Much has been said and written about the Montessori education philosophy. Montessori education has many fans, but it has also received its fair amount of criticism. It has been criticized for placing way too much emphasis on kids, failing to “reign-in” kids, and its absence of standardised outcomes.
The Montessori method, however, has stood the test of time. Studies undertaken on this education philosophy have found that kids enrolled in Montessori programs have better academic outcomes, notably in math and science scores.
Other studies have found that Montessori-schooled kids are more creative, have a higher sense of community, have more advanced social skills, and are more likely to have a sense of justice and equity than kids enrolled in traditional schools. The book “Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius”, provides evidence suggesting that scientific research significantly supports Montessori’s major insights.
The bad news is that most families cannot afford a Montessori education. Ironically, Montessori education started off as a philosophy to help Italy’s poorest kids. Today, it is way too costly for most parents. There is good news, however. The principles underlying the Montessori method are quite simple and many of these can easily be applied at home.
Below we explore 10 Montessori principles using 10 famous Montessori quotes to help you adopt a holistic approach to parenting:
1 | “Help me to help myself.”
One of Montessori’s principle beliefs is that provided with the right environment and the right tools, kids can accomplish much by themselves.
How to become a Montessori parent
• Ensure that you only give kids tools they can easily manipulate.
• If your home is organised in a way that enables kids to reach objects, they are more likely to participate in everyday activities. For instance, using low shelves for toys enables kids to put away their toys by themselves.
• When we provide kids with clothing that enables them to dress up by themselves (for instance, no zippers no shoe laces, etc.), the less help they need to dress. However, we need to be attentive to kids’ ages. As kids grow older, being able to manipulate zippers and shoe laces helps them develop a sense of success.
• Choose clothes that allow your child freedom of movement.
2 | “The simplicity or imperfection of external objects often serves to develop the activity and the dexterity of the pupils.”
Many education philosophers agree with Montessori’s idea that kids do not need expensive toys. Montessori education believes that it is important to let kids explore objects in their natural environment.
How to become a Montessori parent
• Choose simple toys your child can manipulate.
• The most important thing when choosing toys is their safety and what they teach your child.
3 | “To give a child liberty is not to abandon him to himself.”
Although Montessori education believes that kids need structure, Montessori argued that what they really need is “freedom within a structure.” “To let the child do as he likes when he has not yet developed any powers of control is to betray the idea of freedom.”
How to become a Montessori parent
• Provide or propose stimulating activities, then let your child be free to choose.
• Giving a child freedom also means teaching him about consequences. When we teach kids about natural consequences, we help them develop inner discipline.
4 | “To assist a child, we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.”
Many researchers agree that to thrive, kids need routine and order from a very early age. Their environment must, therefore, make it possible to maintain order.
How to become a Montessori parent
• Kids can be taught about order from the youngest age. When we teach kids to pick up after themselves (put toys, books, etc. away when they’re done playing, put away clothes, put dirty clothes in the laundry basket, etc), they learn early about maintaining order. However, this can only work if kids have easy access (for example to toy rack or laundry basket)
• Being consistent and sticking to schedules is beneficial for children.• Limit the number of toys. A recent study found that too many toys stifle children’s creativity.
5 | “As soon as children find something that interests them, they lose their instability and learn to concentrate.”
The best way to catch your kid’s interest is to propose something she’s interested in.
How to become a Montessori parent
• Encouraging kids to participate in decision-making has multiple benefits. Encourage your child to choose what he would like to do.
• There is evidence that kids are more likely to stick to decisions whey they feel responsible for their choice.
• Identifying your kid’s interests and proposing multiple activities in line with those interests is more likely to keep her interested.
6 | “Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.”
Much like Dewey’s “learning by doing” theory, Montessori education believes that kids learn best when they’re active observers and when they’re given opportunities to imitate adults.
How to become a Montessori parent
• Encourage make-believe play.
• Propose hands-on experiences to your child. For instance, she can start her own garden.
• Encourage your child to help.
• Give your kid multiple opportunities to play with real-life objects, such as grains, rice, beans, etc.)
7 | “The child builds his inmost self out of the deeply held impressions he receives.”
The development of children’s sense of self is influenced by how they think we perceive them. When we treat our kids as important, independent beings with feelings of their own, we teach them that they are important and that their feelings are valid.
How to become a Montessori parent
• Treat kids with respect.
• Make eye contact. Get down to your children’s level and talk to them.
• Become your child’s emotion coach by learning why and how to talk to kids about emotions.
• Learn how to use positive affirmations with kids the right way
• Model the behaviour you would like your child to adopt.
8 | “What is generally known as discipline in traditional schools is not activity, but immobility and silence. It is not discipline, but something that festers inside a child, arousing his rebellious feelings.”
Discipline and punishment are not synonymous.
How to become a Montessori parent
• Discipline with intention. Discipline is about teaching specific behaviour, not about punishment.
• We often forget that kids will be kids. Don’t expect your child to act older than she is.
9 | “It is not enough for the teacher to love the child. She must first love and understand the universe. She must prepare herself, and truly work at it.”
Love is good, but it’s not enough. We often have to work on our parenting skills.
How to become a Montessori parent
• What parenting values really matter to you? What character traits would you like to see in your child? How are you working towards these?
• Remember that kids watch us more than they listen to us. Be the person you would like them to be.
10 | “There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all of the life to be found around them in a real forest.”
Children learn best by being left to explore their environment.
How to become a Montessori parent
• Help your kids connect with nature every day.
• Nature provides us with thousands of opportunities. Help your kids engage with nature by showing them how: smelling the flowers, collecting leaves, stones, observing insects, naming the different colours in her environment, etc.
Where do you go from here?
- Observe how your home is organised. Can you make it more accessible for your kids?
- How many toys do your kids have? Do they need them all? Make a conscious decision to reduce the toys and keep only those that really matter. Remember that taming the toys helps kids thrive.
- Make an effort to help kids connect with nature this week. Propose at least one activity (nature walk, park) etc. and help them engage with their environment by asking them what they see, smell, or hear.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, you’ll love my Workbook “This is what it takes to raise happy and confident kids. This workbook draws on ideas and resources from research and the world’s greatest philosophers to bring you strategies you can start using immediately. Check it out here.
An initial version of this post appeared on the site parent.co
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