Children gathered around a pink floral birthday cake table with cupcakes and books, celebrating a birthday with an elderly woman overseeing the event in a room with large windows and city views.
A diverse group of young children sitting on the floor in a classroom, attentively listening to a woman who is teaching and raising her hand, with a long educational chart on the floor and a whiteboard behind her.
Children and an adult in a classroom using a microscope to observe and draw scientific images. The classroom has books, artwork, and educational supplies visible.
Two children, a boy and a girl, sitting at a table in a classroom, working on books and worksheets together.
Two boys working on an electronics project at a wooden table in a classroom. One boy is using a multimeter, and the other is observing. Tools and electronic components are spread out on the table.
Children sitting on the floor and working on a large illustrated timeline poster with animals and other illustrations in a classroom.
A young boy with brown hair and a gray sweater painting with watercolors at a wooden table, with art supplies and a colorful painted sheet in front of him, in a cozy indoor space.
Two girls are sitting at a wooden table in a classroom, engaging in a conversation. One girl has long dark hair and is wearing a white shirt, while the other girl has light brown hair, a blue shirt, and is using a laptop. There are books, a water bot

Elementary Program

6-12 Yrs (1st-6th Grade) - Offered at 89 Kent Ave

Full Day Hours: M-F 8am-3:30pm

Located at our Williamsburg – Kent Avenue campus, directly across from Marsha P. Johnson State Park, our Elementary Program is a bilingual Mandarin-English program.

“The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination.” 
-Maria Montessori

Program Highlights

Our Elementary classrooms are led by AMI Montessori-trained guides in beautiful, carefully prepared environments designed for children ages 6–12. Each classroom has both a Mandarin-speaking and an English-speaking teacher, allowing children to learn and communicate naturally in both languages.

Elementary builds upon the foundation of Primary, while reflecting an entirely new stage of development. Mathematics, language, history, geography, science, and the arts are deeply interconnected, awakening the Elementary child’s imagination and growing capacity for abstract thought.

Understanding the Second-Plane Child

Something remarkable happens around age six. The child who once asked, “What is this?” begins asking, “Why?”

Children from 6–12 are entering what Montessori called the Second Plane of Development. They are no longer primarily striving for physical independence; they are beginning a journey toward intellectual independence.

This is an age of enormous curiosity. Children want to understand where the universe came from, how civilizations developed, how numbers work, and why the world is the way it is.

Our role is not simply to give them answers. It is to open doors.

Teachers introduce children to great fields of knowledge and help them discover connections between ideas. A lesson in history may lead naturally to geography, mathematics, literature, science, or art. We want children to leave a lesson wanting to know more.

A Deeply Social Classroom

Elementary children are also intensely social. In Primary, children often work independently because this supports concentration. By Elementary, they naturally want to think, talk, question, debate, and create with others.

We don't fight this developmental change. We build upon it.

Much of the work happens in pairs and small groups. Children exchange ideas, solve problems together, and learn how to participate meaningfully in a community. These relationships are not separate from their education—they are part of it.

Fostering Curiosity About the Universe

The Elementary curriculum begins by giving children something very big: The Universe.

Through Montessori’s Great Lessons, children encounter the story of the universe, the formation of Earth, the development of life, human civilization, language, and mathematics. These sweeping stories ignite the imagination and open hundreds of possibilities for exploration and research.

Our academic program includes Mandarin and English language, mathematics, geometry, science, geography, history, cultural studies, and artistic expression. Children develop not only knowledge, but the ability to ask meaningful questions, conduct research, organize their thinking, collaborate, and follow their curiosity.

Optional after-school enrichment varies by semester and may include martial arts, film, coding, basketball, podcasting, chess and other areas of student interest.

Summer in Taiwan

Every other summer, Elementary students may spend a week at our sister school in Taipei, not as tourists, but as part of a real Montessori school day in Mandarin. They work, play, eat, and find their way in a classroom that already feels familiar, while families arrange travel and can build a wider trip around the week.
Learn about the Taiwan Elementary Exchange →

Exmissions: Middle School Placement Support

When Elementary ends, we walk families through the next step: ISEE and interview prep, application materials, school recommendations, and help finding a strong fit. Our graduates move on to a wide range of public, independent, and charter schools across New York City.
Exmissions at Ms. Lam →

Book an Elementary campus tour

In person · about 60 minutes · morning work period

A young girl sitting at a wooden table with various colorful educational cards and game pieces, engaging in a learning activity.
Two children working on math puzzles on the floor of a classroom, with shelves, desks, and other children in the background.
Two children are seated at a table in a classroom, working on hand-drawn diagrams of different geometric shapes and color illustrations, with papers spread out in front of them.
Two young children sitting on a wooden floor, engaged in learning activities involving Chinese characters. One girl is writing on a small note, and the other is looking at the characters on a blue board.
Children gathered around a table observing a model landscape with mountains and trees, some watering plants as part of a classroom activity.

