3 Montessori Parenting Techniques To Put Into Practice

“... on almost every survey, people who had spent at least two years in Montessori, had higher well-being than  people who never went to Montessori. “ Angeline Lillard, study author.

The Montessori philosophy and approach to teaching children, has proven to be successful at nurturing long-term psychological health and wellness. The focus is on developing essential skills for life, building positive character traits and stimulating emotional intelligence.

The Montessori ethos, adaptable to any lifestyle or cultural influence around the world, is all about how you choose to communicate and connect with your child in your day to day life. When implementing this philosophy at home, simply create an interesting learning environment where your child can play uninterrupted with open-ended toys. Think about introducing important practical life skills too, so allow for and encourage age-appropriate tasks like helping to fold clothes, pack dishes and sweep the floors, on a daily basis.

Using some of the Montessori ideals at home will foster a caring, supportive and happy family environment. Here are 3 techniques you can try:

1. Respect your child. As parents, we want our children to feel heard and respected. Even though they are young and naïve, still largely inexperienced in life, they are highly impressionable and contain a massive amount of potential. They deserve to be shown the courtesy we would expect for ourselves.
2. Use big words. A common tendency we see is adults speaking in ‘baby words’ with their little ones. The Montessori way prefers to incorporate a more mature use of words which will help to enrich the child’s everyday language and give them a more descriptive communication skill.
3. Slow down and give space and freedom. Exploring and self-discovery is essential to building the character of every child. They will develop better self-determination and social stability. Allow them a feeling of being in control to nurture independence.

Always take time to observe your children as they play and complete different activities.  You will gain good insight into their uniqueness and what brings them joy or frustration, by watching how they interact with others and their environment.

Share you daily routine with your children and as you give them guidance and a sense of full participation, you will get to know them more closely and they will learn to trust in your consistent love, commitment and understanding.

Allow them to be themselves and remember that independence is the aim, in thoughts, words and how they make choices.