Prospective parents often ask, “What can we do to implement the Montessori approach to education at home, to better prepare our child for your classroom?” The simple and immediate response is: help them to foster their independence.
One of the best ways to help children is to let them help you: with the dishes and the groceries, with the laundry and with the cleaning. Anything they see you do, they want to do it too.
For us, it is often about completing the task, but for them, it is about the processes involved. They enjoy the process, and learn from the routines.
As Montessori never tired of expressing, children want to be independent. It’s their natural state. They only need to be afforded the opportunity, and they’ll flourish.
Here are a few practical things you can implement at home:
- Create an environment for your child in which they have responsibilities. An example might be, a plant to water, or goldfish to feed.
- Display their activities on an organized shelf and ensure that when they’re finished with these activities, they put them back. You can rotate these activities out periodically.
- Change out artwork or pictures on a regular basis – perhaps offer different seasonal themes. Keep things fresh and interesting. Meet their inquisitiveness ahead of time.
- Make everything accessible. For example, in the kitchen, try to create a space that is just for them. A place where their dishes and silverware are readily accessible.
Again, and most importantly, help your child find their own independence – before Montessori, so to speak.
Baan Dek
An incredible Montessori foundation for children and an inspirational resource for teachers and parents.