How to Bring Montessori Educational Principles Into Your Home
The Montessori educational philosophy is usually reserved for the lucky few children whose parents both live in range of a Montessori academy and can afford the usually steep tuition. And this is unfortunate, because Montessori education offers a massive array of positive benefits. And every child deserves to receive the positive influence of Montessori philosophy in their upbringing.
Here’s the good news: you can absolutely bring the best of Montessori education into your home to use in raising your children. A few particular principles will prove most helpful in guiding you from wherever you are to a home situation in which you and your children have created a thriving mini-Montessori. In this article, we’re going to take a look at three principles in specific: 1. Have your children spend as much time as possible outside in and learning about nature. 2. Choose the toys your children use with care. Err on the side of fewer toys, and make sure those toys are made out of natural materials like wood. 3. Arrange things in your home so your children can guide their own explorations. Store everything they might need in easy reach of their short bodies and encourage them to follow their interests naturally. Let’s take a closer look at what each of those points involves.
Do everything you can to get your children out in Nature. Montessori places a huge emphasis on Nature for young children. The goal is for them to develop a tight, strong bond with the natural world. There are many reasons for this. Among them: the children will likely be healthier (from all that sunshine and fresh air), calmer (Nature moves at a much calmer rhythm than television, say) and more confident (because they will feel the sane connection that runs from the Sun and the Earth through to their own bodies walking around on the Earth’s surface). From taking them on nature walks to park visits, constantly seek ways for your children to spend more time outdoors and in nature. This is a hugely important piece of the puzzle–bring Montessori into your children’s lives by getting them outside.
Next, when it comes to the toys your children play with, Montessori has a lot to say. First off, they’re not toys; they’re materials. That’s the Montessori word for the tools children use to do their important developmental work. This doesn’t mean that your children can’t have fun, but it does mean that you need to respect the games children play when they’re using their materials. Second, minimize the number of toys your children have. Clutter leads to overwhelm, confusion and stress. Select a choice few toys, and make sure that they’re made out of wholesome, non-toxic, natural materials like wood, fabric and string. The toys your children play with absolutely matter–they will influence your child’s development in a positive or scattered direction depending on the intention you put into selecting their toys and facilitating their play. Take a lesson out of the Montessori book and really take care as you provide beautiful, meaningful toys for your children.
Montessori places a huge emphasis on the environment in which children live and learn. A cluttered, chaotic environment has a negative influence on the children. Your job as the parent is simple: keep the environment clean and uncluttered, and store everything the children might need in the course of their learning activities in easy reach of their little arms. Use simple shelving to give your kids full access to their supplies and materials. This way, they’ll be able to guide their own learning. And this will help them develop naturally, which is one of the core tenets of the Montessori philosophy.
Hopefully that doesn’t sound too complicated. Does it? It’s very straightforward to incorporate Montessori principles into the home. All it takes is a little attention to detail and a reorientation to some core Montessori ideas. While you may have to learn some new habits and attitudes in order to bring the Montessori method into your home, I assure you that your hard work will absolutely pay off. Your kids will benefit hugely, and you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that you’re doing a fantastic job at encouraging the natural development of your kids’ full capacities.
Head here if you’d like to learn more about Montessori methods at home. You’ll find lots of extra resources about how to bring Montessori home here.
March 18, 2011 | Posted by Matthew Findley
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