Cart is empty It’s no secret that getting your kids to put down the screens and head outdoors can be a bit of a challenge. But there are plenty of fun activities that the whole family can enjoy together!
Other Parents Can’t Stop Talking About Playgarden Prep Online!
Playgarden Prep is an online educational program that helps parents get their children ready for kindergarten. The program includes games, activities, and resources that teach children the skills they need to be successful in school.
10 Children-Friendly Ways To Plant A Garden
Planting a garden is a wonderful way to spend quality time with your children. It’s also an opportunity to teach them about the food they eat and where it comes from. This article offers 10 tips for starting a garden that’s safe for kids to
Top 10 Montessori Aligned Toys That Will Grow With Your Child
So you’ve noticed montessori toys can be expensive huh? We have too! So we put together this list to help you find the top 10 montessori toys that will grow with your child so that you don’t end up wasting money!
Number 10
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The number 10 product on our list is a weather based clock! You can begin teaching your young one about time, the weather, seasons, the days of the weeks and the months and have them move the indicator on top to each day of the month which also helps with counting. This toy covers so many things we couldn’t skip it!
Number 9
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The number 10 product on our list is a weather based clock! You can begin teaching your young one about time, the weather, seasons, the days of the weeks and the months and have them move the indicator on top to each day of the month which also helps with counting. This toy covers so many things we couldn’t skip it!
Number 8
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The number 10 product on our list is a weather based clock! You can begin teaching your young one about time, the weather, seasons, the days of the weeks and the months and have them move the indicator on top to each day of the month which also helps with counting. This toy covers so many things we couldn’t skip it!
Number 7
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The number 10 product on our list is a weather based clock! You can begin teaching your young one about time, the weather, seasons, the days of the weeks and the months and have them move the indicator on top to each day of the month which also helps with counting. This toy covers so many things we couldn’t skip it!
Number 6
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The number 10 product on our list is this pretend vacuum. Yes, you might say, “But this is pretend play!” I know that Montessori doesn’t encourage that till about age 6 but I believe that with a little creativity you can use it in different ways, maybe as a push toy when the baby first starts walking, you can use the shapes to count, individually or as you “suck them up” or just enjoy vacuuming along with mom or dad.
Number 5
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The number 10 product on our list is a weather based clock! You can begin teaching your young one about time, the weather, seasons, the days of the weeks and the months and have them move the indicator on top to each day of the month which also helps with counting. This toy covers so many things we couldn’t skip it!
Number 4
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The number 10 product on our list is a weather based clock! You can begin teaching your young one about time, the weather, seasons, the days of the weeks and the months and have them move the indicator on top to each day of the month which also helps with counting. This toy covers so many things we couldn’t skip it!
Number 3
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The number 10 product on our list is a weather based clock! You can begin teaching your young one about time, the weather, seasons, the days of the weeks and the months and have them move the indicator on top to each day of the month which also helps with counting. This toy covers so many things we couldn’t skip it!
Number 2
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The number 10 product on our list is a weather based clock! You can begin teaching your young one about time, the weather, seasons, the days of the weeks and the months and have them move the indicator on top to each day of the month which also helps with counting. This toy covers so many things we couldn’t skip it!
Number 1
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The number 10 product on our list is a weather based clock! You can begin teaching your young one about time, the weather, seasons, the days of the weeks and the months and have them move the indicator on top to each day of the month which also helps with counting. This toy covers so many things we couldn’t skip it!
Top 5 Reasons You Should Start Montessori at Home Today
With dozens of reasons why, let’s narrow it down to the top 5 reasons why you should consider raising your child with the Montessori philosophy
1. Independence
We are all busy parents, I’m sure you are too, with laundry lists of to-do’s and activities it’s sometimes had to even take a full breath. Well here is your moment, let’s take a breath together and focus on this number one reason to raise your child the montessori way. Kid’s who grow up Montessori aligned often times gain more independence at an earlier age, freeing up you to sit back and watch them learn, instead of later having to attempt to force them to learn. A win for you and your child!
2. Attention Span
It’s no secret that kids who are raised Montessori aligned have longer attention spans and can more deeply focus on their work. By letting them explore and play deeper and more engaged your child will be able to focus longer on the things they want to and will get more out of that time.
3. Excitement Around Learning
I don’t know about you, but I never liked being told when to learn about what topic. This really hampered my excitement about learning. Maybe you feel the same? With Montessori at Home our goal is to let our kids explore the topics and interests at their own pace, when the time comes. This encourages learning and makes learning more fun!
4. Curiosity
Guiding children into stimulating toys and activities seems to spark more curiosity about the everyday world that surrounds them. Kids innate response to many things is to mimic, so when your little one watches you brush you teeth, for example, let them do it too! They want to mimic you, allowing them to fully engage in the activities they see you do encourages them to try more things!
