How to apply the Montessori Method at home

Maria Montessori was an Italian woman born at the end of the 19th century who revolutionized pedagogy and education by proposing a new educational model that took shape in what is still known today as the Montessori method.

At a time when it was already unusual for a woman to acquire such extensive training in different branches of knowledge as she did, it was even more unusual to modify the apparently solid foundations of education of the time.

WHAT IS THE MONTESSORI METHOD?

Although it is difficult to define the nature of the Montessori method in a few lines, we could summarize it as follows: children are understood as the active part of the learning process itself, while the adult becomes a mere guide . The children would direct their activities based on their individual characteristics, their character, their level of development and their interests, while the adult will make a systematic observation to guide them and provide what they need at all times.

In addition, a discipline based on mutual respect is promoted, promoting children’s freedom without neglecting the application of specific limits .

The Montessori method has been applied to the field of education to a greater or lesser extent depending on the countries and times.

Nowadays there are more and more centers that follow the Montessori method, although sometimes they find it difficult to make their curricula legitimate in an educational system as restricted as the current one.

However, as we say, the Montessori method is more than just a method. It can be understood as a model or a philosophy of education so it can be generalized beyond the purely academic field and applied in other contexts such as the child’s own home.

CAN THE MONTESSORI METHOD BE APPLIED AT HOME?

It should be mentioned in the first place that the popularity that the Montessori method has achieved in recent years, to be a specialist in it and not misrepresent its original approaches, extensive specific training is required, so it will always be helpful to consult with a specialist in the Montessori method.

To have a general idea, what we must be clear about are two basic principles on which it is based: seeking the child’s freedom within defined limits and achieving a prepared environment with appropriate materials and experiences.

In addition, the Montessori method seeks the integral development of the child in all aspects: social skills, emotional development, cognitive development … always looking for each child, within their possibilities, to reach their maximum potential.

Montessori speaks of the critical and sensitive periods to acquire certain learning and describes the children of earlier ages as “absorbing minds”, that is to say, especially receptive to capturing all those external stimuli that surround them.

For this reason and because according to the Montessori method the best learning takes place in natural contexts, the home is a privileged environment to develop this model.

HOW TO APPLY THE MONTESSORI METHOD AT HOME?

First of all, we must adapt the environment and materials. The Montessori method seeks that children develop their independence and autonomy early, so everything should be adapted to the child, their abilities and their size, also seeking order and balance.

Thus, we could adapt the space with small furniture , adjusted to suit the child so that he can function easily and independently. Other utensils of daily life (cutlery, personal hygiene materials, etc.) should also be adapted to the young child to ensure that he / she handles them as soon as possible with autonomy. Likewise, the toys must be appropriate for their age.

It would be about creating a “miniature world”, adapting ourselves as adults and guides to its development process and not the other way around.

The adult must provide a wide repertoire of games, materials and activities so that later it is the child who decides what interests him the most. It is not about filling the space with toys, but about offering a certain variety of specific materials. The child will be able to change activities whenever he wishes, although his attention span and concentration will be promoted and he will always be the one who saves what he is using and then can move on to another activity.

These materials seek to work, especially at an early age, on four different areas: language , mathematics, the sensory and practical life. The Montessori method works with materials that often the adult himself can build to make these learnings take place on something concrete, as in the case of mathematics; materials are experienced through all the senses, so we will work with visual, auditory, textures, smells and tastes stimuli to work on the sensory.

If our child attends a Montessori school, we can imitate the materials that the child works at school so that they also have them at home. If not, we can look for a professional to guide us and look for information in the extensive bibliography on this topic. There are many books that explain Montessori-based education and offer ideas about materials and how to get them.

The home is the best context to work on what is related to practical life. We must give the child freedom to be autonomous and not tend to do everything for him . Therefore, depending on his age and level of development, we will have to give him the opportunity to do things for himself, which requires adults to be loaded with patience and tolerance.

In summary, if we want to apply the Montessori method at home, we must become aware that we will be guides for the development and learning of our children and that we must put aside an imposing and directive attitude.

This does not mean that rules and limits are not set. The Montessori method is very clear in this sense: everything must be developed within limits based on respect.

We must encourage the concentration of children, but giving them to choose between those activities that generate more interest. The Montessori method places great importance on sensitive periods of learning, but it does not mark such narrow and patterned limits as in the academic curricula to use to define when children should achieve certain competences.