Absolutely. Montessori was very clear about the environment meeting the needs of each child. If a child is in an environment that does not meet their needs, deviations in behaviour can occur. In many elementary classes the Great Lessons are given at the beginning of an academic year. If this is the case and it is known that a child will most likely be transitioning within the next few months, invite that child to the Great Lessons. This can be done by an elementary child.  

In schools that Montessori helped design the advice was to have limited separations, if any, between the different environments so that a child had the possibility to move from environment to environment, depending on their interests and abilities. In those early schools there was either no separation between groups – except perhaps some shelves of materials – or glass walls with doors which children could use as they chose. Some children approaching time to transition may visit the elementary class for some particular lesson, or activity. Those visits can be become longer and longer until the child has transitioned herself.

If we think of the various needs of children, intellectual, social, emotional, etc., some of these needs are being met in one environment, other needs being satisfied in a different environment.

When the adults can make it possible for a child to move when they are ready – not when the teachers, administrators or parents are ready – then transitions can happen quite smoothly. For schools that follow this advice, children freely move from environment to environment without any difficulty and the entire process of transitions can happen easily.

We must always remember: For whom does the environment function? For the child or for the adults?