Subjects in our Elementary classroom:

Language

Language skills form a foundation for much of the learning in other areas. At this age, reading, writing, speaking, and listening become keys to history, science, and all other aspects of our fascinating world.  As children explore a wide range of subject matter, our teachers guide the development of their writing and reading skills, in both Chinese and English. As reading ability advances, so does a child’s opportunities for independent learning. 

Mathematics

In the 3-to-6-year-old classroom, children received a concrete basis for mathematical concepts. Now, for the elementary-age child, math lessons can become more abstract.  As principles become clear, pencil and paper gradually replace manipulative materials.  Arithmetic, algebra, and geometry are presented in ways that they connect, make sense, and spark joy and mastery in our students.

Science and History

Children are told the ‘big stories’ of earth’s creation as a basis for understanding science and human history. Children from 6 to 12 have an innate interest in the world’s origins and the formation of stars, planets and the sun. Timelines, charts, and their own independent research help them pursue specific areas of interest. During the elementary years, children grasp a deep understanding of how our physical and human world has developed across time.

Artistic Expression

Children study the existence of artistic expression throughout human history and its importance in worldwide cultures. Art also becomes part of daily classroom life, when children make booklets and decorate timelines or charts as expressions of what they are learning. Singing, too, is integrated on a daily basis. Musical instruments are introduced in a weekly music class, as children explore the language of music. 

Physical Education

Growing bodies need continuing exercise to stay strong and reach their physical potential. Every day we ensure our elementary students have the opportunity to run, play, or practice specific skills. A park next door provides an ideal playground, with our school indoor space providing space on rainy days. A wide array of organized games and movement activities help 6-to-12-year old children grow healthy and strong.

Children at this age have boundless opportunity for learning, when their developing intellects combine with their limitless imaginations!

You as a parent…

As children begin developing a huge curiosity about the world around them, we ask parents to engage them in thinking and talking about the big questions they are beginning to face. We hope you’ll take your children to the library to explore their interests. We hope you’ll continue to read to them and discuss the topics that draw out their curiosity. Together, we’ll all embark on a journey of learning and exploration!

Elementary Program FAQ

  • Cosmic Education is Dr. Montessori's approach for children ages 6–12. Instead of teaching subjects in isolation, it presents knowledge as deeply interconnected — the history of the universe, the origin of human cultures, the relationships between math, language, science, and art. It is designed to meet the elementary child's natural hunger for big questions and abstract thinking.


  • Our Elementary program is built as a continuation of the Ms. Lam Primary experience. We are currently enrolling children with a Mandarin background for 1st grade. If you are considering enrollment for a child without a Montessori background, we recommend contacting our admissions team to discuss fit.

  • Each Elementary classroom is co-taught by one Mandarin-speaking teacher and one English-speaking teacher. In Lower Elementary, the split is roughly 80% Mandarin and 20% English — Mandarin remains the dominant language of the classroom. By Upper Elementary, that balance shifts to 50/50, with both languages given equal weight across subjects. Throughout both stages, children continue building literacy in Mandarin and English simultaneously, deepening their fluency in both as they grow.

  • Elementary children follow extended work periods where they pursue research, collaborative projects, writing, mathematics, and hands-on science. Throughout the day, children attend small group lessons tailored to their individual level across all subjects. Art, music, and PE are also part of the curriculum. Children also learn to manage their own work plans with guidance from their teachers — building the kind of self-direction and time management that stays with them long after they leave Ms. Lam.

  • Yes!We offer a rich variety of enrichment activities and after-school options that vary by semester. Please contact our Kent Avenue campus directly for current offerings.

Children and adults gathered outdoors around a small circle of stones, engaging in a group activity or game. The setting appears to be a park or urban outdoor space with trees and buildings in the background.
Three children in a classroom painting a large cardboard structure that resembles a Chinese pagoda or building with brick pattern. One girl in pink is holding a paintbrush and looking at the structure, another girl in white and pink is observing, and
Group of children outdoors wearing colorful 3D glasses, standing on grass with trees and a blue and white building in the background.
A teacher sitting at a wooden table with three students, engaging in a discussion in a classroom. The students have notebooks and pencils, and the teacher is speaking to them.

Schedule a tour with us to find out more about the program!

Schedule a tour