There is such a thing as TOO much Montessori...
Montessori is a wonderful, nurturing, and respectful approach to parenting.
But there is such a thing as TOO MUCH Montessori.
But there is such a thing as TOO MUCH Montessori.
If Your Child Already Attends a Montessori Preschool or School...
If your child is already doing Montessori work all day, they may not want to repeat the same activities when they get home.
Montessori work requires focus and after a long day at school, they may want to do the opposite of what they did at school.
They'll likely enjoy more open-ended materials on evenings and weekends, like:
They'll likely enjoy more open-ended materials on evenings and weekends, like:
- playdough
- blocks
- pretend kitchens or dollhouse
If you want to introduce some of the activities your child enjoys at school to your home, go for it, but it’s helpful if they are slightly different.
Rather than buying something identical, look at the skill that is being developed.
However, it's in your child's best interest to offer them different kinds of activities then they do at school.
- A child who enjoys puzzles at school may be exploring their hand-eye coordination, so look for other puzzles (with a similar amount of pieces) but a different theme.
- A child that enjoys using the Pink Tower at school, may enjoy a set of blocks where they can explore more open-ended building.
- A child that loves counting with the Spindle Boxes at school might enjoy different counting activities or just practicing counting things around the house
- How many spoons are there in the kitchen?
- How many pom poms can they fit in one hand?
- How many blue socks do they have?
However, it's in your child's best interest to offer them different kinds of activities then they do at school.
If Your Child Attends A Regular Daycare
OR
Is At Home During the Day (with you or another caregiver)
If your child already has plenty of time for open-ended, imaginative play throughout the day, they will likely enjoy some Montessori work in the home.
Our at-home program, DIY Montessori options, or purchasing shelf-work will likely help your child develop the growth mindset that Montessori is so well known for.
A growth mindset helps children understand they can become better at things with more the practice (vs. a fixed mindset that says I'm either good or bad at things, i.e I'm bad at math).
Montessori work encourages lots of repetition and focus on tasks with a completion, where the child learns that through this repetition, they improve.
A growth mindset helps children understand they can become better at things with more the practice (vs. a fixed mindset that says I'm either good or bad at things, i.e I'm bad at math).
Montessori work encourages lots of repetition and focus on tasks with a completion, where the child learns that through this repetition, they improve.
If your child is currently not at a Montessori school, check out this post about how to set up a simple Montessori shelf at home > https://themontessoriroom.com/blogs/montessori-tips/shelf-ideas-for-infants-and-toddlers
There's even info in there about how to set up Montessori materials alongside your regular toys.
There's even info in there about how to set up Montessori materials alongside your regular toys.
Montessori Work That All Children Tend To Enjoy...
No matter what learning environment your child is in throughout the day, almost all children enjoy practical life work (i.e. kitchen prep, cleaning, and self-care).
When it comes to the exercises of practical life, they are quite literally the activities we do at home so home is the perfect place to do them, even better than the school environment.
If you're new to teaching your child practical life skills, here's how to do it in 3 steps:
https://themontessoriroom.com/blogs/montessori-tips/3-simple-steps-to-teaching-children-practical-life-skills
If you're new to teaching your child practical life skills, here's how to do it in 3 steps:
https://themontessoriroom.com/
