Well hello! Welcome back to our new Know & Play Space... and to 2023! I'm pretty sure we've all blinked and 2020 has turned into 2023... haven't those years flown?
Over this year, I want to share 12 months worth of Montessori content, and lots more in-between I hope! I thought it would be a nice place to start by sharing our journey into Montessori so far, where we are now, what our spaces look like and how we 'do' certain things at home.
How did we begin Montessori at Home & Montessori parenting?
I wrote a blog post all about this! Click here to read more...
Did we do Montessori from birth?
Definitely not strictly, no. Aspects, yes, but we didn't go the full way. I touched on this in my blog post about how we began our Montessori journey. Looking back, I wish we had, and definitely will next time if we are lucky enough to have another baby in the future. Montessori from birth is totally possible and has so many amazing features about it, especially in terms of showing respect and value to a tiny human who has very few communication methods.
Things we did from birth that are 'Montessori':
- Had a low mirror in Isaac's nursery and playspace
- Installed a wall bar for Isaac to pull up on
- Ensured the environments that Isaac was in were safe and prepared, and changed them as and when Isaac's needs changed
- Offered developmentally appropriate toys and resources
- Followed Isaac's interests
- Showed love, kindness and respect
- Spent time barefoot outdoors
What are some things we would definitely do different next time?
- Spend more time outside, even in the early stages
- Have more 'floor time'
- Use a floor bed earlier
- Follow natural gross motor development and resist from 'probing up' or using containment devices such as a baby swing/ jumperoo.
How old is Isaac and what is he working on right now?
Isaac turns 16 months in the first week of January. He is LOVING all things practical life at the moment, wanting to be involved with everything we are doing - particularly preparing food in the kitchen or hoovering. When playing, Isaac seems to still be in a 'Containment Schema'. He's interested in putting things in and out of other things and enjoys having random pots, bags and containers from around the house to do this with. He is still working on pegging toys such as the GALT pop up toy or his ULANIK peg dolls and balls, though can do these with a lot more ease now. Isaac's beginning to show interest in threading, through has still absolutely no interest for stacking rings! He's also discovered mark making, so we've introduced crayons inside and chalks outside to continue this interest. Isaac still loves climbing and being up high, so we still find ways to change up his spaces to give him new gross motor challenges, or take him outside to meet this need in different places too!
What do spaces in our home look like now?
Over the next few blog posts, I'm going to dive into these spaces in a lot more detail... but here's our Montessori-inspired home so far!
Isaac's Bedroom:
Isaac's Playroom:
Family Living Room:
Family Kitchen:
Which practical life activities does Isaac take part in?
At 16 months, Isaac...
- Tries to brush his, and our, hair with a brush
- Can pick his outfit, when interested in doing so
- Will sometimes put his dirty clothes in his washbin
- Has begun to support with changing his clothing or nappy
- Wipes up spills
- Drinks from an open cup
- Has begun pouring water from a small jug into his cup
- Feeds himself independently, and is beginning to use a spoon and fork with more success
- Tries to sweep the floor with his dustpan and brush
- Joins in with hoovering
- Joins in with cleaning windows
- Puts items of rubbish in the bin
- Can turn on the tap and get his toothbrush ready to brush his teeth
- Sometimes will help load/unload the washing machine, but much prefers to press the buttons instead of helping!
What's been a challenge in transitioning to the Montessori approach?
Admittedly, one of the things that I have particularly struggled with is seeing all these amazing prepared environments on Instagram and Pinterest, and wanting mine to look 'just like that' - thinking that that's how Montessori works, and if I don't have an environment like that the I've failed. THIS IS SO FAR FROM THE TRUTH. Montessori is SOO so much more than the stuff. The approach doesn't need you to go out and spend lots on new things. You can make do with what you have. The roots run far deeper than what you see online and are thoroughly based on respect, love and trust of your child.
What's been the best part of the journey so far?
One thing that has been amazing is that it takes some of the pressure off of you as the parent when you trust in the child. You trust that they are capable. They are developing in their own way and at their own pace. They innately know how to get to where they need to be, and they will seek ways to do that. We as the adults can assist in their development and be their guide by preparing the environment etc for them... but ultimately, they are in control. It's amazing to have this level of trust... even if some days we have NO clue why they are doing something or what they are working on!
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