Apple Montessori Schools in New Jersey identify children’s strength and help them hone those skills in a way that is unique to them. And while Apple Montessori promotes independence and allows students to learn at their own pace, they also understand the importance of teaching children cooperative learning and teamwork at an early age.

Group and team building activities in the classroom can nurture social and emotional skills; language and literacy skills; fine motor skills; cognitive skills; and creative expressions through music skills. A child’s interaction with others at school can also help build social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making.

The earlier we allow our children to socialize and realize the importance of teamwork and cooperative learning, the more prepared they will be to work in group settings throughout the course of their life.

Unlike typical classrooms, Montessori schools combine students of different ages and allow them to interact and build off of each other’s development while also finding their own path to success. Building relationships with children of various ages as opposed to being around only one grade level all of the time will diversify a child’s social skills and teach them how younger children look up to older children and how older children are supposed to be a good example for younger children.

Children are urged to learn at their own pace at Apple Montessori Schools, and that goes for learning social and teamwork skills as well. A child’s level of interaction with others will never be forced at Apple Montessori, rather, the comfort and flexibility of the Montessori environment that allows children to be themselves and naturally creates a relaxed atmosphere that facilitates relationship building amongst students.

Montessori schools also often times have smaller, more focused classrooms that can be less overwhelming for children who are experiencing this type of setting for the first time. Having fewer students to meet all at once at Apple Montessori Schools makes cooperative learning and building teamwork skills more manageable.

Outside of school, signing children up for group athletics and clubs are also great ways to improve their cooperative learning and teamwork skills.