Maria Montessori believed in developing the child holistically, that is, Physical, Intellectual, Language, Emotional and Social (PILES) and she devised 5 main areas in the prepared environment to achieve this. These are as follows :
- Practical Life : Real life activities are introduced and it is through these that the child also learns about care of self, for others and the environment as well as grace and courtesy. These are usually the first to be introduced as they are the simplest and develop concentration, independence and co-ordination of movement. This provides a good base in order and logic required by other areas in the prepared environment.
- Sensorial : This area concentrates on developing the child's senses by giving them opportunities to work "hands on" with different materials in a concrete way, such as color, textures, forms etc.
- Literacy : The child uses specialised materials that give structure to language as well as developing writing and reading skills.
- Mathematics : Throughout the curriculum the child is introduced to simple mathematic ideas, like sequencing etc. This area specifically teaches the child basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with materials in a more concrete manner.
- Cultural: This area encompasses the subjects of Science, History, and Geography giving the child a basic knowledge through concrete activities.
- Foreign Languages: French, Italian and Spanish are introduced in a fun, exciting manner through games, stories, and songs.
- Music and Movement: This area develops gross motor skills and introduces the concepts of music by giving the child basic knowledge of rythm, tempo etc through fun activities
