life is filled with the curiosity to learn something new. Hence, it is important that they find a caring environment that guides them on their individual path and inculcates a love for learning in them. This can only happen in a prepared environment where the child gets to work with materials that entice and engross his mind.

The children’s house recognises the uniqueness of your child and is as passionate about your little one as you are. Children in their first stage of development from 0 to 6 years are like learning sponges. They have incredible powers of absorption and every new thing that they experience during the early years is crucial for their physical, social, emotional and intellectual development.

Creating a loving and secure environment

The children’s house focuses on getting it right from the very beginning. We understand that your child needs to go through a separation from the caregiver in order to socialise and enter into a new routine of going to school. Hence, the Infant and the Pre-tots programme aim to provide a secure and loving environment for your child through a foundation of Caregiving, Play and Attachment in the curriculum.

While caregiving ensures respectful and responsive interactions with the infants and pre-tots, play greatly helps the children learn unconsciously. The programme includes engaging activities like Tots Art, Tots Music, Tots Read, Tots Gym, Tots Sensory Play and Sunshine Tots. Through a wide range of interesting activities, your child will acquire cognitive abilities, language skills, improved physical abilities, social and emotional skills required to be an active part of this world. Every activity is designed exclusively to stimulate the curiosity of your little ones as he progresses to the Toddler age group.

A child-centred approach to education

The environment at The children’s house is completely centred around your child. The Montessori method of teaching at Toddler, Preschool and Kindergarten levels provide a nurturing and non-competitive environment that focuses on the individual needs and development of every child. The school ensures that your child gets all the care and attention by keeping low teacher child ratios coupled with well-planned classrooms to avoid overcrowding. Trust is fostered through care and participation in activities like putting away toys and returning materials back to their places.

It encourages self-education, where children learn in a prepared environment, that provides them with activities and presents opportunities for exploration, investigation and problem-solving. Children are given the freedom to choose their activity and have the responsibility of returning the materials to their places. These experiences not only give the child a sense of security but also stimulate intelligence and promote physical and psychological development. Their natural desire to succeed is encouraged by repetitive activities which help them perfect the art until they achieve a great sense of satisfaction and joy.

Learning through a variety of engaging materials

Children are provided with an encouraging environment with materials aimed at covering all areas of development. The didactic apparatus is specially designed for every level of childhood development. They start from being simple and gradually move on to more complex materials. For example from colour box 1 (primary colours) for level 1 to colour box 2 (secondary colours) for level 2  and colour box 3 (shades of secondary colours) for level 3. In this way, children learn to advance smoothly from one level to another without being perplexed by missing links.

Programmes at every level in The children’s house aim to prepare your child for a smooth transition to the next level. Each activity is carefully designed to enhance the all-round development of your child. Given the fact that 90% of the brain development of a child happens before the age of five, it is important to understand that preschool is much more than just playing. Children start with concrete experiences and move on to abstract at a later stage. Concrete thinking is important for mental development as it provides a base for abstract thinking. Concrete experiences not only give children the ability to reason beyond limits but also help them interpret better.

Rich learning experience through Montessori 

By working independently on a wide variety of materials in a Montessori environment, children learn to make choices and develop problem-solving skills as they advance from one level to another. Their young minds first learn to explore, gradually developing the ability for abstract thinking. While the basic educational benefits of preschool (such as literacy and numeracy) are tangible, the advances children achieve towards becoming well-rounded individuals are truly invaluable.

The children’s house provides your child with an environment in which a skilled observer (teacher) gives him the freedom needed to orientate his personality while helping him maintain self-control. Above all, through all the activities we not only respect the individuality of your child but they also learn to respect the teachers and other children.