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Written by Christine Olson Gedye
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Saturday, 22 October 2005 |
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Page 1 of 6
While Montessori preschools have come in and out of fashion since Maria Montessori established the first Children's House in 1907, many of Montessori's ideas about how children develop and learn have become standards not only in teaching, but in parenting as well. Among her theories: Enable a child's natural yearning for independence; never do for a child what he can do for himself; organize the child's environment to enable his success. In fact, some Montessori methods are almost more natural in a home setting than at school. The first of her five "subjects" is Practical Life Activities--everything from sweeping the floor and buttoning one's jacket to saying, "please" and "excuse me."
You can easily adopt some of these principles and practices in your child's daily life, letting almost every room in the house function as a laboratory where your child can learn life skills and independence. Some of the changes needed are as simple as installing a set of pegs at your child's shoulder level so she can hang up her coat.
In almost all cases, Montessori's methods require patience, and lots of it. The rewards, though, can be swift and astonishing. In the course of researching this article, I decided to give my 21-month-old a new responsibility or two. For a couple of meals in a row I asked her to clear her bowl from her child-size table to the counter. Within a day it became an almost religious post-meal routine, along with wiping her table and the floor around it. The way I figure, we all win: It's a few less things for me to do, it keeps her busy, and perhaps best of all, the job well done makes her beam with pride. We're hooked.
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