Peace Day at our kindergarten in Phnom Penh
Peace begins with little hearts. Today our children learned the difference between war and peace, and how we love one another as human beings.
The 21st of September is the International Day of Peace, and at Orange Crest — a Montessori preschool and kindergarten in Toul Kork, Phnom Penh — we spent the morning on the biggest idea a kindergarten can teach, in words small enough for our youngest.
Learning what war means
Peace only makes sense next to its opposite. So the lesson began with one honest picture of war on the classroom screen, and a question for the children about what they saw. The hands went up at once.
Peace is family
Then the screen changed to Peace – Love, and to the pictures a young child understands best: families, people holding each other, grandparents and grandchildren. Peace, for a kindergarten child, starts with the people you come home to.
Peace is sharing
Peace – Sharing brought it into the classroom: the toy you pass on, the turn you wait for, the snack you split. The kind of peace a child can practise before lunch.
Peace is love
The picture at the top of this page is the one we will remember. One child did not wait to be asked: up they went to the screen to show everyone what peace and love looked like, while the teacher sat alongside and let them lead.
Why a Montessori kindergarten teaches peace
Peace education is not an extra in a Montessori kindergarten. Maria Montessori, who designed the method our kindergarten follows, was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and wrote that “establishing lasting peace is the work of education.”
Big on Character. Close as a Family. At Orange Crest, character is taught as deliberately as letters and numbers — and Peace Day is one of the clearest days in the year to see that in a classroom.
Looking for a kindergarten in Phnom Penh?
Orange Crest is an international Montessori and IEYC preschool and kindergarten in Toul Kork, Phnom Penh, for children from 15 months to 6 years. Our kindergarten class, Giraffe, is full Montessori for ages 3 to 6, full day 08:00–15:30, taught in English and Khmer.
The best way to judge any kindergarten is to see a morning in it. Tours run during school hours, Monday to Friday 07:30–17:00 and Saturday 08:00–12:00. If you would rather try before deciding, a trial month is $500, fully offset against the fees when you enrol.
More from the school
Other posts
- 5 October 2026Learning about Pchum Ben at our preschool in Phnom PenhIn celebration of Pchum Ben, the children at our Montessori preschool in Toul Kork, Phnom Penh learned the traditional way of making and rolling Bay Ben rice balls — and what the festival itself means.
- 4 October 2026Pchum Ben offer: one month for $500 in Phnom PenhOur Pchum Ben offer: a full month in a real class at Orange Crest in Toul Kork, Phnom Penh for $500 instead of $699, with 50% off the enrolment fee and a free set of uniform. It runs until 30 October 2026.