A Guide to a Montessori Home Life

What you Know! Characteristics of Montessori children guided towards independence thinkers responsible creative explorers curious

Common Differences Montessori School Consistent routines Consistent rules Prepared environment Clear expectations Materials designed for development of specific skills and concepts Small furniture Home Life Relaxed routines Flexible rules Varying schedules due to busy lives Expectations unclear Environment and materials designed for family living Standard sized furniture

Commonalities Familiar surroundings Consistent adult(s) Consistent room(s) Interesting materials Social opportunities Nutritional needs met Homelike environment Family atmosphere

Bring it All Together Schedule meeting with teacher Get resources on furniture Get resources on toys Take a parenting class Read developmental information Create your to-do list Prioritize your list

MEETING WITH TEACHER Ask for a copy of classroom rules Ask for list of your childs abilities in: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math and all of the Cultural subjects Ask for resources in Child Development and Developmentally Appropriate Practice Ask for their expert recommendations for your Montessori at Home transition

Just My Size! Furniture at Home Made for success Small Just enough Less is more Functional Real Simple Wooden Natural Beautiful

Furniture Suggestions Bed – easy to get into, out of and to make! Table and 2 – 4 chairs Chairs to allow child to put feet on floor comfortably Safe stool for bathroom and kitchen Low clothes rod in the closet Its nice to reach your own clothes!

Developmentally Appropriate Toys Look for ideas! Parent friendly websites:

Just Enough? How much Target makes shelf units – 3 vertical cubes. Turn it on its side and you have a nice unit. How many Two or three units should be manageable by your child How long When the toys are collecting dust – change them out for ones you keep in storage!

Parenting 101 ? Lucky for you! Help is available NOW! A toolbox – FULL of tools - in a book! Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (aka S.T.E.P.) Jane Nelson writes POSITIVE DISCIPLINE books – for ALL age levels!

Guilt Free Parenting Its a BUSY time for you! That means its a busy time for your children! Choose ONE change in your parenting style to alter each week. Too much change too soon – you AND your children will revolt and chaos results. (Chaos is the antonym of discipline!) If you have perfect parenting skills – skip this part.

More Tools Each Week Tool # 1 – For one week, observe your childrens behavior Make notes on how THEIR behaviors make you feel on a situation by situation basis. IF you feel annoyed most of the time, the behavioral issues you are dealing with are MOST likely simple attention getting. IF this is the case, giving responsibility in a pleasant team style manner will eliminate the negative behavior being used to get your attention!

Tool # 2 Schedule for same time every week Have a prepared agenda Light a candle or have a special way to signal beginning of meeting Snacks may be nice - if they are not a distraction Allow each family member a chance to facilitate meeting ( if developmentally appropriate) End the meeting with a special reading, a song, a prayer, or something meaningful to your family

Making Schedules Family commitment Tool # 3 MunirShelli Kathryn Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday KitchenLiving Room Dining Room Personal Laundry Bathroom Free Time Family Time Dining Room Living Room Family Time Free Time Bathroom Personal Laundry Dining Room Kitchen Personal Laundry Kitchen Living Room Sample!

Making Schedules Bedtime Routine Dinner Chore Bath Teeth Reading Drink of water Bathroom Hug Last Hug Lights out Tool # 3 Sample!

Wake up to alarm Make Bed Get Dressed Eat Breakfast Brush Teeth Make Lunch Get Backpack and lunch Go to School! Tool # 3 Making Schedules Morning Routine sample

Making Rules (Positive) For the Car Seat Belt Quiet Voices Music everyone likes Restore toys & books Use trash bag for trash Seat Belt on until FULL stop Tool #4

Making Rules (Positive) Home Be respectful of family Normal tone voices Use words to solve problems Do daily chores Attend family meetings Have family time Cooperate Laugh and enjoy each other Tool #4

Prepare the Environment The adults challenge is to be certain that the environment offers all the key experiences necessary for the childs success. Tool #5

