Our dishwasher broke a couple of weeks ago and despite the fact that I will probably regret saying this later I’m sort of pleased. I am now in competition with my daughter over who gets to have their arms deep in warm soapy suds instead of having to do the drying up. It reminds me of what I loved about the Montessori method several years ago when my son attended a school in France with this educational philosophy. I was lucky to have this memory jogged when I attended an introduction to the method recently by Michela Yagoub from the Montessori Centre International (London) at the Sunflower Montessori Crèche in Moutfort.

The talk was entitled ‘Let me do it Myself!’ and the aim was to inform parents about ways in which functional independence in young children could be supported at home. At the heart of this is the belief that children are innately interested in firstly what they can do for themselves and then what they can do for others. That is, they want the satisfaction of being able to do things for themselves and the feeling of belonging. But the most important difference between children and adults is that they are more interested in the process whereas adults tend to be focused on the end result.

Part of experiencing the process for young children include all the senses touching, seeing, smelling, hearing and tasting. My daughter standing at the sink may experience all her senses alive with the feeling of the warm water on her skin, seeing the dishes washed magically clean, smelling the lemon scented washing up liquid, tasting a few bubbles (yucky!) and hearing the conversation we are sharing.

The Montessori Method takes everyday activities in the world of children and turns them into opportunities for growth. By creating a learning environment where children can engage at their pace and interest in activities like learning how to use zips and button up jumpers; cutting and peeling fruit or vegetables, cleaning shoes and measuring ingredients for cooking. Activities like these are only a part of the overall philosophy but aim to allow children opportunity to explore and engage in the pleasure of learning new skills and making a contribution in their family. Children learn a variety of skills through these activities including muscle control, moving and acting with care and precision, analyzing logical next steps, being more responsible for themselves and contributing to their social group.

Michela advised parents that they could engage their children in doing any of these activities at home. When thinking about these activities parents can ask themselves – what experience might my child get out of doing this and how do we ensure a level of success? You can do this by breaking down a task into parts and slowly showing and sharing the activity until they are confident. You can also make your home more Montessori friendly by putting things like coat pegs, shelves and other equipment at child height. This allows children to learn to be more active in looking after themselves and putting things away. Giving them a sense of achievement and contribution.

My daughter, who is still at the kitchen sink long after the dishes are done, is contentedly soaked and blowing bubbles. Next Montessori Method friendly purchase I think is a plastic apron.

 

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Further Information: Recommended Reading

To find out more about what Montessori can offer your family you can read the recommended Learning Together* by Kathi Hughes (2012) or click on the link for the Montessori Centre International (London)

 

* Passage has a small library of books for parents to borrow. This title is available. Please email us at passage.parents@gmail.com for more information.

 

 

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Article by:  Lynn Frank who is a coordinator for Passage.

Last updated:  Tuesday 9th June, 2015