Why child-led education – play, inquiry and rhythm – works from the early years to the teenage years, and how a private tutor makes it a practical, personalised choice.
Most parents think of play-based education as something that belongs in nursery or preschool. Sand trays, finger-painting, blocks and songs. Then, at five or six, the serious business of “real” learning begins: worksheets, spelling lists, and multiplication tables.
But research, and our own experience, says otherwise.
Children don’t stop learning best through play and exploration simply because they’ve turned six.
When adults guide play with clear learning goals and timely prompts, the gains are stronger and more reliable than leaving play entirely open-ended, and in areas like early maths they can even exceed traditional, teacher-led instruction.[1]
Approaches like Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf are famous for their Early Years programmes. Their core principles of independence, collaboration, imagination and rhythm demonstrate excellent outcomes well into the teenage years. For example, Montessori’s 6–12 “Great Lessons” and adolescent pathways, Reggio-inspired documentation in upper primary and middle years, and Waldorf’s upper-school “main lesson” blocks.[2]
The impact that these styles of teaching have on teenagers can’t be understated. Alice, a TI tutor, says that for children taken out of mainstream school and put into a Montessori-style environment is like watching a flower bloom:
“It is one of the most remarkable transitions I’ve seen in teenagers. The first 6 months are honestly like watching a flower bloom; they come out of school often quite withdrawn with little autonomy over their educational life, to genuinely the most immersed, creative humans that direct their own learning and educational pursuits. It is no exaggeration.”
Finn, a TI tutor who both attended and later taught at a Waldorf school, notes the same for older students:
“How many times have we sat in a classroom and thought, ‘What’s the point of this?’ Waldorf teaching finds the right content at the right time. Learners get to experience the world for themselves and grow beyond their existing knowledge and capacities beyond what exam boards look for.”
A full-time private tutor is uniquely placed to weave these together, borrowing the best bits from each and matching them to your child’s age, interests and family life.
Why parents love Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf
Montessori builds independence and focus and younger children work with hands-on materials that lead naturally into reading, writing and maths. For older years, Montessori expands into “Great Lessons” and research projects that encourage children to connect disciplines and take ownership of their learning. Studies show Montessori pupils often achieve stronger academic and social outcomes when the approach is delivered faithfully [2].
Reggio Emilia is about collaboration and documentation. In preschool, a child’s interest in birds might grow into weeks of group projects, drawings and observations. In older years, the same principles become multi-disciplinary research, portfolios and presentations. Harvard’s Making Learning Visible project has shown how powerful this method can be in primary and secondary classrooms, because it makes thinking visible and gives children a voice in their learning.[3]
Waldorf (Steiner) offers rhythm and imagination. Early childhood is filled with storytelling, craft and music, while older students study “main lessons” which can be weeks-long deep dives into history, science or the arts. The aim is to balance the growth of head, heart and hands together. [4]
Why mainstream schools borrow from them
You can already see the fingerprints of these approaches in many good schools. Reception classrooms often feature Montessori-style practical life corners. Learning journals and wall displays draw directly from Reggio-style documentation. And EYFS guidance itself insists on combining child-led play with adult-guided teaching, echoing all three philosophies.[5]
At the same time, these aren’t just niche philosophies. They each have global networks of dedicated schools. Today there are over 1,000 Waldorf schools and more than 2,000 Waldorf kindergartens in 83 countries, with Germany particularly strong in uptake. Montessori has more than 20,000 schools worldwide, from preschools to secondary settings, and Reggio Emilia - though rooted in Italy - has influenced municipal nurseries and independent schools across North America, Europe and Asia. Alumni include Prime Ministers, Nobel Prize–winners, royalty, Holywood actors, musicians, artists and megacorp CEOs.
So while the pedigree is clear, outside those dedicated settings, mainstream systems rarely take on the whole model. Child-led methods need long, flexible blocks, mixed-age groups and high adult/pupil ratios; most schools run fixed timetables, age sets and exams to prepare for. True Montessori, Reggio and Waldorf models also need specialist training, carefully prepared spaces and sustained documentation, which are hard to fund and maintain at scale. Inspection frameworks and parental pressure for quick, measurable results also nudge schools toward standardisation.