Organize the Home Environment A place for everything, everything in its place * Make safe restoration and cleaning materials available to child * Use trays and baskets on low shelves when possible * Have just enough! Too many things out at one time become overwhelming to you and your child! Tool #6

Kitchen Safe Stool Real Tools Simple Menu Appropriate work space Dishes and glasses in lower cupboards Snacks and drinks on low shelves in cupboards and refrigerator

Bathroom oSafe Stool oEasy access to hygiene materials oLow Mirror oBasket or plastic container for personal equipment oContainer for bath toys oBasket for cleaning equipment (ex. sponge to wipe out tub and sink) oSAFE cleaning solutions (ex.vinegar water with lavender or citrus essential oil)

Play Area Play is the childs work Less is more Enough activities to keep child engaged Age Appropriate shelving Age Appropriate activities Child should be able to restore independently Tables and rugs for work

Bedroom Keep it simple for child to manage Alarm clock Clothing rack to childs height Drawers organized so child can restore Excess clothing and too many choices creates difficulty for childs independence

Family Room One or two pieces of child size furniture: table and chairs, small stuffed chair, bean bag chair Child sized bookshelf Child sized storage shelf Games for the whole family Puzzles for the whole family Art materials for the whole family

Living Room Similar to Family Room May function as Family Room Decorations to match age of child Clear rules about food and drink

Dining Room Teach manners by example No television during mealtime Table set properly Good time for conversation and music

Outdoors Non Toxic Plants Non Toxic lawn care Safe play equipment Container for small equipment that child can open and close Garden for produce, herbs and flowers Child sized real tools

Developmental Chart for Home Tasks and Chores 13 months 18 months 2 years 3 years Picks up toys, puts them away with parental modeling and reminding Imitates housework Copies parents domestic activities Puts toys away, cleans dry and wet spills, dusts, dries dishes, sets, table, gardens, carries things carefully and with accuracy

Developmental Chart for Home Tasks and Chores 4 years 5 years 6 years Prepares dry cereal, snacks, and lunch items, sorts laundry, feeds pets, loads and unloads dishwasher, waters plants, makes bed, folds laundry, puts clothes on hanger Puts things away neatly, makes a sandwich, takes out trash, picks up mail, answers phone correctly, vacuums Does simple errands, manages household chores well, cleans sink, washes dishes, cooks simple meals, manages laundry, car washing, sweeping and mopping floors, counting coins – learning about money. Children want to contribute and feel worthy

Life Made Simple and Easy for You and Your Child Positive Discipline and Respect Structured and Prepared Environment Positive Role Modeling Routine and Scheduling Love and Laughter

Consistency With the Classroom The communication with your school, your childs teacher and an understanding of the Montessori Philosophy is the KEY to a successful child in the family. *** You will have Montessori at Home – both physically and philosophically!

Practical Life Skills Order Organization Coordination Concentration Independence Contributing member of society

Sensorial Skills Develops comparative and superlative language skills, Problem solving, and Math Concepts Strengthens Auditory, Visual, Tactile, Kinesthetic, Olfactory and Gustatory senses

Language Skills Begin even before birth! Oral language develops from hearing! Writing comes before reading! Children must have conversation!

Math Skills Quantity and number concepts are part of a childs daily life. A childs play is their work. Math is in their play. Setting a table is math, music and dancing are math. Buttoning a shirt is math.

Science Skills Science is the study of ……. life and the physical world. It must be experienced to be learned!

Geography and Cultural Skills Experience

Life Long Skills Research shows that children in a Montessori environment develop independent learning skills that last their entire life. Montessori children become formal thinkers, community contributors, and are life long learners.

Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.

This presentation was brought to you by The Institute of Montessori Education. TIME is a proud supporter of child, teacher, head, and parent continuing education with Montessori methodology as the foundation. Schools using this presentation have graciously attended TIMEs workshop on Parent Education in a Montessori School TIME09