Join us to learn about how to master the Montessori life!
The Latest on the Blog…
Embracing Montessori Principles at Home during Baby’s First Year
Applying Montessori principles at home is wonderful. You and your baby will love it.
The Life Cycle the Montessori Way
Understanding the life cycle the Montessori way is an essential aspect of teaching children about nature and their environment.
The Montessori Baby: Fostering Independence from Birth
Fostering independence from birth is possible and before you think it means letting your baby “tough it out,” read on to find out what that really means.
Montessori Sensorial: The Binomial Cube
In this blog post, I’m going to be introducing the Binomial Cube, a phenomenal Montessori Sensorial tool as well as an introduction to Algebra.
How to Teach Montessori to 2-Year-Old Children
When your little one is just two years old, you might wonder how to begin adapting the Montessori method at such a young and impressionable age.
Understanding the Montessori Curriculum for Preschoolers
What exactly makes the Montessori preschool curriculum stand out? Let’s find out here!
3 Winter-Themed Fine Motor Skills Hands-on Activities
Today, I am going to show you three winter-themed fine motor skills hands-on activities for children to make with you or by themselves.
Know this first when setting up your Montessori environment
If you have been wondering how to move forward in setting up your Montessori environment, but don’t know how to do it right, then come watch this training!
Printable Montessori Holiday Gift Guide
I’ve made it very simple for you to get your hands on these fantastic ideas for Montessori education!
Mastering Montessori at Home: Why Planning is Key
Implementing Montessori at home can be a rewarding, yet challenging, journey. To ensure success, planning is key.
The Power of Primer Papers: Enhancing Speech and Language in Montessori Education
In the nurturing and individualized environment of Montessori education, language development is a...
Including Circle Time in your Montessori Schedule
Montessori Circle Time plays a crucial role in fostering socialization and community building...
The Latest on the Podcast…
Episode 32: Learn More about The Montessori Way Foundations Framework
A 6-month journey to a firm foundation in the Montessori philosophy that includes personalized coaching, video lessons, PDFs, lesson plans, printables and more!
Episode 31: 3 Positive Outcomes for Children in the Montessori Environment
Come to learn about 3 positive outcomes for children in the Montessori environment that will either encourage you to try Montessori or to know that you are on the right track!
Episode 30: What Montessori Schedule is Right for You?
Here are three very important things to do to keep you confident and successful on the right Montessori schedule!
Episode 29: Montessori Botany Works to Prioritize
Whether you have space for a full garden that can feed your entire family or only have room for a few potted plants, you will want to prioritize these activities for children to learn more about their natural world.
Episode 28: Fantastic Montessori Math Materials Worth Having
In this training, we will be discussing some Montessori Math materials that you can buy that will make all the difference in how children learn. You won’t want to miss it!
Episode 27: Discipline the Montessori Way
In this training, I will give you three very important categories in discipline to pay attention to in order to do discipline the Montessori way.
Episode 26: How to Judge where you are in your Montessori Journey
Are you wondering where you are in your Montessori journey and how to know where you go from here? This guidance will not only be eye-opening for you, but it will give you a sense of direction. Don’t miss it!
Episode 25: Intro to Montessori Normalization in Children
In this episode, let’s discuss what Montessori normalization is, why it is important, what are some typical behaviors of normalized children and what are some things that you can do to help shortcut normalization in the children you work with.
Episode 24: 3 Ways to combine Practical Life and Culture Montessori Subjects
Here is the activity that will solve so much of your overwhelm whe it comes to combining Montessori subjects for multiple uses!
Episode 23: Montessori Environment Wall Decorations
Are you wondering how to decorate your Montessori environment that align with the Montessori principles? Then you can’t miss this training!
Episode 22: Acts of Service the Montessori Way, especially during the Holidays
Are you trying to think of Montessori friendly ideas that will get your children into the giving spirit? In this episode, we will be looking at some great acts of service ideas that you can implement anytime, but especially around the holidays.
Episode 21: How to Incorporate Holidays into the Montessori Environment
Are you interested in incorporating the holidays into your Montessori environment? Come find out some great printable and hands-on ideas that you might love!
Foundations
What is The Montessori Method?
Come and find out what makes this philosophy so unique, different and successful…
The Montessori Method was devised around 100 years ago by Dr. Maria Montessori, who developed it into something very special and unique. It revolves around giving children the freedom to follow their interests to discover the extent possible to boost their overall educational achievement.
