Montessori

Montessori at Home: Resources & Links

Montessori at Home

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with the Montessori approach. How long has it been now? At least 12 years since I started the certification process? I am trained as a 1st-3rd grade Montessori guide (i.e., teacher), but I have tried to learn as much as possible about implementing Montessori at home with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Since our children are constantly changing, our environments have to change, too! There is so much more than just “baby-proofing” your home.

Here are some of the posts I have written along the way to try and document our journey!

Montessori at Home

Montessori Philosophy

Physical Space: Montessori at Home

Materials

Activities: Montessori at Home

Also, Kylie (the Amazing Woman behind the blog How We Montessori) and I published a book about cooking with children in the kitchen. The book is called Kids in the Kitchen: Simple Recipes that Build Independence and Confidence in a Montessori Way. It includes a step-by-step guide about how to set up your kitchen for toddlers and preschoolers. Then it shares ten pictorial recipes that your children can follow even before they know how to read.

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It can be easy to overly focus on the “materials” part of Montessori, but at it’s core, it’s a philosophy. It’s about putting the child at the center and trying to show them as much respect as we possibly can so that they can grow into who they want to be. Montessori calls us to pay close attention to the developmental needs of our children and to prepare environments that meet their needs. Then we have to try and get out of their way as they grow into full independence.

Montessori at Home

4 Comments

  • Laura

    Hi Sara, I’ve been following you for a long time. Thanks for sharing your journey. I am wondering if you have any recommendations for Montessori for kids with special needs?

    • Sara Cotner

      Hi, Laura! I have been a public Montessori guide (i.e., teacher), and we serve many children with special needs at our public Montessori school (Magnolia Montessori For All). What kind of special needs are you specifically wondering about? That will impact my answer. Thank you!

      • Laura

        Hi Sara – We aren’t quite sure. Since we are adopting we have limited information – FASD or autism are most likely. Thanks in advance!

        • Sara Cotner

          Hi, Laura! Thanks for responding back! I would say that everything comes down to the individual school and the particular people who work there. Montessori is wonderful for children with differences for a variety of reasons: 1) children stay in the same community for three years, so they build a strong connection with the guides and develop a strong sense of comfort/pride/continuity 2) there’s freedom of movement, which tends to help children who would otherwise struggle to sit in a desk all day 3) most of the learning materials are hands-on and moves from the concrete to the abstract 4) lessons happen one-on-one or in small groups 5) there’s a three-year age span so difference is already completely normalized in the classroom 6) there’s an emphasis on caring for ourselves/others/the environment–honestly I could go on and on!

          BUT there are also private Montessori schools that function as if children with differences aren’t a good fit with Montessori. They push kids out, saying that they don’t have the resources that the child needs to be successful.

          So at the end of the day, I think it comes down to conversations with the administrators about what their approach is to difference. What kind of differences have they worked with? In what ways? I imagine you would learn a lot about any school by asking those two questions.

          Please let me know if you want to discuss this more!

          Wishing you well on your journey,

          Sara

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