Montessori At Home
The return of your investment in Montessori will be enhanced if there is a consistency between home and the child's classroom. This does not mean put the Montessori materials in your living room. It means taking the Montessori perspective. With this perspective your attitude, your pace, your expectations and the limits you establish for your child will be in keeping with the principals that Maria Montessori developed for her teachers to gain. This perspective you can read Montessori writings, attend Montessori information evenings.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if the sensitive period for order, which the child experiences, means that he will suddenly keep his room as neat as a pin.
- Take a good look at his room; does he have too many things out at a time? Is your child using everything? For example, keep out one puzzle, one set of stencils and one or two games.
- Does your child have shelves on which to place his toys? While toy boxes encourage confusion and chaos, a simple shelf can encourage a child to take better care of his toys.
- Does your child have suitable containers for toys? Save shoeboxes, ice cream containers – anything sturdy to store cars, blocks, dolls clothes etc
- Can your child use the bathroom without help? Keep a sturdy stool handy, which the child can use to get to the toilet or reach for his toothbrush. Adjust cupboards so those shelves are low and within his reach. A low mirror will enable him to look at himself and comb his hair. Keep small utensils in the kitchen – like a small pitcher of juice in the fridge and glasses stored low for independent snack.
Remember! Order out of chaos does not come easily, but it does come – if parents act early to help, our children work to the end.
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