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“Oh, I know you!” Those were the very first words I said to my newborn son, just moments after giving birth to him almost 22 years ago. I held him in my arms, looked him in the eye, and realized that I really did already know this beautiful tiny baby. Throughout our two days in the hospital, I found myself talking to him: asking if he was hungry, singing a nonsense made-up on the spot song when I changed his diaper, telling him how his little clothes were presents from his grandpa and grandma, and reassuring him that I was there with him when he was crying. Talking to him just came naturally. He had heard the sound of my voice for nine months, so I knew that he knew me, too. When and How to Talk to Babies Some people wonder when and how to talk to babies. The answer is simply to talk to babies as you would talk to anyone else. Even if the conversation is one sided, your baby is listening and absorbing your words, your actions, and your tone of voice. There are everyday tasks such as fe...

Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed. —Maria Montessori Words of Wisdom, p. 58. Two headlines recently popped up in my newsfeed, and as a parent of a young university student, I was curious to learn more. Former Stanford dean explains why helicopter parenting is ruining a generation of children Emma Brown, Washington Post Helicopter parents stir up anxiety, depression IU News Room/Indiana University In the first article, Julie Lythcott-Haims suggests that parents, in an effort to protect and shield children from failure, do more harm than good. Over-helping, she says, causes harm by leaving our young adults “without the strengths of skill, will and character that are needed to know themselves and to craft a life.” (Brown, 2015) Although parents may think they are promoting healthy self-esteem when they help their children, research indicates otherwise. Lythcott-Haims cites statistics that demonstrate an increase in depression and other emotional health probl...

It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put in giving. — Mother Teresa I met a fifth grade boy recently who was happy to share his feelings about the upcoming holidays. “I’ve given up on Christmas,” he said. “I’ve come to realize that, no matter what I ask for, what I really want I just won’t get. I asked for an Xbox last year and got a book. Whenever I ask for video games, my mom tells me to go outside and play. Why doesn’t she understand I just want to be like the other kids?” I have to admit, his cynicism tugged at my heart strings. I know his mother, and I know and respect the reasoning behind her parenting decisions and their family values. I know, too, that she feels guilty at times over values, wants, and needs. Gift Giving as a Montessori Parent In her article “Anger, guilt and spending on kids: 8 questions to ask before buying anything,” psychotherapist and parenting coach Debbie Pincus states that “Guilt and anger are both uncomfortable emotions; and as different as t...

We discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 8. I was recently talking to a friend of mine who has three children under the age of seven.  She told me she had been planning a quiet summer with a daily swim at the pool, a few trips to the library, and maybe a few play dates.  She was felt overwhelmed, then, when her seven year old said that sounded fine, but what he was really looking forward to was doing summer homeschool! Ideas for Parents for Montessori Summer Learning - Follow the Child! What Do I Do? Parents often think that our children need some quiet down-time in the summer to rest and renew themselves after a long school year. But we need to remember that they are in their sensitive period for learning! Adults can turn their brains on and off – I work 8–5, Monday through Friday; I learn when I take specific classes; I res...

“It seems to him, at this stage, a particularly vital matter that everything in his environment should be kept in its accustomed place; and that the actions of the day should be carried out in their accustomed routine.”   – E.M. Standing,  Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work , p. 123 Understanding the Child’s Sense of Order in the Montessori Environment When my son was a toddler, he would line his shoes up just right in his closet. They had to be perfectly straight and even. On his bed, all of his stuffed animals had to be placed in exactly the same spot each morning, and all the trucks and trains had specific ‘homes’ when not being played with. We laughed over his desire to have everything in its place, but he really would get upset if something was out of order. “... nature endows a child with a sensitiveness to order. It is a kind of inner sense that distinguishes the relationships between various objects rather than the objects themselves. … Such an environment provides th...

" When you hold an infant, hold him not just with your body, but with your mind and heart. " – Magda Gerber In our continuing blog series studying the works of Montessori, we have looked at the first nine chapters of The Absorbent Mind . All over the world, educators and caregivers find common ground in many of Montessori’s ideas– especially so when it comes to the care of infants. Psychologist Laura Berk, like Montessori, states that “knowledge of the world is first gathered through the senses.” Berk notes the physical changes in heart rate and respiration in infants when there is a change in their environment – someone new arrives, there are new pictures on the wall, or mother starts wearing new cologne. (Berk, 2006) Montessori Values Around the World – Supporting an Infant's Development with Conscious Interaction Modern child philosophers also discuss the importance of respectful awareness of children, beginning at birth. Magda Gerber’s RIE philosophy calls for “res...