Families working with me constantly ask me where to buy Montessori materials and toys in…
Join our peaceful and very welcoming playgroup.
Where: Sutton village hall, 20,High street, SG19 2NJ
When: every Monday 9.30 to 11am (not during half-term unless specified)
Drop in £4/child, £1/sibling
How to find us? The village hall is situated on the high street in Sutton (Sutton is near Potton). We are on the same side as the school (you can try the school postcode SG19 2NE ). There is a Roman bridge with a stream on the road in Sutton, it is safe to cross 😉
Free for babies under 8 months. Tea, coffee and light snacks included.
Montessori family playgroups are an opportunity for children and their parents/caregivers to learn together in a Montessori prepared environment.
No need to book to visit our playgroup but if you want to be updated about Montessori and what I offer locally to families, please sign up to my newsletter.
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Parents and children interact alongside a Montessori trained guide who uses the environment to facilitate the interaction.
The prepared environment allows the child to have a wide range of social and physical experiences.
Within the environment, and with the support of his caregivers, the child will become more confident and independent.
In the “Montessori family” class, you will be presented to Montessori material and carefully chosen toys that allow your child to be an active and independent learner.
We will take time to observe your child, understand his/her needs and learn how to interact with him when he plays. The environment will nurture your child’s need of independence, his sensibility to order, movement and language.
The session includes introduction to process art activities and sensory activities. Here, the process is important, not the end result. We don’t do a piece of art, we enjoy a sensorial experience.
We encourage the children to prepare their own snack, such as cutting fruits, spreading butter on crackers and pouring their own drink.
Finally, we end the group with songs, finger play and storytelling.
During the class, the parent will be a careful observer of his child.
Carine runs a very well organised group offering a unique chance to learn about the world of Montessori. My boy (3) loves the sessions. Lots of arts and crafts and ideas for to try at home. Highly recommend! One of the best local Pre school groups around.
Caroline O.
It is a very calm and inviting playgroup with lots of great activities. My 4 year old and 22 month old both love it and the themes and focus change each week. You can pick up ideas to use at home and Carine knows lots about the Montessori approach if you want to learn more.
Emma A.
I am a childminder and bring children aged between 1 and 6 to this group. They all love coming. The set -up is very inviting with lots of open-ended activities to enjoy. The atmosphere is calm and relaxed and Carine is welcoming and helpful. A wonderful group.
Lucy W.
I have twin boys that have just turned 2, they are fully engaged for the whole of the time they are at the playgroup and it’s given me some great ideas to try at home too. It’s a very warm and welcoming atmosphere and I love the time I get to spend with my boys seeing their independence grow each week.
Carly T.
The play group at Sutton is excellent! A great range of activities which keep my toddler entertained. Thanks Carine!
Kim C.
My daughter really enjoyed the Montessori Family playgroup, which we did regularly from the time she was 8 months old to almost 2 years old. Carine is educated in and very knowledgeable about Montessori. She answered my ongoing questions thoroughly and I got a wealth of information through her and her informal discussions about what toys to get my child, what activities to do with her and how to apply the Montessori principals at home. As a baby my daughter really enjoyed the different toys. As a toddler it was wonderful to see her get absorbed in and focus on an activity. There was always a great variety of activities and toys with changing themes every week, yet regular toys and activities for consistency and to allow the child to get to know them well. It was a breath of fresh air for us to find and partake in such a calm, child-led playgroup. It was also great for our relationship, as the ethos was for us to do a lot of the activities together. It was a wonderful way of enjoying and getting to know my daughter as she grew and developed. I highly recommend this playgroup.
Elizabeth H.
My son really enjoyed Carine’s Montessori-family sessions, and as a first time mum I learned lots from Carine’s very informative handouts.
Julie R.
What do I expect from a play session I pay for? To have a purpose, and this purpose should be about developing the child. I want to see that my child learns something new beside enjoying herself. She may find something new herself or I show her something from the materials available in the given Montessori-family workshop. It is fantastic to see how my daughter finds new ways playing with an educational toy while time passes by. I totally feel this class is value for my money.
Anita A.
Carine is very passionate about the Montessori philosophy. She takes a very structured approach at every workshop/session she conducts at the Montessori family parents – children playgroup. She runs multiple theme bases sessions such as baby calm, toddle calm, language development, encouraging independence in babies and toddler. I did attend a few sessions and I was very pleased with the entire experience. I have learnt a lot of things in the sessions and practice them at home. Not to mention it is reasonably priced. Would strongly recommend Montessori family playgroup.
Prema T.
We’ve been attending Montessori Family playgroup sessions for a while now, and what I love about it is that it is completely heuristic and child-led yet parents are very present too and can intervene when needed. The space is not imposing and crowded, so the toy/learning stations are in good rotation.
It is not too noisy either, which is conducive to learning during play. The toys are very well thought out, and we love exploring the everyday stuff that can be found at home as well. The weekly themes are very helpful to take away and recreate as well.
All round, a fantastic experience for a child to explore in relative peace at their own pace in their own way! Not being rushed into moving on to something else, and being reassured that sharing is not to be imposed upon them makes it even more peaceful, and it’s wonderful to have an instructor with a knowledge of child development reminding parents of these, so expectations are uniform.
Respect for the child is paramount, and it’s wonderful being in an environment where this is actively encouraged. A wonderful and different playgroup that is so focused on the child. Highly recommended!
Jacky H.
Montessori Classes are more than a “Play and Learn” group in a tidy and relaxed atmosphere (which is a nice break from loud and chaotic toddlers’ common places).They give you practical tools to understand your child’ s development and needs, educational tips to learn through heuristic play and how to chose toys (budget saving!).It also provides information about implementing the Montessori principals at home and in your life style. Changing my home settings and the way I approach ‘play time’ had an immediat and positive impact on my child’s behaviour, and created more opportunities to share and bound with her rather than going through the daily household tasks with struggle.
Thank you Carine for sharing with us the Montessori legacy. Parent need this life changing knowledge.
Julianne W.
