By Mrs. Suzanne Mullen and Miss Monica Ho
Two of our Montessori teachers discuss tips on how to reinforce Montessori learning at home.
As an educator helping parents for more than 30 years in Montessori education, I know that incorporating the Montessori philosophy at home can be a challenge.
Your child is capable of so much more than you think. In a Montessori classroom, children learn through the classroom design and materials. The child is taught how to perform tasks on their own and encouraged to be independent e.g. pouring their own drinks, cleaning up their own messes. While some parents believe completing tasks for their child may be more efficient, we encourage parents to allow their child to do things on his/her own no matter how long it takes. Children want to learn and try if they have the patience and support from their parents.
Mrs. Sue Mullen is a Montessori Primary teacher who has been teaching at Arborland since 1996.
A Montessori Primary classroom is divided into five areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language Arts, Mathematics, and Cultural Studies. There are plenty of ways to practice lessons learned from each area at home.
Practical Life lessons prepare the children with life-long skills. Pouring, buttoning, preparing snack, cleaning, putting a jacket and so on are activities that teachers encourage parents to let their children practice at home. Helping children with work/jobs that they are capable of doing through practice is not “helping” the children. Allowing them to do the work themselves is the long-term solution. Help children by letting them help themselves!
Sensorial lessons encourage children to use their five senses, like stereognostic activities (using more than one sense). All senses could be practiced at home. Baking is one of the activities that could help children refine their tactile, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and stereognostic senses.
Language Arts lessons are presented in the entire Montessori classroom. Through the interaction of the teacher and children, children and materials. At home, parents’ interaction with children is crucial. Don’t use “baby talk” when talking to them, and treat children with respect. Parents are the most important role models that children look up to.
Mathematics lessons can be as simple as 1, 2, 3 or as advanced as fractions. Everything in this world consists of math concepts.
Cultural studies expose children to all different types of art, music, and literature. Nowadays, children are fortunate enough to be introduced to varieties of traditions that Americans celebrate in the United States.
Miss Monica Ho is trained in both Montessori Primary and Elementary levels. She has been teaching at Arborland since 2007.