Montessori parenting? Ahh. Yes, it is a thing. Sitting at my laptop one early morning as my oldest son (then a toddler) and my husband slept, I breathed in the silence and began to read an article introducing Montessori. I stopped and laughed out loud. You see, my family embraced Montessori, only we never knew “it” – my mom's parenting style – had a name. I was drawn to Montessori immediately and deeply.
The moment I read the quote “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed,” I felt an immediate kindred spirit with Dr. Montessori. Everything I continued to read about the Montessori philosophy resonated with me as an individual, a teacher, and as a parent.
For more detail on Why I Chose Montessori for my family, check out my blog. By the way, here are some of my favorite Montessori books for parents.
In the spirit of Montessori as a lifestyle, I brainstormed a quick list of 75 ways you can embrace your inner Montessori in your home starting TODAY!
75 Ways to Montessori Parenting
- Read Montessori: a Modern approach
- Embrace the idea that Montessori is a lifestyle and not simply an approach that begins and ends at classroom doors
- Invest in stools so the child can reach the sink, cabinets, and shelves
- Use real dishware; Avoid plastic toys, cups, dishes
- Embrace the Montessori Coat Flip
- Practice simplicity
- Be a model of behavior no matter what you're doing in life
- Help a child with scientific thinking
- Think about history not in dates to remember but instead as a sense of duration and passage of time (which typically isn't cognitively possibly to comprehend until 7 or 8 years old). Teaching kids about time can be fun!
- Use REAL images (aka AVOID cartoons)
- Hang a coat rack at your child's level
- Allow kids to be creative
- Consider a faucet extender
- Create a culture basket
- Wait for your child to put his coat on
- Give your child space and time to put on his shoes
- Practice Letter Writing
- Explore the outdoors with these books about rocks, ants, bears, and seeds.
- Teach kids to code (Maria Montessori would approve of moving along with the times)
- Focus on sounds, not memorization, of letters
- Use concrete objects that kids can get their hands on while learning
- Teach children about what it means to be courageous
- Read up on positive discipline and respectful parenting
- Learn about ways to encourages children with writing
- Create the environment for discovery of reading and writing
- Practice observing your child for at least five minutes a day
- Don't intervene in conflict or struggle
- Remember practical life activities are about focus, completion of a work cycle, preparation for writing, and independence.
- Cook with your kids
- Put together an easy Letter Sound Work for your kids
- Always move left to right
- Allow your child to zip up on his own
- Make smelling bottles
- Don't talk down to your child.
- Speak in a kind, firm tone.
- Have a Family Reading Time
- Travel with your Kids
- Learn photography with your kids
- Subscribe to one of these amazing monthly kits
- Read (a lot) with your child
- Establish a routine with kids
- Commit to these 5 Rock Star Responses to Kids during Challenging Moments
- Create a music basket
- Learn about Electricity with Kids
- Learn the 3 Period Lesson
- Create object boxes
- Expect a lot from your child because she is capable
- Take Sensorial Activities outside
- Leave her room to develop at her pace
- Allow him to make his discoveries because then he will be a lover of learning for life
- Go and be outside
- Practice Mindfulness
- Implement yoga into your daily routine with your kids
- Listen to your kids
- Kneel down at the child's eye level when speaking with him
- Use phrases other than “What's Wrong?”
- Learn math outside
- Better communicate with your child with these rock star tips
- Don't be afraid of insects
- Take Language activities outside
- Help create a sense of awe and wonder in a child by using questions to lead learning
- Garden with Kids
- Make time for dinner & family time
- Practice grace & courtesy
- Create a peace table in your home
- Accept that all children exist on the education spectrum.
- No two children are alike
- Children crave a gentle, calm leader
- Focus on developing a child's emotional intelligence
- Be a role model in your relationship with your partner
- Do listening activities with kids
- Take Practical Life Outside
- Purchase garden tools for kids
- Practice inquiry-based learning
- Read Madeline Levine's book “Teach Children Well” about redefining success
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What are your biggest struggles with being (or wanting to be) a Montessori parent?
Marnie