5 Montessori Principles to apply at home

All parents strive to find the best educational program for their children. In recent years, it seems that parents are seeking something different from mainstream education, both at school and at home.

What is it about the Montessori philosophy that is appealing to parents?

For more than a century, the Montessori Method has been increasing in popularity around the world. The importance of the early years of education and how crucial these first 6 years are for the child’s development has become widely recognised.

But what happens if you don’t have an accredited Montessori school in your area, or simply can’t afford it?

Well, you can bring the Montessori principles into your home.

Let’s go over some of the principles that you can easily apply in your home in order to start satisfying the developmental needs of your child.

o   Child size furniture

This is one of the aspects Maria Montessori brought in education. Child sized furniture and equipment.  

Tables, chairs, shelves… at their level, for them to be able to manoeuvre and use independently.

The focus is on your child being able to access this environment in an independent way without the need of an adult.

Let’s set up an environment that allows independence!

o   Keep it simple - Less is more

Let’s keep the environment simple, uncluttered and beautiful. This doesn’t mean you should become an Instagram mum or go crazy with Scandi decorations.

What you are looking for is a piece of furniture (at their height) where you can keep a few materials/toys for your child to work with.

The focus is less is more.

o   Respect your child

Respect is so important.

 We all love our children, but do we always respect them? Focus on how you talk to your child (as in would you talk to an adult in this way), how we listen to him, how you carry him.

He is learning from you, you are his role model and so let’s pay attention to how you talk to your partner and friends, how you treat animals, plants…

If he sees respect, guess how he will behave?

o   Help him to do it himself

“Help me to do it myself”

Show your child how to do things and let them attempt the whole process on their own.

Remember, your child is doing things for himself, not for you. Let’s encourage independence.

Breathe, sit down and observe. Let your child have the space and time to find the way to complete tasks or sequences on his own. This will give him the opportunity to develop independence and confidence, and ultimately learn a new skill!

It might seem that it will take him forever, but in the long run you will see the benefits and you will be mesmerized of how capable your child is.

o   Offer real experiences

Children are learning about the world around them, and what benefits this learning, is to discover the real world objects that surround them.

As we know, the child under 6 is a sensorial learner. Offering him the opportunity to feel these objects will give him a deeper understanding of how they are used, what are they made of… and it offers us a brilliant opportunity to give language to our child.

At home, not everything we offer to the child has to be bought materials or toys for that matter. We can give our children rich experiences with objects we already have at home. From kitchen utensils to the many different items of clothing, from fruits & vegetables to shells, plants…