So you’ve heard about and read about implementing Montessori with your child, and yet you don’t know what to expect.
How will they turn out?
How will they do in school and beyond?
Why is the Montessori Approach effective with babies and toddlers?
I mean the list of questions that I have either heard or I , myself, have asked about the Montessori Child throughout the years is endless.
And there is always a little semblance of unknown within child development theories and child rearing approaches, so it’s important that we all share observations to better understand effects and outcomes.
So here are some observations I made about the Montessori Child…
Do you see this helpful child in the photo above? Well, I knew this sweet boy as a Montessori Baby in the Nido (classroom) next door to mine. And I now have the honor of setting up his home environment for his younger sibling!
My sweet (and handy 😉) partner and I created + set up this Montessori Mirror and Pull-Up Bar in their bathroom for his younger brother’s diaper changes.
And I made a few observations about how implementing Montessori Principles with this sweet child as a baby may have affected this experience.
1. Fostering Independence May Lead to an Empowered Child
I definitely believe that offering opportunities for independence as a Montessori Baby and Toddler leads to a child who is empowered to jump into experiences.
This child innately has a super sweet & mellow personality. In fact, when we first arrived, he was super shy and giggly. *So cute.*
But as time went on and we started to work on setting up his little brother’s Montessori environment, he was so quick to want to learn about our processes and help however he could.
2. They Have a Strong Innate Will to Learn
Montessori Education, especially beginning in infancy, focuses on fostering that innate love and will to learn.
You know how babies are innately curious beings? I’m sure you’ve noticed things like they love to explore new areas + toys, observe your mouth while you talk, move all around their trusted home environment and so much more.
Well, humans are born with that inner drive to learn about their new world outside of the womb.
And Montessori Principle aims to foster and develop that inner drive to learn throughout their educational experiences.
Well this child was sitting, watching, asking questions, and really showing us that he was so interested in learning about the processes of putting up the pull-up bar and mirror.
3. They Like to Be Involved in their Environment
When implementing Montessori from the start, the goal is to offer experiences to be involved in their own environment as often as developmentally appropriate.
For example, as soon as my babies in my Nido were able to grasp a towel and wipe, I would offer them a towel to wipe up spills when they were drinking from a glass at their low tables.
So now apply this idea to pretty much everything that goes on in the day of a baby. I always offered experiences for involvement in their daily routines, as my goal was for them to feel like they are just as much a part of the experiences.
Well, taking this idea back to my experience with this Montessori Child, he was completely an active participant in the evolvement of his home environment.
4. They Like Being Offered Real Opportunities
Starting as a Montessori Baby, we offer real experiences as often as possible (and provided the experience is safe) vs. offering pretend experiences.
For example, when I was in the classroom, at the end of our school day as I started to clean up, I would often offer my young walking babies opportunities to clean as well. I would give them their own rag and size-appropriate spray bottle (filled with a little bit of water and vinegar). And then I’d show them how to clean!
There are some great pretend play cleaning materials for babies and toddlers on the market, but in Montessori we do our best to offer those real experiences as often as possible.
And lemme tell ya, at that age when babies are learning about their world, they LOVE to be involved in the daily processes!
In this example, this preschool age child was offered an opportunity to get involved in this project at a developmentally appropriate level. He did things like:
- Help hold the bar for drilling
- Press the power drill button
- Level the bar
….and we was so excited to actually help in the process!
5. They Continue to have that Ah-Ha, “I did it all by myself” Moment
One of my favorite things about implementing Montessori from the Start is how babies have that moment of pure, innate joy when they accomplish something all by themselves.
And since we continue to offer those moments while their brain develops, that burst of joy when they accomplish something new continues throughout childhood.
This sweet boy was beaming as he helped us complete the Montessori Pull-up Bar project! And I will tell you, that moment was completely priceless for us.
And every child is different. Every child learns differently, grows differently and has different interests. Some children may be more interested in helping with cooking meals versus these types of construction projects. And those differences are beautiful!
Regardless, as long as we offer these empowering opportunities for involvement in their environments, those super amazing moments of learning and growth will continue to happen.
And that, my friend, are some of the beauties of implementing Montessori with your child.