Watch Me Work: How LGM Children Teach Their Families What Montessori Really Means
By Lefferts Gardens Montessori | Brooklyn, NY | 4 min readEvery year, something remarkable happens inside our classrooms at Lefferts Gardens Montessori.
Parents walk through the door expecting a school event. What they find instead stops them in their tracks — their child, standing at the front of the room, confidently teaching them.
This is our "Watch Me Work" event — one of the most powerful experiences we offer at LGM, and one of the clearest windows into what Montessori education truly means.
Every Child, Every Age — Their Own Lesson
What makes Watch Me Work so special is that it happens across every age group, from our youngest Toddlers (ages 2–3) all the way through our Elementary students (ages 6–10). And every single child presents at their own level.
A two-year-old might carefully show a parent how to sort objects by color. A five-year-old walks their family through a geography puzzle of the continents. An eight-year-old explains a mathematics concept using the very materials they work with every day.
There are no scripts. No rehearsed performances. Each child simply shares what they have been learning — in their own words, at their own pace, in their own way.
That is Montessori.
Beyond Play: Children as Confident, Capable Individuals
One of the most common questions we hear from Brooklyn parents visiting LGM for the first time is: "Is it really just play?"
Watch Me Work answers that question better than any brochure ever could.
When a four-year-old stands before their family and teaches a lesson — explaining materials, demonstrating a concept, answering questions — parents see something they may not have expected: their child as a thinking, capable, independent individual.
This is what we work toward every single day inside our classrooms. Not just academic knowledge, but the deep confidence that comes from truly mastering something. The self-belief that says: I learned this. I can show you. I matter.
For many families, Watch Me Work is the moment they truly understand why they chose Montessori.
What Montessori Classrooms Actually Look Like
In a traditional school, parents learn about their child's progress through report cards and parent-teacher conferences. At LGM, we believe the most powerful report card is watching your child in action.
Our classrooms are carefully prepared environments where children move freely, choose their work, and build focus and independence over time. The Montessori materials you'll see children presenting — from language cards and math beads to science observation journals and geography puzzles — are not toys. They are precisely designed learning tools that take children from the concrete to the abstract, from the simple to the complex.
When your child presents one of these materials to you, they are not just showing you an activity. They are showing you months of practice, curiosity, and growth.
Why This Matters for Your Child's Future
Research on Montessori education consistently shows that children who learn in child-led environments develop stronger executive function, deeper intrinsic motivation, and greater social-emotional skills than peers in traditional settings.
But you don't need a research paper when you can see it yourself.
A child who teaches their parent a lesson at age five is developing the same skills they will use to lead a presentation at age twenty-five. They are learning that their voice matters. That their ideas are worth sharing. That they are not just a student — they are a learner, a thinker, an individual.
At Lefferts Gardens Montessori, we have been nurturing that belief in Brooklyn children since 1973.
Come See It for Yourself
Watch Me Work is just one of the ways our families experience the LGM difference. If you are exploring Montessori schools in Brooklyn for your child, we warmly invite you to visit our classrooms and see this learning environment in person.
We serve children ages 2–10 in our Toddler, Preschool, and Elementary programs, located in the Prospect-Lefferts Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn.
📍 527 Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225
📞 718-773-0287
🕐 Monday–Friday, 7:45am – 6pm
Closest subway: B/Q/S to Prospect Park · 2/5 to Sterling Street or Winthrop Street
Lefferts Gardens Montessori has been serving Brooklyn families since 1973. We are a proud affiliate of the American Montessori Society (AMS), offering Toddler (ages 2–3), Preschool (ages 3–6), and Elementary (ages 6–10) programs in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn.