Maria Montessori was a Physician and Educator who developed an approach to classroom learning that emphasizes independence and choice. Some Montessori school graduates include brilliant people like Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon), Sergey Brin and Larry Page (Co-founders of Google), Prince of Wales, George Clooney and many more. Montessori views children as naturally eager for knowledge and supports this innate characteristic upon growing up.
The good news is that this method can be implemented in your own home by firstly creating a beautiful, neat and harmonious environment – and we are here to help you with that. But more importantly: developing the right mindset and attitude for the method to be complete and functional.
Education starts as soon as the baby is born and the parenting philosophy has a great impact on how the child will develop as an adult. In this blog post you will find out some of the reasons why parents around the world are starting to adopt this method into their own home.
Learning to learn and loving it
Learning to learn is an essential skill by itself and curiosity is the drive that brings success in the learning processes. Montessori discovered that children have a natural love for exploring and grasping things. Unfortunately, this love can be spoiled if it’s not nurtured early on and can become a discouragement in later stages of education. By implementing some Montessori principles around the home like opportunities for hands-on experiences can foster this trait in children. Educational toys make learning fun and kids are introduced to the joy that it brings. Furthermore, in company with a supportive and encouraging parent, this activity will light up your home with excitement.
Power of believing in one-self
Overall it was observed that children growing up in a Montessori environment developed a higher self-esteem. This is important because it translates to believing in one-self, and when a young human being is confident, he or she has the courage to pursue bigger goals and ambitions. You can support this powerful trait by allowing your child to self-correct while playing rather than having their errors pointed out. Environments created by Montessori’s basic principles provide opportunities for this to happen.
Exercising attention span
Play for a child is like work for a grown-up. It’s not always easy to have attention span as long as a giraffe’s neck, but when presented with the right activities at the right time, this can be easily achieved. Dr. Montessori observed spontaneous concentration on one activity for an extended period of time if the activities were offered according to a suitable regime and keeping it consistent. When we know what’s coming next, we can plan better, learn to use our time wisely and look forward to different parts of the day. That’s why different kinds of toys and activities are rotated out periodically, by letting the child concentrate on developing a certain skill at a time and not being distracted.
Strengthening fine and gross motor skills
Hand-eye coordination, balance, finger and wrist movements, muscle memory, matching rhythm and sound – these are all things we don’t consciously think about, but may be a great challenge for a youngster who has just discovered these movements and concepts. Each toy, construction and activity in the Montessori world has its own purpose and benefits. The development of motor skills by hands-on activities and safe climbing constructions has proven to be extremely effective and fun. And at first it might seem like providing all these activities costs an arm and a leg, however thanks to the high quality materials and well thought-out design, most of the objects can be used by children from 5 months up to 6 years.
In conclusion
The Montessori approach has been around for more than a 100 years and only recently science has developed tools to objectively observe the benefits of this method. The demand for Montessory teachers and schools is increasing with time, but not everyone is ready to go as far as to enroll their kids in a full-on Montessori school. Luckily, the many benefits of this practice can be obtained at home by following some simple parenting principles and providing the right environment. Educational toys bring out the natural love for learning and hands-on activities support the development of sensory and motor skills. But all these items are just a part of the experience. More importantly, it’s the support, trust and respect for the little ones that make them feel safe and understood on their way to growing up.