The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners

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Written By Poonam Singh

I am co-founder of toddlerjunction.com and Principal of Cambridge Montessori Preschool Bangalore.

You’re undoubtedly already making crucial choices about how you’ll raise your child, whether they have been born or you are still in the first month of your pregnancy.

The transition to Montessori for your child is very thrilling. Along with the major developmental milestones of learning to sit, crawl, and walk, your child is also gaining cognitive, sensory, social, emotional, and language abilities.

With so much going on in your child’s life, it’s great to know what you can do to help support them. In this blog, we will talk about every aspect of Montessori in your child.

Read Here: How To Find A Montessori Caregiver For Your Kid

What is Montessori?

The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners
The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners

The popularity of the 150-year-old Montessori educational approach is still booming today. It was created by Dr. Maria Montessori, a scientist, a doctor, and an educator. She discovered children learn and remember information far more deeply when provided a setting that encourages curiosity, initiative, and focus.

A Montessori setting is thoughtfully created and structured to satisfy the child’s requirements. It is a way to support children’s development via the adoption of values that emphasize respectful dialogue, meaningful participation, and liberty. We will cover every aspect of which Montessori principles can be used from birth in this manual, along with the reasons why doing so has both short-term and long-term advantages.

Read Here: How Montessori Education Is Different From Traditional Education

What advantages can Montessori offer to children?

The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners
The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners

The newborn and caregiver develop a strong, deep bond via the practice of Montessori parenting. As you can see, applying Montessori to young children entails adopting a kind, considerate parenting approach. The list below should be the key takeaway for anyone wishing to begin Montessori with a newborn or child. We will go over a few other Montessori principles in more detail below.

Babies are designed to acquire through their mother’s senses the sounds of birds, the brightness of lights, and the feel of the grass. Montessori pushed for us to acknowledge this sensory processing with more curiosity and purpose.

Read Here: 7 Key Elements of a Montessori School

Roles of parents and teachers in Montessori

Children are helped by their parents and teachers, who also function as a child’s environment’s planners, observers, and guides. The child learns at their own pace of development and maintains an interest in the diversity of resources accessible to him across topic areas and levels of difficulty by being free to move around the classroom with a natural drive to learn.

When a youngster needs direction to help him stay within the bounds of his normal growth, adults intervene with him far too frequently and needlessly. If given a chance, children will work with the materials with a level of focus and concentration that most adults find surprising. So, parents and teachers are the first people who guide kids to a place where they can explore the world.

Read Here: A child getting into trouble at school: what to do

How do you prepare a suitable environment?

The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners
The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners

Children mature at varying rates. Mixed-age classes also give younger students built-in peer learning and role models. It is the obligation of older children to show younger youngsters their knowledge.

The materials are of top-notch quality and are ascetically pleasing to the eye. They are simple and neat. There is a great sense of order in the presentation of the materials on the shelf and in the layout of the classroom in designated areas for Practical Life, Sensorial, Culture, Geography, Maths, and so on.

What age is appropriate to start Montessori?

The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners
The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners

Although children begin their Montessori education at various ages, in our opinion, the very ideal moment to begin using the Montessori principles is just before birth. Although implementing Montessori for infants may seem challenging and stressful, the best time to start incorporating Montessori into your household and parenting style is during infancy.

The reason to start early is not to minimize the difficulties that new parents have, but rather to highlight how Montessori principles at a young age instilled in both parents and children healthy habits that frequently continue throughout toddlerhood and beyond. Whatever your starting point, make sure you purchase a copy of Maria Montessori’s The Absorbent Mind to get the fundamental ideas you’ll need to succeed!

What to Know About Montessori Before You Start

The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners
The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners
  • The core principles of Montessori parenting emphasize being aware of and receptive to a baby’s needs. As a result, a strong bond is composed between the child and the parent(s), giving them security and confidence as they age.
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  • In our house, you must put a lot of emphasis on
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  • Awareness of their needs
  • Honoring developmental requirements
  • Keeping an eye out for delicate times and interests
  • Allowing for independence when the baby wants it.
  • Offering comfort and co-regulation.
  • Building emotional intelligence.
  • Respecting the baby by getting their permission, etc.

How to interact with your infant?

