Montessori at Home: A How-To Guide For Parents

Most people have heard of Montessori education programs, but many don’t realize that Montessori’s theories are also concepts you can successfully incorporate at home. By making a few changes to your home environment, you can actually help encourage your child’s natural curiosity and ability to learn for years to come.

Organize Your Environment

When you  designate a place for everything , your child will quickly learn where everything goes. This is an essential tool in teaching them to be responsible for their belongings and clean up messes they may make. To effectively order your environment, the most significant change you’ll want to make is to make things more accessible for your child.

To do this:

In the Montessori approach , parents are also encouraged to rotate their children’s toys and books every few weeks. The goal of this is to keep their curiosity fresh and prevent boredom. This may seem overwhelming to some parents, but the best way to do it is to rotate the items on your shelves based on the seasons and your child’s current interests. Do they get excited about dinosaurs? Then include a basket of dinosaurs, as well as a few age-appropriate books on the shelves. Whatever topics interest your children, the key is to encourage exploration and creativity.

Emphasize Life Skills

Even young children are capable of pitching in around the house. By teaching them to take care of themselves and the space around them at a young age, you will set your child up to be a considerate, capable adult later on. This will mean that, as a parent, you may have to stop and take the time to teach your child how to properly wipe the table after a meal or which cabinet to place their cups in, but their minds are so absorbent that it won’t be long before they can do it independently.

Remember to match their tasks with their age and abilities. For example, younger children are perfectly capable of learning to water plants, feed pets, wipe the table after a meal and pick up their toys. Older children can incorporate more complex tasks into their routine, like taking out the trash, meal preparation, and basic home maintenance. You can also have them teach the younger children in your home, as well.

Teach Concentration

A lot of adults don’t think young children can concentrate, and it’s true that children cannot focus on something for the same timespan as adults. But, under the Montessori method of thought, this is a skill you can start cultivating in your child when they are young. You can do this by identifying what they are interested in and setting them up with the materials and space they need to explore it more thoroughly.

When people first start out, many times they incorrectly assume giving their child space means they have to have an isolated area away from the rest of the family. This is not true. While some children do need more solitude than others, it’s important to figure out how your child works best and then encourage that. Some children like to work at the kitchen table in the middle of the house. Others prefer the solitude of their bedroom or a quiet corner of a playroom.

Focus on Inner Motivation, Not Rewards

The Montessori method isn’t big on giving children extrinsic rewards for behavior, such as stickers or candy. Verbal praise is valued, although it’s important to make sure it is given in moderation. The key is that you should teach your children to enjoy and seek feelings of pleasure and pride that come with learning something new or completing a task.

As children grow, their level of play also evolves. To encourage their exploration of the world around them, there are a number of things you can do, including these three.

Keep Books and Toys on Low Shelves

Place a small selection of age-appropriate books and toys on low shelves — but no plastic toys. Keeping them on a low shelf will allow your toddler to help themselves to whatever catches their attention. Place each kind of toy in a different basket or bin so they start to learn everything has a rightful place. Rotate their toy and book selection every few weeks to keep things new and fresh.

Hang Interesting Artwork at Eye-Level

Whether it’s a print from one of the greats or a framed picture your child or an older sibling drew, exposing your toddler to art and beauty is a great way to stimulate their mind.

Create Seasonal Nature Trays

Each season, assemble a tray of items you’ve found outdoors for your child to touch and explore. When you include your child in collecting the items from your yard, this even becomes another moment for learning and exploration. Just remember to make sure the trays don’t contain anything that could be a choking hazard or make them sick if it ends up in their mouth. If you aren’t sure where to start with a nature tray, consider some of these seasonal ideas:

The idea behind the Montessori method is that you’ll expand on what you’ve already started as your child grows and develops. So, ideally, you would have already begun adapting your home and lifestyle to the Montessori method long before your child enters elementary school. If that’s the case, you can build on what you’ve already begun. If you haven’t, don’t worry — it’s never too late to start.

It’s important to note that implementing the Montessori method for your child at any age does take some advanced planning, but perhaps even more so with school-aged children. Practical activities such as cooking, cleaning, and reading are essential to incorporate into your home. Continue using the low shelves you used when your child was younger, but as they grow, exchange the toddler toys for puzzles, books, and other age-appropriate activities.

if you have a child who shows an artistic inclination, your shelves may contain a variety of paper and art supplies. If your child is into nature, you may continue to construct nature trays and incorporate books about the plants and animals in your region. For all children, reading is also highly encouraged. You may also want to create a reading corner — or at least a comfy chair — to be a designated quiet space for your children.

If you have several children of various ages, you’ll also want to spend time encouraging the older kids to help the younger ones by reading books and assisting with chores and other activities.

Interested in exploring a Montessori program for your child? Please contact us today! 

Text Source: Sapientia Montessori

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