Montessori at Home

“Free the child’s potential, and you will transform him into the world.”

A primary goal of the Montessori classroom is to give each child unlimited opportunities to develop his/her own capabilities.It is toward this end that every aspect of the child’s
experience at school is planned to minimize the need for adult help. Independent behavior is one of the greatest assets any child can have as he proceeds through school and then life beyond.

We see that parents often have great difficulty making the transition from nurturing and caring for an infant,to allowing a toddler or preschooler to develop his own abilities. As parents,we all continue to do things for our children long after they can and should be doing things for themselves. Some parents go so far as to place themselves in the role  of servant to their child, because it provides their own sense of value and purpose, or  because their culture or past experience tells t hem “this is what parents do”. To teach a child to perform a task for himself and then to restrain oneself from doing it for him the
next time, requires infinitely more patience, time and self-discipline. It is also infinitely more valuable to the development of that child.

Each time we do something for a child, we rob him of an opportunity to learn and perfect skills. We are only reinforcing the child’s sub-conscious sense of helplessness and inferiority. We also are reinforcing passive rather than active, responsible behavior.  There are times when help is appropriate, but we need to remember the consequences
of our actions when we habitually wait on a child.

There are children who completely or occasionally resist being responsible for their own toys, dressing, cleanup, etc. Your response will depend on the cause of the behavior.
Sometimes children need to have us back off, and sometimes they need to have us buckle down. Observe the behavior and ask yourself:

•Is my child responding this way because I have done everything for too long, or am I expecting too much too soon?

•Is my child becoming more dependent in response to stress in our/his life (new sibling; new house; new school; one or both parents absent for a while; separation of parents; visit bya relative, parents preoccupied, holidays, etc.?)

•Is my child becoming more dependent just after, or before some developmental leap?

•Does my child have a more passive personality or is he maturing slowly?

Try to be flexible enough to meet the needs of the moment, but do not succumb to the urge to do everything for the child in lieu of dealing with the tantrums, mess, and/or balking.


SETTING UP YOUR CHILD’S ENVIRONMENT AT HOME

Most children love doing things with you and for themselves. This is part of their programming to be doing things that support the development of their minds and bodies. Very important aspects of a child’s personality develop through participation in the everyday life of a family. Your house should be adapted to support this desire and encourage the love of work by:

•giving them tools and furniture to fit their size
•overlooking less than perfect results
•providing order and encouragement for them to maintain order

Participation and growth of self-confidence are the goals here, not perfection. All children of this age should be responsible for cleaning their place after meals, caring for their room and toys, wiping up their own spills, and cleaning up after art projects.Once the adult shows or models these behaviors to the child, he can continue to perform these tasks himself. These personal responsibilities lay the foundation for good work habits (order, sequence and work cycle), and give the child a sense of accomplishment and well being.

BATHROOM:
•mirror at child’s level
•toothbrush and comb within reach
•towel, washcloth and towel rack within reach
•steps at sink so child can operate faucets (lower hot water temp.)

BEDROOM:
•low clothes rack and hooks in closet
•place for coat, raincoat, boots,shoes, etc.
•a bed that the child can enter,exit, and make alone (mattress on floor with a comforter or washable sleeping bag
•toy shelves that are low and neutral in color – these are preferred over a toy box because they can be kept in order
•a small table and chairs
•a shelf for books

LIVING ROOM
•a small comfortable chair near a good light
•the possibility to see outside through a window
•beautiful interesting objects that the child can safely handle

KITCHEN
•child’s own chair at the table
•stool at sink so he can operate the faucets
•sponges and towels at his level so he can wipe up spills
•a low drawer that contains hi sown materials for participating in food preparation or house cleaning




 http://www.woodinvillemontessori.org/sites/default/files/imce/documents/Parents/Montessori%20at%20Home.pdf