This blog post might not be that enlightning to those who are already familiar with the Montessori method, but as I didn’t know about it until I became a parent and I realized neither did my friends, I thought why not write about it! It’s not only an education for kindergardens and schools, but you can also do it at home. As I was browsing some toys I kept finding Montessori toys, which then made me curious about it. So what is Montessori? It’s a method of education that was developed by the Italian physician Maria Montessori more than 100 years ago! Basically, it’s a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. I love this approach as it values the spirit and the development of the whole child—physical, social, emotional, cognitive.
Montessori is very different to traditional education as the emphasis is on active learning as opposed to being passively taught in a typical classroom environment. But Montessori does not only have to apply to schools - one can also practice the method at home. And as I’m still new at it, I’m constantly reading about it (currently The Montessori Toddler by Cathryn Guglielminetti) and also deciding how much of it will I bring into our parenting and into our home!
For example, one of the things I have been trying to implement is limiting the number of toys that are out or on display and even though in her room we use the shelf that is suitable for this, in our living room I’m using a storage puff to display a certain amount of toys, instead of giving her boxes full of toys, which actually leaves the kid overwhelmed and she doesn’t actually play with any toy longer than a few minutes. Montessori says that the sense of order helps facilitate the learning process, (and later when I can teach her to put things back to their place) it will also teach self-discipline, and it caters to a young child’s innate need for an orderly environment. When children work and play in an area that is neat and predictable, they can unleash their creativity and focus fully on the learning process! How much do you know about the Montessori method? And is it something that you’d like to investigate and find out more? Feel free to comment below!
