Montessori at Home

This section will grow as we do.

We'll start by looking at age appropriate activities for the home. The young child is learning their place in the world, and the proper care of themselves and their environment. There is an innate need to learn these skills, but where learning to crawl and walk are inevitable because they require no equipment, some skills may be missed because the types of products which might assist the child are not in their environment.

For example, the desire to master the pincer grip starts at around nine months, when the child is suddenly fascinated with trying to pick up small pieces of fluff and crumbs from the ground. In the increasingly sterile homes of today, if children aren't given access to materials with which to master this skill (even pea sized crumbs of bread on a plate at morning tea are good), they may not master it for some time.

For the infant, mobiles, music and the sound of their mother and father are the basic requirements. Mobiles can be made of anything, and are lovely near a window where the child can watch them shift in the breeze. We have some for sale, but it is also enjoyable to make your own, using photographs, drawings, origami animals or felt.

Babies find their parents' voice very soothing and will adore being spoken to, sung to and read to. It can be very soothing for an unsettled baby to have quiet, calm prose read to them as they drift off to sleep on occasion. As children love continuity, we have always maintained the same rhythm at bed time of pyjamas, teeth, books, songs and bed at which time I would often put on the cd player with classical music. As they've grown, they have become very interested in all styles of music and from around four years old, have chosen their own CD at bed time.

The first major milestone is when the child can sit, because now the world around them can be viewed on a different plane. There are balls, stacking toys, boxes and more, which can be presented to the child for them to explore. At this stage they require a low shelf to house their objects. This is a lovely place to have a mirror and a print of a beautiful painting. At the end of the day, this area should always be restored so that the child wakes to a harmonious work space.

Once the child is walking, they have a new sense of purpose. They can carry things for the first time. This is the time to give them a bucket with a small sponge for wiping tables, a stool to sit on for dressing, a watering can for the garden and a hairbrush and toothbrush for care of the self.