Montessori is a method of education created by Dr Maria Montessori at the turn of the 20th century. It was created based on years of working with and studying children of all backgrounds. The first Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House) opened in 1907, where Dr Montessori applied her work and methods on 60 children aged between three and six.

Since then, the method has been explored and developed much further and can been applied to babies from birth. Montessori is no longer just an educational philosophy but rather, a way of life.

The following fundamental principles will help you get started on applying the Montessori method in your own home.

1. INHERENT DESIRE TO LEARN (THE INNER GUIDE)

If we were to set up an orderly environment with activities that a child is working up to grasp, we would find that children are intrinsically driven to learn. No reward or external motivation is required to get them to work, they are naturally curious and driven.

Dr Maria Montessori observed that each child possesses in himself an inner guide for his self-development, and will develop completely when this inner guide is allowed to direct his learning.

When they are born, babies aren’t even able to lift their necks, but they work at it tirelessly and learn to lift their heads, and eventually their entire upper bodies off the floor in order to crawl. The same way that babies learn to crawl, they will learn to walk, read, write and count, as long a their environments offer them the support they need.

2. SENSITIVE PERIODS

A sensitive period is a period of time during which a child shows an interest and inclination towards a particular area, e.g. movement, language, math.

During these sensitive periods, learning that skill or concept is effortless for the child. It is useful for us as parents or educators to be aware of these sensitive periods so we can provide age appropriate activities for our child. Sensitive periods are an overall guide though, observation of the child is still very important to determine what the child is trying to master (more on this in the section on observation).

If we notice a toddler lining up all his blocks or cars in a line, we can infer that he is in a sensitive period for order.

3. THE ABSORBENT MIND

Before the age of six, Dr Montessori noticed that children pick up things effortlessly, like a sponge, and she referred to this as the absorbent mind. Before the age of three, this learning occurs completely unconsciously.

The absorbent mind presents us with great opportunities but also some potential risks. The opportunities are that children will easily absorb everything around them, from language, social behaviours to their culture.

The potential risks are that they absorb all the negative along with the positive. We need to be mindful of the negative influences we expose children to at this age.

4. THE PREPARED ADULT

“The training of the teacher who is to help life is something far more than the learning of ideas. It includes the training of character; it is a preparation of the spirit.”

~ Maria Montessori

When you say Montessori, what probably comes to mind are beautifully prepared shelves and the presentation of activities to children. What isn’t obvious on the surface is the inner preparation of the adult, which enables them to support children to blossom in that prepared environment.

Arguably, this preparation of the adult, is more critical than even the physical environment.

5. PREPARED ENVIRONMENT

The prepared environment refers to an environment which has been designed with the child in mind. It’s purpose is to give the child as much independence as possible, while keeping them safe.

The six principles of the Montessori prepared environment are freedom, structure and order, beauty, nature and reality, social environment, and intellectual environment.

Every Montessori environment will look different but they are all generally calm and orderly, help children to succeed at being independent, are not cluttered (toy rotation is very helpful) and are beautiful.

6. RESPECT FOR THE CHILD

To respect a child means to intentionally act in a way to promote optimal development and learning. Respect means avoiding harm, not interfering, and having regard for your child's wishes, feelings, and rights.

True Montessori guides and educators have respect for the child at the core of everything they do. They treat children as they would treat adults, speaking to them respectfully and asking for their consent before doing something for them.

Adults still need to set limits for children, but in Montessori, these limits are set assertively but respectfully. There is no aggression or coercion.

7. OBSERVE AND FOLLOW THE CHILD

Observation is the basis of the Montessori approach. As part of most Montessori teach training programs, they are required to observe babies and young children for over 200 hours. It should be done objectively , without any bias, like a scientist would.

Observation shows exactly what the child is working on right now, what they are interested in or even where they might need some attention or help. Most Montessori activities don’t have a specific age to be done at, but rather a developmental milestone that needs to be achieved before the work can be introduced. This can only be ascertained by regular observation, without judgement.

8. INDEPENDENCE

“Help me to help myself.”

This is a phrase that keeps coming up in Montessori, as one of our main goals is to prepare the child for the world by making him independent.

That doesn’t mean children are hurried into maturing into adults, but because children are innately wired to do more, learn more and contribute more to their home, classroom or society. By setting up their environment accordingly, children are able to achieve independence in several tasks from a young age.

For instance, at mealtimes, toddlers are often presented with a tiny glass and a glass pitched with water in it so they can pour themselves a glass of water. They aren’t given plastic so it doesn’t break when dropped, rather, the glass let’s them learn responsibility and how to handle fragile things with care. The natural consequence of their glass breaking once or twice will make them realise the need to be more careful next time.

9. HANDS-ON, SENSORIAL LEARNING

“The child’s intelligence can develop to a certain level without the help of the hand. But if it develops with his hand, then the level it reaches is higher, and the child’s character is stronger.”

~ Maria Montessori

Montessori materials are designed to teach abstract concepts by using a concrete set of objects to manipulate. By using their hands, children take in a huge amount of concrete information to pass on to their brain.

Looking at some primary Math material like the golden beads, we notice that each number is represented by a set of beads. 10 is repressed by a string of 10 golden beads. 100 is represented by 10 of those 10 beads strung into a square. 1000 is represented by a cube with 10 of the 100 squares stacked together.

By manipulating these concrete objects, children are able to perform mathematical calculations. As they get older, they can convert this knowledge into abstraction, but can always come back to the concrete material when required.

10. FREEDOM WITHIN LIMITS

Before I started reading about Montessori, I had heard two extreme views that Montessori is very rigid and strict, or that Montessori allows children to do whatever they like.

As I started reading I realised that Montessori strikes a good middle ground between the two. It allows the child the freedom to choose, but within the parameters set out by the adult. This way, the child feels independent because he is making his own choices, and the adult’s goal is achieved too.

A Montessori baby can be offered choices from as young as a few months old, like a choice between two onesies to put on. They may not be aware they are making a choice at that age, but it offers them the respect of letting them choose, so they can freely express themselves as they get older.

Similarly, in a Montessori classroom, children are free to choose their own work from the shelves, but they are given a clear set of ground rules to follow. These rules can include ‘Only work with materials that you have been shown by a teacher’, or ‘If another child is working on something you want, wait for them to finish then you can have a turn’ or ‘When you finish with a material, put it back the way you found it.’ By setting the parameters, children are able to choose their work freely without being disruptive.