29 May Apply the Montessori Approach at Home

Montessori is not just an approach to education, it is also a way of life. It is about allowing your child to be seen, understood, and accepted for who they are. It’s about being their guide to become the best version of themselves. However, this guiding shouldn’t stop at the end of the school day; there are ways to apply these principles to your parenting style at home.

Guide Them
Your role is to be the adult guiding them (give as much help as needed and as little as possible) Try not to be their boss (do as I say) or their servant (I’ll do everything for you).

Slow Down
Plan less, explore life with your child at a slow pace. Allow time for movement, conversation and gaining cooperation.

See Things from Their Perspective
Try to understand your child’s behavior and acknowledge their feelings.

Allow Your Child to Lead 

Ask yourself, “what are they interested in right now and how can I provide opportunities to follow this interest?”

Hands-on Learning
Provide concrete experiences for them to make discoveries by themselves. You can take them to look things up at the library, do an experiment, etc.

Use Alternatives to Bribes, Rewards, and Punishments
Move away from extrinsic motivators to ways to work with our child and solve problems together. Instead of putting them in time out, help them calm down and then make amends.

Visit a Montessori
Montessori is becoming increasingly popular as people recognize the limitations of traditional education. You can visit a Montessori school to observe how it works in practice. Contact us to learn more about the Montessori approach and how it can be beneficial to your child.