What is Montessori?

What is Montessori and why do I see that word all over my IG feed?

In 1907 an Italian physician, educator, and innovator, acclaimed for her educational method, named Maria Montessori, developed a new style of teaching based on the way children learn naturally.

Montessori is an innovative, child-centered approach to education that is now being taught at home and in schools. In today’s digital age, a lot of what we see online and on our feeds revolves around Montessori at home. 

What does Montessori at Home Mean?

Montessori at home encourages order, independence, and self-motivation. It is meant to help children develop competence in caring for themselves and the world around them. For our founder Lauren’s, boys, Evan (4) and Bennett (5), she noticed their love for the kitchen. She took this love and started implementing activities that help them gain independence and self-motivation surrounding the kitchen. Practicing chopping vegetables with wooden utensils has allowed them to learn about the kitchen and ask all sorts of questions. We designed our learning tower to help aid the boys in their independence so they can learn more naturally. 

A few of our favorite Montessori Activities in the home

  1. Bring the outside in. We enjoy doing crafts that use materials from the outdoors, as it opens the door for conversation about our world and how to care for it. Nature provides great examples of unique shapes that are often not found inside. We love using sticks, leaves, and flowers to learn.
  2. Cook with your child. For younger children, measuring, scooping, and stirring is a great way to utilize their motor skills. For older children, cutting, chopping, and gathering ingredients can be a meaningful way to learn their way around the kitchen and what goes into a meal. 
  3. Utilize puzzle maps. Puzzle maps or puzzles of your country/the world are a great way for kids to familiarize themselves with shapes, but also geographical locations. This can be a helpful activity in order to grow their perception of the world.
  4. Grab sensory items! One of our favorite activities is to grab an old container and fill it with smaller, unique objects. Then fill the remaining space with sand or pebbles to hide the objects slightly. You can let your child dive in with their hands or use a scoop to hunt for objects and identify them. 

The goal of the Montessori lifestyle is for your child to learn about their surroundings and explore the world around them. By expressing encouragement and appreciation for your children’s efforts at home, you will help nurture the inner motivation that will help serve them throughout life.

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montessori todldler tower

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