The connections we make with our kids matter just as much as the connections they make with the world around them. Several Montessori tenets might direct your relationships.

Observation:

We can learn more about our babies’ developmental stages if we take the time to observe them at various times throughout the day. When do they appear to be ready for bed? Do they appear most anxious to move when? Do they like to wave their arms or kick their legs more? What appears to annoy them? What piques their curiosity? Following the child rather than planning your days together top-down and under adult, direction requires this kind of inquiry.

Encouragement:

Montessori promotes motivation overpraise. When a child receives praise, it develops a habit of looking to others for validation of their work, which is an external motivation. It encourages self-motivation to rephrase our enthusiasm for their task to emphasize their effort. Even though babies can’t talk yet, we can still encourage them.

Consent and Teamwork:

Montessori encourages us to highlight our baby’s skills by approaching their caregiving requirements as what we do with them rather than as something which happens to them. This begins with settling down and saying what you are doing aloud when your baby is a newborn. You can invite them to participate and give their agreement regarding what occurs to their body as they age.

Language matters:

We actively pronounce things clearly and should not avoid using large words or detailed descriptions because kids are at a vulnerable point in their language development. We would also refrain from using common terminology and surnames for body parts because these things simply help to confuse them.

The Montessori schedule and routine

The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners
The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners

For most new mothers, one of the first inquiries they have is what their daily schedule will entail once the child is born. We enjoy the assurance that comes from knowing what will happen next as humans. Children are also affected by this. This idea and the value of routine for kids are emphasized by Maria Montessori in her book.

Maria does touch on the subject of being receptive to your child’s needs and allowing feedback, though. That seems to be in direct opposition to itself. But in practice, routine and responsiveness may coexist. You can make a routine as per your child, your working schedule, and the environment you provide to them.

Create a dedicated Montessori learning space

We all desire a dedicated workspace where we can work, whether it be a workplace, a desk, or a hot coffee table. Many kids share the same desire for a special place where they may learn and explore. Making a learning place for Montessori at home is simple and can be done with many items you already have.

  • If your house has the space, set aside a special area for children to learn away from home.
  • Use straightforward, practical furniture in your home’s prepared environment.
  • The materials can be made of wood, plastic, or other composites, but it’s critical that they be devoid of branding, cartoon characters, or other visual distractions.
  • Utilize trays and baskets to arrange supplies on a shelf that is simple to access to keep their belongings arranged. When their designated learning environment is uncluttered, children can concentrate better on the subjects they are studying.
  • Choose wooden toys over plastic ones if you do have the option. Children can understand that wood originates from trees much simpler than they can understand where plastic comes from.

We hope all your queries regarding Montessori have been cleared. If you still have any queries, you may ask us. We are ready to help you.

The Montessori Guide video

The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners

The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners – FAQ

How do I start teaching Montessori at home?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best way to start teaching Montessori at home will vary depending on the individual child and family. However, there are some general tips that can be useful for getting started.
First, it can be helpful to familiarize yourself with the Montessori philosophy and approach to education. There are many resources available online and in libraries that can provide an introduction to Montessori principles.
Once you have a good understanding of the Montessori approach, you can start to look for materials and activities that you can use at home.

What are the basics of Montessori?

There are a few basics that are important to understand when starting to teach Montessori at home.
First, it is important to create a prepared environment. This means having a space that is clean, organized, and free of distractions. It is also important to have materials that are specifically designed for Montessori learning, such as manipulative materials and educational toys.
Finally, it is important to follow the child’s lead and allow them to work at their own pace. This means allowing them to choose their own activities and not pushing them to move on to something else before they are ready. By following these basics, you can create a Montessori learning environment at home that is both effective and enjoyable for your child.

What are the 5 core components of Montessori education?

There are five core components of Montessori education:
1) respect for the child;
2) mixed-age classrooms;
3) trained Montessori teachers;
4) a prepared environment; and
5) a curriculum that emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning.
All of these components are important, but if you’re starting to teach Montessori at home, the most important thing is to create a respectful, nurturing environment for your child.

reference
The Ultimate Guide to Montessori For Beginners

I am co-founder of toddlerjunction.com and Principal of Cambridge Montessori Preschool and DayCare Kaggadasapura Branch. I am also a Montessori certified teacher and have 5+ years of experience working with kids.

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