5. Well Mannered, Calm Children
I’m sure everyone’s goal is to raise a well mannered kid, but what I have seen from older kids who have grown up either at home or in a Montessori school is that they have a respect not only for other but also for themselves. Another goal is to let them explore what they need when they need and that leads to less temper tantrums and an overall more calm child (except when they are over tired! lol We still haven’t figured this one out yet)
Bonus: Confidence Building
When we consider play as work and let them explore whatever sense they need when they need to and they are not taught it is wrong to be curious or interested in some other thing at this exact moment it gives kids the confidence they will need later in life to know that the path they are on is unique and there is nothing wrong with that.
Thanks for Reading
How To Get Started Raising a Montessori Aligned Child
Montessori isn’t the only way to raise your kid, it’s not even the “correct” way (spoiler alert: there is no correct way to raise a mindful child). Montessori is just one of the different but wonderful approaches you can take towards the growth and development of your child. Just as there is not one path of child education there is also no “one way to start montessori” but this article aims to guide you on a path education and then implementation, because we can’t follow the montessori approach without knowing first what it is.
The Montessori approach focuses on allowing the child to explore and develop at their own pace in ideally a safe and sometimes kid sized environment, using natural materials, aka toys, that focus on motor skills and cognitive development. Dr Montessori’s mantra was “Follow the Child” and we follow this mantra by letting the kid lead and the parents/teachers guide the education. The child is also very encouraged to take part in everyday activities that happen around the home like helping to tidy up or wash something in the sink or even chop some food and help to prepare the family meal. The combination of these things help to raise a little independent human. Its really cool to see a montessori kid in action they are so self resilient. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key pillars of a Montessori Aligned approach to life education.
5 KEY CONCEPTS
click the arrow to expand each key
1. Prepared Environment
As with most things in life setting your little one up for success is probably the most important concept of parenting in general. Montessori is no exception, providing your child with a space that is accessible to them and is organized and clean gives them the best opportunity to learn. Having furniture that is appropriately sized, toys that are engaging and are accessible at their level is considered Montessori
2. Parent/Teacher as a Guide
Probably my favorite part of montessori and hopefully yours too is letting the child find and explore what interests them! Typical classroom education is always a batch of kids learning the same thing at the same time and if they are uninterested or bored the school system blames them for their own style of teaching’s shortcomings. The Montessori approach is quite the opposite as kids are encouraged to explore and educate themselves about the things they are finding the most interesting at any given time. The common misconception is that this is a laissez faire approach but actually kids want to learn if you just let them find what interests them. The parent or teacher guides them with new materials and educational games but never pressures them into learning about something particular and the kids often learn a lot more when they are actually interested in the topic.
3. Materials
When we think of Montessori Materials we often see pictures of perfect shelves on instagram, everything organized in bins, laid out on a mat. While this is generally good practice to keep kids organized, anything that helps kids learned should be considered as materials. There is not right or wrong toy or product as long as the child is learning something from it. It’s generally thought that anything with batteries is not Montessori but also b
Montessori Materials A.K.A. Toys are beautiful simple and inviting. They are usually made from wood and other natural materials and are laid out in a strategic way to invite the child to play. In a Montessori classroom each activity is in its own basket or container in a specific place. With practice, of course, the child learns to take this off the shelf, play with it, and put it right back where it belongs. This may seem so out of reach but when the space is set up strategically the child learns where things go and loves to put them back, giving them a sense of accomplishment and building their confidence.
4. Practical Life
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5. Self Care
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If these concepts sound aligned with a parenting style you would like to incorporate at home and in your children’s education the chances are you and your child will benefit from a montessori aligned parenting/education style. This blog aims to help parents along their journey by answering a lot of the common questions parents have. I do want to point out that following every single little last detail to the T about montessori at home and in education does not have to be followed so strictly. You could have some other style of parenting and education mixed in with montessori style. The sky is the limit. Another thing I see a lot of parents getting hung up on is the stuff, the products, the brands, the shelves, the organization, the Instagram pictures and so on. Most of these things are not real life, please don’t get caught up in those thing, remember, the most important reason why you are investing in your child is to raise them to be a responsible, caring and independent adult. I was once told, “don’t raise the child, raise them as the adult they will soon become.” I thought that was great advice! Hopefully you do too!
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Is Montessori right for your child?
This is the Book to read!
This book is regarded as many as the master guide of Montessori at Home and the author is the one being interviewed in the video above if you want to meet her in video format! But if you are serious about starting montessori education for your child this is the best place to start!
Thanks for Reading
