Let’s talk all about offering a baby Montessori Language lessons! And we jumped into this because we know offering babies language lessons can look very different thank offering toddlers and preschool age kids language lessons.
And so kind of like I mentioned in our Montessori Babies Podcast Episode 15 regarding language, one of the best things that we can do for them to really acquire that everyday conversational type language is speak to them in full language, read to them, and sing to them every day.
Those really interactive back and forth experiences are so amazing for them to learn their language. But there are ways that we can encourage our infants to learn specific types of words, to start to relate words to objects. And the way that we do that is by giving language lessons now for babies!
What does a Language Lesson for a Baby Look Like?
kind of like I mentioned, it does look a little bit different in infants, you know, whereas with a toddler less than you might see a three step language lesson, in infancy, it’s more of an introduction. But what you can do is have materials out on your shelf, ready for special moments throughout the day. That way you can really hone in on when your baby’s needs are met to have those calm moments of connection and offer those lessons.
Montessori Baby Language Lesson Ideas
So the first idea is a traditional Montessori basket of known objects. So that’s where you would have a little basket filled with things that are found around the house. It can be anything like safe and soft kitchen utensils, cleaning brushes and objects, or even fruit!
(Favorite Amazon Baskets Linked below)
Obviously, everything’s clean and soft and safe. Regarding the fruit, I’ve had it where I have pre-washed, fruit like grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime. Those are really fun to have because they’re categorized even within the fruit category!
Another idea is nomenclature objects. So that’s essentially little figurines! And ones that you could find at Micheal’s or Target or stuff like that. Again, I’ve categorized all different types of animals. So perhaps you have sea animals out during the summer and mountainous animals out during the fall. Or maybe creepy crawlies during the fall and mountainous during the winter! You can really have fun with that!
You can also offer language cards! The way to offer language lessons within Montessori is to offer the actual object first, label the object and then relate it to the photo. The biggest tip that I can have as far as having Montessori language cards is having it be a real photo, size appropriate, and just the object with a white background. You can also theme your baby’s Montessori shelf and keep everything kind of on a similar rotation with similar inspiration.
When to Offer the Language Lesson To Your Baby
For a non-mobile baby, you can pull your language lesson off of the shelf when you’re doing your activity time. And if you have a mobile baby, they can totally drive themselves to the shelf. And then when they’re showing interest, you can offer the language lesson! Stay tuned for a fun fact…
Fun Fact: Three times three is the magic number for language development! So say the word three times, talk about it and then continue on with your Montessori language lesson!
Finally…
For more tips and ideas on offering purposeful Montessori Language Activities to Babies, check out our Montessori Babies Podcast Episode 15: Offering Montessori Language Lessons to Babies! And as always, I hope these tips were helpful to you, your baby, and your Montessori Practice!