The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being

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One thing that is helping now more than ever is having a regular rhythm in your day. And at last I have permission from the publisher to share with everyone the beautiful routine cards made by Hiyoko Imai for my book ​The Montessori Toddler. How to use the cards They ensure the learning environments are carefully prepared to support children’s spontaneous choice and personal interests and then observe and encourage the child to engage with the activities.

The truth is, creative and open-ended play is very important in the Montessori approach. The method just prefers using it to develop imagination rather than fantasy, simply because toddlers can’t tell the difference between reality and fantasy. Learning through play is key in the Montessori approach and toys are specially designed to stimulate the senses and help with learning and other areas of development. The second principle informed Montessori’s view that all children would follow relatively similar trajectories of development, justifying the universality of her educational philosophy (Marshall, 2017). Guided by a trained teacher, children have access to self-educating practical play which encourages them to ask their own questions and discover their own answers.

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The school’s motto is “Fluorescence, Flame, Fortitude” to signify the blossoming of an individual, the intensity of thought, and the patience and strength of mind that is required of any student (“Kamala Niketan School,” n.d.). Maria Montessori focused a great deal of intrinsic motivation in her observations and careful development of her methods. A Montessori environment provides children with opportunities to work towards goals and activities using their own intrinsic motivation, as opposed to external rewards. Gentle Parenting The prepared environments facilitate movement and activity and only include easily accessible learning material that supports a child’s development. Your child’s language skills will advance significantly at the age between 1 and 3 years. Toddlers are no longer just silent listeners but they try to actively communicate with you and their vocabulary is growing every day.

A Montessori environment is conducive to the development of various skills, for toddlers especially. When combined with Montessori activities for toddlers, children are able to practice and build upon many skills at an early age. Here are some of the skills Montessori toddlers will learn.Toddlers are often eager and excited about helping in activities and chores that most adults consider to be mundane. The Montessori method encourages participation in these activities as a core component of daily life. Here are a few Montessori practical life activities for toddlers. Before reaching the U.S. in 1912, Montessori’s method spread throughout Italy and gained recognition in France, Switzerland, and the U.K. Many incredibly talented individuals learned and grew with the Montessori method. These individuals have gone on to be hugely successful in a wide range of disciplines, from politics to the tech industry, to the arts. The Montessori philosophy differs from traditional parenting practices in many ways, and can be easily identified in most situations. Here are a few of the defining characteristics you’ll see in environments with Montessori toddlers. Prepared Environment The Montessori method of teaching is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood.

At the beginning of the school year, teachers commonly deliver “great lessons” which introduce students to the interdisciplinary nature of learning that exposes students to new areas of exploration. Additionally, the National Kindergarten Association was extremely dismissive of Montessori’s method, arguing that it was outdated, too rigid, required too much sense-training, and left too little room for imagination and social interaction. Dohrmann, K. R., Nishida, T. K., Gartner, A., Lipsky, D. K., & Grimm, K. J. (2007). High school outcomes for students in a public Montessori program. Journal of research in childhood education, 22 (2), 205-217. She identified four distinct planes of development each marked with different characteristics and learning modes:The Montessori method notices these changes and tries to respond to them in a way that will help the little explorers to reach their full potential. This includes respecting their own pace and personality and observing their individual interests, passions, and talents.