In short, while schools can adopt pieces, implementing the full depth of these models is difficult at scale. That’s why families who want the whole experience look to a private tutor – one professional educator who can run the genuine approach and keep it working around real family life.
Why these approaches matter for teenagers too
One of the biggest misconceptions is that like Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf are only for the early years. In reality, their principles carry right through adolescence, and in the teenage years there’s a shift from protecting curiosity in the classroom to giving young people real responsibility and opportunities to integrate their learning into the wider world.
Alice describes how, in adolescence, child-focused learning can shift to real-world, practical experiences:
“Montessori speaks of an ‘interior conquest of the child… to direct him as a human soul.’ In the teenage years, that spirit turns outward. The focus shifts from classroom-centred work to real, community-facing projects: a TED-style talk to locals on a passion topic; a student-written and performed play for the wider community; a peer-run book group that lasts for weeks.“
These are formative experiences that help teenagers channel their creativity into projects that matter beyond themselves.
Why a private tutor is different
A full-time tutor can design a programme that brings the best of Montessori, Reggio and Waldorf into your home – and adapt it as your child grows. In practice, that might mean:
- A Montessori-style “Great Lesson” on the origins of the universe, followed by a week-long science project.
- Reggio-style documentation of a teenager’s research into architecture, capturing sketches, notes and reflections in a portfolio.
- A Waldorf-style main lesson block on the Renaissance, blending history, art and storytelling.
It doesn’t stop at age six. A tutor can keep play, imagination and exploration alive in a way that still meets the academic Early Years guardrails of any given country, so there is no tension between child-led learning and formal outcomes - both are served.
Alice describes the real-life experiences of her teenage students:
“I’ve seen reluctant, disaffected teenagers turn into avid readers and craftsmen, some even running their own small businesses at 10-16 years old. I’ve seen a 9 year old girl write a 10,000 word short novel in a few sessions over a few weeks. I’ve seen a team of teenagers build a wooden boat and sail through the Black Sea over three months instead of taking GCSE exams - and still getting selected to top universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.”
The practical fit of a full-time private tutor is a huge bonus for globally mobile families. Lessons can be flexible around relocations, schedules or yacht season; siblings can be woven into projects; and bilingual immersion can run across homes and journeys.
Most importantly, 1:1 tutoring ensures the adult is always attentive, guiding play with intent – the very thing research shows makes the difference between play that’s fun and play that delivers measurable gains.
“We’ve all seen a child’s encyclopaedic knowledge of dinosaurs or football,” says Finn. “When passionate curiosity is engaged, learning becomes irresistible, and the right tutor can use that spark to open new areas of interest.”
A private tutor picks the education styles that suit your child best
Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Waldorf don’t have to be consigned to the nursery years. They have principles that scale with children to shape independence, creativity, collaboration and resilience through primary and secondary education.
With a private tutor, you don’t need to choose between them, or force your family into a school timetable that doesn’t fit. You can take the best of each model, at the right moment, in a way that makes sense for your child.
Is your child playing or learning? We think they should be doing both - not just at four, but at fourteen too.
Sources
- University of Cambridge (2022) Learning through ‘guided’ play can be as effective as adult-led instruction. Available at: https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/learning-through-guided-play-can-be-as-effective-as-adult-led-instruction (Accessed: 11 September 2025).
- Lillard, A.S., Heise, M.J., Richey, E.M., Tong, X., Hart, A. and Bray, P.M. (2017) ‘Montessori preschool elevates and equalizes child outcomes: A longitudinal study’, Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1783. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01783/full (Accessed: 11 September 2025).
- Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education (n.d.) Making Learning Visible. Available at: https://pz.harvard.edu/projects/making-learning-visible (Accessed: 11 September 2025).
- Edinburgh Steiner School (n.d.) Upper School: Main Lessons (PDF). Available at: https://www.edinburghsteinerschool.org.uk/custom/uploads/2017/07/US-Main-Lessons.pdf (Accessed: 11 September 2025).
- Department for Education (n.d.) Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework: for group and school-based providers. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68c024cb8c6d992f23edd79c/Early_years_foundation_stage_statutory_framework_-_for_group_and_school-based_providers.pdf.pdf (Accessed: 11 September 2025).
