General Guidelines
The Montessori approach to education embodies an attitude to life and underlying principles that can be applied to any situation, providing an environment and a supporting adult that considers the needs of children as they grow and develop. At home with your children you do not need to recreate ‘school’ nor become a Montessori teacher. It is also quite possible to do without Montessori material and still have a Montessori approach. At all times, we try to adopt an approach that helps children learn for themselves. You helped them learn to walk, to talk and to become sociable and so much more, you did this patiently and were delighted when the children responded, showed determined interest and surprised you with what appeared to be sudden acquisitions that appeared to come out of nowhere! Your children absorbed what was around them, practiced it in their own time and mastered it. More importantly you didn’t make them feel a failure if they didn’t master these things following your timescale of expectation.
Children and Learning
- Research shows us that children who are relaxed and happy learn much more easily than those who feel stressed.
- Much of what your young children learn can be picked up from you automatically in the way that you go about the everyday tasks in life.
- Children learn best when they do so at their own pace – learning and mastering the everyday things in life gives children confidence and confident children are ready to embrace challenges.
- Children need to make their own discoveries – learning how to give just enough help but not too much is an artform - let children experience the joyfulness of discovering things and telling you all about it is an experience that cannot be lost.
- Children learn when they are interested – it may help to choose the right time of day when they are ready for something new and challenging. Things that just need practicing can be done at any time of the day. Be prepared to stop a game if they are unwilling to play or becoming frustrated.
- Children learn by doing – the more active and involved they are, the more likely they are to become engaged and interested. Getting that balance right can be challenging at any time.
- Children need encouragement and recognition rather than praise or treats. Focusing on extrinsic rewards takes away from the intrinsic value of learning. Use phrases that recognise effort “that took a long time, you must be happy to have completed it” “that wasn’t easy but you kept going”.
- Mistakes are an opportunity for learning. When children make a mistake it shows that they are encountering ideas, actions, skills and thoughts that are new. It is important to cultivate a positive attitude to these ‘mistakes’ and help your child feel that it is fine if they make a mistake and they can just try again and will gradually gain mastery of the activity.
Key Montessori Principles
Repetition
Movement
Choice
