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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!
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