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Page 2 of 6 Guiding Principles The Following principles are central to Montessori teaching: Give your child credit for being competent
Young children are capable of much more than most parents realize. Give your toddler a shot at helping you empty the dishwasher, clearing her dinner plate to the counter, or pouring herself some water (from a small pitcher). It will take more time than if you did it yourself--especially at first--but it's worth it. Avoid saying "No, you can't do this." Instead, says Dottie Feldman, director of school consultation and accreditation for the American Montessori Society, be inventive about how to help your child achieve what he's trying to do. Demonstrate, step-by-step, how to complete the task, then provide opportunity to practice it frequently. If need be, take turns with your child, allowing him to do those steps he's capable of, and demonstrating the rest.
Involve your child in household tasks
Preschoolers thrive on helping and imitating the adults in their lives. "It also makes kids feel they belong," says Bev Farrell, director of the Teacher Education Program at the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, California. "And a sense of belonging to the family group is, as we know, what keeps them from straying in the later years."
Buy ined F FّD e U Ё d F FD e V с d ! F FؑD e W X Y ҁ d F FؑD e Ӂ d F FّD e Z ԁ d ! F FؑD e [ \ ] Ձ d F FؑD e ց d F FّD e ^ ׁ ely the process of doing it. He doesn't anticipate the completion of the task." Parents need to be truly willing to go at the child's pace. Resist the urge to re-wipe the table, or otherwise correct your child as she goes. If you do, those feelings of pride and independence will wither. Do not disturb. "The biggest favor a parent can do for his child is to let him be when he's truly engaged. It's better to wait until he looks up or asks you a question. By not interrupting him, you're helping him develop his powers of concentration.
Strive for Order. According to Montessori philosophy, "external order creates internal order." That doesn't merely mean having a place for everything and everything in it's place. It also means having daily and weekly routines for the child. If he can predict what's coming next, the transition won't throw him so much.Organize your child's environment to enable independence. "Think about how you can arrange things in your home so that your child can be more in charge, so that he can work towards doing things himself," says John Chattin-McNichols, the Director of the Montessori Education Institute of the Pacific Northwest. A bed low to the floor with a sleeping bag on it, for example, is much easier to straighten than a bed on a frame with lots of sheets, blankets and pillows. Incorporate your child into your whole house, rather than isolating his play to a specific room. For the most part, your child wants to be with you, whatever you may be doing. While he may keep most of his playthings in his bedroom or in the family room, he could also have a few books in the living room, a small table and a drawer for his things in the kitchen, perhaps even a box of markers and paper in the home office. For more on making your home more inviting for your child, click on the room-by-room suggestions at right.
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