What are we going to do to do to ensure that this effort is efficient? This, of course, involves planning and execution. For a start, yes, there is a method to the madness. And what happens as a result? A child who has a passion for learning plus an open and exploratory mindset.
1
Learn
2
Plan
3
Teach
What is The Montessori Method?
“I have studied the child, I have taken what the child has given me and expressed it, and that is what is called the Montessori Method.”
~Dr. Maria Montessori
Let’s describe the Montessori Method in this article and some of its main topics, starting with the author of this philosophy. Throughout the duration of her life, Dr. Maria Montessori was known to be both knowledgeable and well respected. She majored in mathematics, the natural sciences, and physics in college. After graduating from medical school, she went on to university to major in the biomedical sciences, which included biology.
She dedicated herself to all of herself and had coped with all of the difficulty that arose from being in a male-dominated environment and in the wake of her education. As an educator, she continues to be a model in a large field of which no other woman has ever been able to surpass her, and this day. Before getting into her career, she studied and practiced working with children who are deaf and disabled or have learning disabilities.
The Montessori Method of human development and brain science was later introduced by her ideas and theories, giving rise to a new and exciting educational approach to teaching that ended up becoming quite popular, even in higher education. It is a rare technique of teaching that allows children to think on their own and for themselves. It is a child-centered method in which the teacher maintains a safe and structured classroom environment while allowing the children to explore and discover for themselves.
“At such a time everything is easy; all is life and enthusiasm.”
~Dr. Montessori
Montessori referred to this development as having a strategy known as “Sensitive Periods.”
It follows a certain well-known developmental progression that expands when followed continuously.
The specific skill training periods children tend to experience at the same age as those listed above is frequently have similarities to generalized or sensitive periods.
For example, it is said that there are specific ages during which kids have a limited capacity to learn a language.
Before children are ready to learn the subject, the best method is to use is to encourage independent learning.
If you consider that, it makes perfect sense that introducing children to the appropriate information when they are young will help them learn more quickly.
The Four Periods of Development
“The wise mother will remember that play time is never wasted. So long as the children are busily absorbed, they are working at their own development – for children would rather work than play.”
~Dr. Montessori
This view posits that there are four distinct, but closely related stages of child growth in the Montessori Method. Birth to six and seven to twelve are the ages of children, and adolescents between the ages of twelve and seventeen and ten seventeen to twenty-four are the young adults.
In each of the four periods, there are the same overall phases or patterns, but the parameters are at different points have different values. Every development stage has its own advantages and disadvantages, but it is only with a full understanding of the situation that these can be faced and successfully handled. You need to know the right knowledge and strategies.
The Child’s Absorbent Mind
“[The Absorbent Mind] which receives all, does not judge, does not refuse, does not react. It absorbs everything and incarnates it in the coming man.”
~Dr. Maria Montessori
You are almost certainly going to come across the phrase “absorbent mind” in the writings of Dr. Maria Montessori. Adults and children go through different learning processes and it is imperative that we understand that. Children are like sponges, soaking up everything in their environment.
By the same token, it is easier for them to learn through trial and error, therefore doing things by themselves is simply through playing is not just faster, but far more natural. What affects a person’s personality, their movement, and how they use language to construct their understanding of the environment also effects how they view their surroundings. It is this hunger for new knowledge and adventures that helps explain their insatiable desire to learn and do things.
Hello, I am Tanya.
I am a Montessori Coach
and Curriculum Strategist.
I have been teaching, homeschooling, coaching and strategizing using the Montessori curriculum since 2005! My experience and passion in The Montessori Method have driven me to create The Montessori Way Foundations Framework and more!
While the Montessori Method is an unconventional method, the philosophy is quite distinct. It covers so much more than what I was able to explain here. That is why I have decided to dedicate this entire website to it. I hope that as you go through this site, you will realize how important Dr. Maria Montessori’s work has been in developing and assisting young minds.
Do you want to do Montessori, but don’t know where to start?
You’ll love this series!
In Part 1, you are going to see exactly what you need to do immediately to get started with the Montessori philosophy!
Your eyes will be opened to some fantastic actionable things you can start today for Montessori success.
The more you delve into this beginner topic, the more you will learn and grow in your knowledge. It’s beautiful!
This part of the series is going to make all the difference in how you will go about applying Montessori! Try it!
Not only will your confidence will soar, but your motivation will be unstoppable and you’ll be ready for the next step!
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